Star Trek: Into Darkness

Star Trek: Into Darkness, the latest movie by J.J. Abrams is a spectacle in every way, shape, and form. Unlike the spectacle that was Gatsby however, Into Darkness got it right. It made you laugh, think, it pulled at the heart strings, and it made you CARE! Because of that, Star Trek: Into Darkness gets four huge buckets of Killer Korn with extra butter.




Are you a trekkie? I ask because if you are then you remember that TV episode where Ricardo Montalbon played the superior species Khan and almost took the Enterprise from Kirk and crew. And if you remember that TV show, then you remember Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and the Genesis Project with Caroline Marcus who just happened to be the mother of Kirk's son David. It's the movie where Spock died but before committing suicide to save the ship and crew, he mind melded and passed on his essence to Bones. If you're a trekkie then what you just read isn't anything new to you at all. Star Trek II is my all time favorite Star Trek movie. It had everything you could want in a Trek movie if you're a trekkie. Well Star Trek II has been remade and is now entitled Star Trek: Into Darkness and it is breathtaking. Reprising their roles are Captain Kirk is Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto as Spock, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Karl Urban as Bones, Simon Pegg as Scotty, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, John Cho as Sulu, and Bruce Greenwood as Admiral Pike.

This time around they are joined by Peter Weller as Admiral Marcus, Alice Eve as Carol Marcus, and Benedict Cumberbatch as the ruthless Khan. Now while you will recognize the story line, with you being a trekkie and all, writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof turn that story line on its head. Without giving any of the plot away, the federation is on the verge of war with the Klingons and the terrorist Khan is on their home planet of Kronos hiding out from Starfleet after attacking a summit meeting of all the captains with ships in federation space. Kirk is tasked to hunt Khan down and kill him but changes his mind and captures him, determined that he be brought back to earth to stand trial for his crimes. There is friction between Kirk and Spock thanks to the opening sequence which was amazing, but since Vulcans cannot lie, he told the truth about Kirk disobeying Starfleets pesky prime directive.

J.J. created a visual feast and I highly recommend catching this movie in IMAX 3D if you can, if for just one sequence alone. The part where Khan and Kirk and rocketing through space as they maneuver around and through space debris will blow you away. Into Darkness is all go from the first frame to the last and just as Spock rendered an erupting volcano inert in the beginning, Into Darkness rendered J.J.'s first Star Trek inert. That movie was starting the car. This movie is shoving the pedal to the floor boards and hanging on for dear life. There are times when the camera is too close to the action, and it can lose you. However, that small sin is easily forgiven because the action never stops and the story is so meaty. There is a nice lesson about friendship and what it means to some as opposed to others. On top of that there's the war hungry leader itching for a fight and developing first strike weapons in secret, and then there's the ongoing relationship between Uhura and Spock that is pretty damn funny.

Star Trek: Into Darkness has raised the bar to an unbelievable height and I don't know if J.J. will do another Trek movie, but if he does he has made things very difficult for himself. What I do know is this, if the next Star Wars film which will be helmed by J.J., if it's anything like Into Darkness it is definitely something to look forward too. All the Star Wars fans can rest easy, that next installment of Star Wars is in very competent hands. The music by J.J.'s usual composer Michael Giacchino doesn't stray all that far from the first Trek film using the same musical themes and cues, but he does ramp it up due to all the action on the screen. Right now, Into Darkness is the best film of the year and could potentially be the box office champion of 2013, I said it hear first. See Star Trek: Into Darkness because it's worth the price of admission, and even if you aren't a trekkie you will love this movie. I'll see you at the theater (if not on line).