Fast paced and witty, Abrams delivers some good moments of tension
Studio: Paramount (132 min.)
Plot: Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Alice Eve, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller
Rating: PG-13
Bottom Line: ***
By Samantha Ofole-Prince
There’s nothing wrong with “Star Trek Into Darkness” as long as you understand it as just another adventure comic-book-style summer blockbuster.
Directed by J.J. Abrams, this science-fiction action thriller follows the crew of the Starship Enterprise as they conduct a manhunt in outer space to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction all in unnecessary 3D, no less.
The movie begins with Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) getting a bad rap for violating the Prime Directive, the United Federation of Planets’ top rule against interfering with a primitive culture. A rule that William Shatner’s Kirk violated in the original TV series, he is initially demoted in rank and stripped of his Starship until a bigger problem surfaces in the form of a rogue agent, named John Harrison (played by British actor Benedict Cumberbatch), who is attacking Federation facilities on Earth leaving the world in a state of crisis.
With a personal score to settle after Harrison kills someone close to him, Captain Kirk leads his crew on a mission to capture the space bandit. As Kirk and his first officer, Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) embark on the mission to find and destroy Harrison, they discover that nothing about the mission including the identity of Harrison is what it seems.
A former Starfleet ace turned rogue, Cumberbatch as the super villain is brutal and bold and he steals every scene he is in. With his steely, cold exterior and demeanor, he is a terrorist whose disregard for human life is chilling.
Fast paced and witty, Abrams delivers some good moments of tension and comedy from the Enterprise crew with actors Simon Pegg (as Cmdr. Scott, the ship’s engineer), John Cho (as navigator Lt. Sulu), Anton Yelchin (as helmsman Ens. Chekov), Bruce Greenwood (as Kirk’s mentor, Christopher Pike) and Zoë Saldana (as Lt. Uhura).
With lots of special effects, it is visually pleasing with nicely crafted action sequences.
Trekkie fans will be delighted with this latest offering as there are frequent nods to familiar characters and incidents from the original 1960s TV series.
The prime focus is to entertain and “Star Trek Into Darkness” does it effectively.
Source:
This was printed in the June 16, 2013 – June 29, 2013 Edition
