Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Staring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Greenwood, & Alice Eve.
From the moment I saw that first clip of Kirk and Bones running through those blood red trees I KNEW this would be one of the best films of the summer; and I was quite right.
Into Darkness is masterfully written and crafted with beautiful production design, blood pumping action and a fair amount of heart wrenching drama.
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| Karl Urban and Chris Pine sprinting through a jungle of red in the opening scene of Star Trek: Into Darkness |
Abrams proves to be a director that not only understands visual appeal along with thrills, but roots his films deep within human emotion. Every decision made by the film's characters is one of passion; driven by relationships and devotion. THIS is what makes Abrams such an effective film maker, especially when it comes to action films. Too many action films today base the action off of conspiracy theories or greed; the ones who do attempt to justify their action by revenge, or some such nonsense, don't effectively communicate to the audience how strong the supposed "bond" between the the lost character and revenging one are. J.J. Abrams shows these deep emotional bonds and connections whether it be through love or friendship as soon as the film takes off. He did this quite well in the 2009 (has it really been THAT long?) reboot of Star Trek, making myself and nerds all over the world cry (and I mean WEEP) within the first 5 minutes of a film; something I had deemed impossible.
When an action film creates such a true connection with the audience, the action is intensified ten full and makes the movie all the more enjoyable and effective. This movie is 2 hours and 12 minutes long, and I think it was only for those 12 minutes that my hands weren't coving my mouth. This film was, in one simple word, INTENSE.
Story?
So I'm going to be honest, I'm not going to do a lot of analysis of the plot because as in any J.J. Abrams film, you discuss the plot for over 5 minutes and you're into spoiler territory and I AM NOT A SPOILER PERSON. Soo....basic synopsis...Kirk is in trouble again for not following the rules, Spock and Uhura are on shaky ground, and beefed up Sherlock has turned terrorist and blown up Star Fleet bases in London. Kirk and crew go after the vindictive officer-gone-rouge and stunning space action along with tear jerking drama takes place!!!
If you haven't seen Abrams first reboot of the series stop reading this now and go watch it. I have it. Come over and we'll watch it together. But seriously, it is a FANTASTIC reboot that I'm pretty positive is loved by all movie audiences, Trekkers and non. Just like Star Trek, Into Darkness is BEAUTIFUL!
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| Does Spock (Zachary Quinto) meet a fiery death in Into Darkness? |
Design
The sets are cool, futuristic and innovative, yet still believable. Nothing looks too hokey or outlandish. I also really adored the costuming in this film, designed by
Michael Kaplan (seriously thought this was director DAVID Kaplan for a bit) who has quite the diverse body of work.
Blade Runner, Burlesque, Pearl Harbor, Fight Club, Clue, Flashdance...seriously what genre hasn't this man done?
And I'm not just saying I loved the design because of the wetsuits...although let's be honest...THOSE WETSUITS...But apart from that, he keeps it futuristic while staying REALISTIC. There is definitely a modern (as in now a days modern) feel to many of the jackets, jegging style pants and boots.
Special effects were brilliant as they always are with J.J. Abrams. Sci-Fi is one of those genres that can either go so wrong or so right when it comes to special effects and Abrams always goes far, FAR beyond any and all of my expectations. I'm still blown away with the outer space worlds he has created. Flawless, and I mean flawless. I desperately wish to take a screen shot from every shot from that film and turn it into my desktop background...for me, the girl who rags on special effects so much, this is a BIG statement...again, if you've seen the first installment you'll know what I'm talking about, and if you haven't you NEED to go watch it! The space and planet design/shots alone are worth a look.
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| The Enterprise hurtles towards Earth. |
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| Break taking space shots from Into Darkness |
The Ensemble
Returning from the 2009 film are, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto (why do I sometimes confuse him with Eli Roth? I think it's the {non-Spock} eyebrows?) Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin (adorable) & Bruce Greenwood.
The cast is just as brilliant, if not better than they were in '09. These actors have done a fantastic job of creating funny, individual characters for the audience to love. And I do, love ALL of them!
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| Kirk, Uhura, and Spock (Chris Pine, Zoë Saldana, & Zachary Quinto) take on familiar and new foes on an abandoned planet. |
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| The always hilarious Simon Pegg returns as Montgomery Scott and does his fair share of running. |
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| Good to know Starfleet and Chekov (Anton Yelchin) still use the ever reliable flip phone. |
Of course we have to talk about Pine and Quinto...but I don't know if I can...ahhhh but it's so hard to without spoiling THINGS...I'll try my best. Seriously, Pine and Quinto (like Kirk and Spock) are PERFECT together. They feed off of each other's polar opposite characteristics and form one awesome bromance that you can't help but love...then hating because it makes you cry..then loving again.
Spock and Kirks relationship in a nutshell...
Spock: "Don't do the thing."
Kirk: "I'M GONNA DO THE THING!!!"
Zachary Quinto IS Spock! I really don't know if he could be anymore perfect for the role. He captures the logical awkwardness of Spock seamlessly throughout the whole film, never letting it waver for a second; always believable, always hilarious. Plus, Spock gets some MAJOR action/fight scenes in this installment. Totally awesome.
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| Dang He's cool! Zach Quinto as Spock |
Pine, an actor who's work I don't follow too closely, is with out a doubt the perfect Kirk. We saw our far share of cocky confident Krik in '09 and in Into Darkness Kirk, dealing with some tough situations, matures into a true Captain. Not to say there isn't enough womanizing, sassy Kirk to go around, but when the cards are down, Kirk isn't messing around anymore. He's vulnerable, but this makes him all the more fierce. Great character development; well written and well acted.
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| Very best of badass friends |
And now I have to do what I've been dreading...talking about The Batch.
Benedict Cumberbatch. I am curious as to how American audiences view him as an actor. Those of us who are locked on the BBC series Sherlock know all too well the talents of this oddly attractive man. But to an unknowing American viewer it's hard to describe just WHO he is...I could tell you he was the rapist in Atonement, the army guy with the mustache in War Horse, or the voice of Smaug in the next installment of The Hobbit franchise, but I'm not sure it would translate. For those of you unaware, we who are Sherlocked are locked quite securely and have an unwavering, borderline obsession for the show's leading man. With that VOICE *quiver* and that face and hair *squeal* his unconventional looks only become more and more attractive when he opens his mouth and more importantly when he performs. This man PERFORMS. This man DELIVERS.
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| Collar up, all mysterious again. |
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| Smolder...he definitely likes to smolder... |
I find it extremely difficult talking about his performance without noting the fact he was the sexist thing in the movie. Forget mostly naked Alice Eve, we have a slim, cut, hair-slicked Benedict! Not only does he look amazing, but Ben is the one kicking most of the ass in this film! Plus he's the villain and I, admittedly, have a weak spot for the baddies.
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| I will definitely follow Benedict Cumberbatch Into Darkness. |
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| John Harrison, friend or foe of Starfleet? |
Ok, ok enough about his hard core sex appeal, I'll fan myself off and get back to his performance.
Benedict brings it all and leaves it all in this film. His portrayal of Kahn (This is NOT a spoiler-it's on IMDB) is seemingly ruthless...until you place him in the glass box...more like glass box of emotion and he, along with the entire audience, breaks down. Cumberbatch and Pine take part in some intense and hot-blooded verbal battles as well as Cumberbatch and Quinto getting down and dirty in a good ol' fist fight.
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| Benedict Cumberbatch & Karl Urban |
Star Trek Into Darkness was just the film I was looking for this summer. Smart, sexy and action packed...for once they all worked together! In truth the only flaw I could find in this film was that is recycled a couple of themes from it's predecessor but honestly, when a film is THIS GOOD it tends to go unnoticed and really doesn't matter. The film is hot, full of emotion and action; a sci-fi summer blockbuster that is nearly impossible to dislike.
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