Movie Review Star Trek Into Darkness

When a traitor known as John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) attacks Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco, Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and the crew of the USS Starship Enterprise are sent to track him down and destroy him. But after capturing the fugitive, Kirk begins to suspect that his ship is wrapped up in something much bigger than he initially thought. Caught in the middle of a blood feud of sorts, Kirk, Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the rest of the crew must face down their toughest challenge yet, one that threatens to tear apart everything they hold dear.

Star Trek Into Darkness is EXACTLY what I wanted it to be. It falls right in line with the excellent groundwork JJ Abrams laid out in 2009’s Star Trek without missing a beat and works only to further the mythology of this refreshed franchise without bothering to retrace the steps of the previous film. That is to say, this film relies on the understanding that the viewer has seen the previous film and therefore throws the audience directly into the action. While Star Trek was, of course, an origin story that required a great deal of character development and story setup, Darkness is an immense thrill ride with a simplistic story that still works incredibly well in this environment. Darkness starts fast and doesn’t let up for the majority of its runtime, the film version of a shark in perpetual motion. Abrams is an incredibly efficient filmmaker who wastes no time on screen that could be devoted to anything else and I love that both about him and this film. This is a much more focused film than Star Trek was and there are far fewer distractions to get in the way of what is essentially a story of revenge on galactic level. It has been argued that Darkness is too much style over substance but I contend that it simply know its identity to be a non-stop action movie for adults and Abrams goes to great lengths to hit that mark.

While Abrams work behind the camera is strong to quite strong, it is still the cast that makes this reinvigorated franchise so good. Pine is the perfect embodiment of Captain Kirk and in this installment you get to see him exhibit a number of traits that were purposefully excluded in the last film. Likewise, Quinto again proves why he was perhaps the perfect choice to take over the role of Spock and the opportunity to see a vengeful Spock is a glorious thing. Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, and Jon Cho are all great as well and moreover, the chemistry between all of these characters/actors is probably the best part of the franchise as a whole. What really sets Darkness apart, however, is the presence of a superior villain which Harrison most certainly is. I can’t believe that two years ago I had never heard of Benedict Cumberbatch considering that he is now one of the performers whose presence in a film I get the absolute most excited about. His magnificence in this film cannot be overstated and the intense darkness he brings to the role is palpable. Even if you’re not a Star Trek fan, Cumberbatch is worth the price of admission by himself.

All told, Star Trek Into Darkness is an outstanding blockbuster that delicately pays homage to its Trekkie heritage while furthering the new and improved vision Abrams set out to create for the franchise in 2009. It is beautiful to look at and incredibly fun, a lock to become a favorite of mine for repeat in home viewings. Grade: A (Rated PG-13 for a bit of language and violence)

In Home Viewings: Rise of the Guardians

Since the day he awoke with no memory and a powerful ability to manipulate winter weather, young Jack Frost (Chris Pine) has felt like an outcast. No one knows him, no one thinks about him, and most importantly, most kids (the target audience he most wants to please) don’t believe in him. But when a dark being known as Pitch (Jude Law) begins terrorizing the world’s children, Jack’s role in the world shifts from mischievous prankster to a member of the Immortal Guardians, along with Santa (Alec Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), and the Sandman. The Guardians must pool all of their talents to foil Pitch’s evil plan and prevent his reign of terror from spreading before the world is literally thrown into darkness. For all the faults in the production of this film (extreme budget issues, confusing marketing, etc.), Rise of the Guardians is actually a smart and highly enjoyable children’s movie that stands above almost every other animated film 2012 had to offer (behind only Wreck-It Ralph in my book). The characters are remarkably fresh given their familiarity and I found Santa being represented as a tough, tattooed Russian to be a cool change of direction. Likewise, the voices behind the characters are all excellent and they blend seamlessly with their onscreen counterparts. The casting director for this film deserves a bonus because truly, Rise of the Guardians is nearly perfect in this regard.

From a narrative standpoint, Rise of the Guardians is fairly uninspired but first time director Peter Ramsey keeps his film on track throughout while getting the most out of the script. The freshness of the characters doesn’t quite translate to the plot, though, and the film definitely could have used a touch of that. One of the big plot points in the waning moments definitely seemed forced and the conclusion itself felt a bit rushed. In the grand scheme of things, however, these are relatively minor issues. The animation is strong and the visuals compelling which made me wish I had made the time for this one in a theater. Moreover, the tone of this movie is such that it allows for the exploration of the dark corners of a villain like Pitch without becoming too intense or scary for younger viewers. All told, I found Rise of the Guardians to be incredibly entertaining and wholly enjoyable.

Rise of the Guardians Director: Peter Ramsey Cast: Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law Rated: PG (occasionally intense themes) Recommended For: Any viewer ages 4 and up