Kirk, Spock try to stop total destruction in ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’

If J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot from a few years ago was revelatory, then his sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness, is  pure fun. It does not add much to the cannon left by Gene Roddenberry, but it surely tells a fuel-injected action tale worthy of a large cinema screen. Heck, I’d even say Into Darkness is a prime candidate for 3D viewing.

Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) are back on the Enterprise when we first meet them in a visual-entrancing opening sequence. They’re overcoming obstacles and solving problems at a remote world where a volcano threatens the life of all the crew members and the planet’s resident population. Kirk takes the highly “illogical” approach to risk the entire ship to save Spock’s life, even though the Vulcan suggests otherwise.

After the mission has been completed, Kirk finds himself in the hot seat with the command structure at Starfleet. Pike (Bruce Greenwood) doesn’t like Kirk’s cowboy mentality or that he broke the Prime Directive (essentially don’t mess with the locals). The ranking official decides to carry through with an order to take the Enterprise away from Kirk’s command. But it doesn’t take long for Kirk to convince his higher-ups that he deserves the Enterprise’s captain seat. Plus, there are too many challenges in the world for Kirk to sit on the sidelines. The most pressing threat is a terrorist (Benedict Cumberbatch) who seems hellbent on destroying Starfleet.

To stop the bombings, Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller) sends the Enterprise to a Klingon planet to capture the terrorist, but further problems arise. The Enterprise is outfitted with a number of torpedoes, and the crew begins realizing that maybe their on a military mission and not a “discovery” mission. Scotty (Simon Pegg) even refuses to take part in the journey because of the torpedo presence.

There’s a lot more story in the plot-heavy feature, but spoilers are aplenty in Star Trek Into Darkness. Characters evolve into different loyalties and identities. Keeping track of everything and everyone is quite easy, and that must be credited to Abrams and his screenwriting team (Roberto Orci, Alexi Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof).

The acting is enjoyable. Pine and Quinto have fun in their respective roles; there’s an odd connection between the two that seems to work. Kirk is a womanizing hothead willing to break the rules to save the day. Spock is logical to a fault, unable to easily balance his human and Vulcan sides. As commanding officer and first officer, the two tap into that unique dynamic that made William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy’s characterizations so memorable on the original series.

Zoe Saldana’s Uhura receives the best arc of the remaining crew members. Her budding romance with Spock is explored, and her frustration over his non-romantic ways frustrates the communications officer. The script never treats the love relationship in an annoying fashion, although it does get in the way of the Enterprise’s mission.

Pegg’s Scotty, John Cho’s Sulu and Anton Yelchin’s Chekov all serve the team well. Only Karl Urban’s Bones feels out of place. Each of the main characters has rightfully progressed into the new Star Trek era, but Urban, for some reason, can never grasp the role of the medical doctor. At his best, he feels like a lousy impression of DeForest Kelley, the original Bones. The one-liners and almost whining lines of dialogue are likely meant to produce some humor, but Urban is not able to sell them in the right way.

Cumberbatch, the go-to British actor of the moment, is a marvel as the terrorist in question. His deep voice and menacing stare seem readymade for Star Trek. Weller’s Marcus character is also a powerful presence. Alice Eve holds her own as a new presence among the Enterprise crew.

The visuals are stunning, as should be expected from a summer tentpole release. Seeing some of these galactic battles is exhilarating, and watching the Enterprise travel in different environments is always a pleasure.

Abrams has crafted another worthy Star Trek feature. It has some faults (the Klingon presence seems arbitrary), but the positives tap into Roddenberry’s vision, giving goosebumps to  the fanboys and fangirls in the audience who are giddy over Star Trek’s triumphant resurgence.

Live long and prosper, indeed.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Star Trek Into Darkness

• 2013

• Directed by J.J. Abrams

• Written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof; based on characters by Gene Roddenberry

• Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Benedict Cumberbatch

• Running time: 130 minutes

• Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence

• Rating: