Star Trek Into Darkness

Hiss if you must, but I never watched any of the older Star Trek TV shows or films. In fact, my first experience with the franchise was with 2009's reboot directed by JJ Abrams. And boy was it great! I was actually reminded of its greatness when I watched it just before the new sequel as part of a double feature that the Crystal River Regal Cinemas offered. After the first film finished, I had an hour until midnight, when I would see JJ Abram's second Trek film "Star Trek Into Darkness. In that hour I was thinking to myself (with the first film fresh in my mind), "Wow there is no way the second will could be better than that." But did Abrams prove me wrong?

Before I tell you, let's go over a quick preview of the plot. We are taken back to the Starship Enterprise on another adventure to some distant planet. Unfortunately for Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) his actions on this mission result in him being stripped of his position as Captain and his ship is given back to Commander Pike (Bruce Greenwood). Well obviously this can't last for long, because a dangerous new threat presents itself when a man named John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) makes deadly strikes against Starfleet. Kirk is quickly reinstated so that he, Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the rest of the crew of the Enterprise can go after this terrorist and bring him to justice, dead or alive.

One of the great things that has always existed for Star Trek is what you hear in the iconic monologue that includes these words, "To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before." This is one of my favorite parts about watching these movies. The set design and costume design is always incredible. JJ Abrams and his team of writers never fail to create beautiful and intriguing environments for these characters to explore and the creativity behind these worlds is exciting.

And of course it is all done with top notch visual effects. Today, with films like "Transformers" and "Avatar" it is difficult to really stand out in the visual effects game. But "Into Darkness" succeeds in doing so. And not just with the different planets and alien creatures. The shots of space, the big battles between ships, everything looks spectacular.

But now onto the heart of the film--the characters. One of the great things about 2009's Star Trek was that it did a wonderful job of introducing all of the classic characters, with their one-liners and all. It was such a big part of the film and was key in its success. Here, in this sequel, there is no need to introduce any of the characters so many of them, such as Uhura, Bones, Scotty, and Chekov take a backseat and are not seen or developed nearly as much as they were in the first film.

That being said, the dynamic relationship between Kirk and Spock is as entertaining and interesting as it always is. Even after years and years of the franchise's existence, it seems that writers continue to develop these characters in ways that never fail to hold an audience's attention. Of course this is helped by the two great performances by the leading actors...which brings me to my next point.

Two words: Benedict...Cumberbatch! Words can barely describe how talented this man is. I mean, can he please play every villain for the rest of time? I am convinced that just the sound of his powerful voice could send Darth Vader running. And while I could probably write a whole other review just about his portrayal of John Harrison, a villain with a mysterious past (which some of you may have guessed from previous speculation) I think you get the point. His acting was incredible, perhaps the biggest and best reason to see this film.

In my opinion, the sci-fi genre is the best out there. The story telling is usually top-notch, the characters are exciting, and the action is entertaining to say the least. "Star Trek Into Darkness" is no exception. It has everything a Trek fan could want and more, and you certainly don't have to be a fan to enjoy this great piece of sci-fi storytelling. And while it may not be as fresh and original as its predecessor, it is still well worth your time. I give it four stars out of four.

"Star Trek Into Darkness" has a running time of 132 minutes and is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence.