Star Trek Into Darkness Review: An Exciting Space Odyssey

Honoring the notion that J.J. Abrams is a young Steven Spielberg, in Star Trek Into Darkness the director pulls off another balancing act of emotions and tones to craft a highly entertaining and not forgettable pop-corn movie. Due to keeping the right proportion of scopes with big and small sequences we are able to reconnect with the Enterprise crew, get to know the new members and even empathize with the main antagonist.

Self-sacrifice and loss are once again prominent in the story. In most big Hollywood productions, characters die just to satisfy the mechanics of the plot, freeing them -and the audience- from dealing with grief (except for those heart-crushing Disney tragedies). In the 2009 movie for example, two entire planets were destroyed as well as two of the heroes’ parents. Now the death-count is way lower but the protagonist keeps being shaped by it.

In spite of the “Into Darkness” title and all that destruction in the marketing campaign, Abrams didn’t make it somber, injecting the blockbuster with a plethora of comedic moments instead. Like a true ensemble piece, all the components of the main team contribute to the creation of those lighter scenes. At the same time, someone that could have been reduced to being the “comic-relief”, like Simon Pegg’s ‘Scotty’ character, gets to defy that label.

Bennedict Cumberbatch (BBC’s Sherlock) and Peter Weller (Robocop) are two fantastic additions. One proves that deserves to be a movie star, the other one that he never stopped being one. Cumberbatch’s villain conveys enough strength and intelligence to challenge not only Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto), but the Federation as a whole. Zoe Saldaña’s ‘Uhura’ consolidates herself as the third in command, in terms of her place as an important character in the saga.

The IMAX Footage and an above-average 3D post-conversion create a superb visual experience. The effect is noticeable even when people are just talking to each other, with their faces popping up like sculptures. Anyone that doubted Abrams and his team’s ability to helm the new Star Wars Episode will quickly become a believer: The ships are very detailed and the action sequences in space are breathtaking.

I connected more at an emotional level with Abram’s nostalgic “Super 8”. But for a movie so big and special effects-heavy like Star Trek Into Darkness is, it succeeds at making us care for the characters, engage our brains and enjoy the ride. A fun space odyssey that despite its funerals is more alive than ever.

Star Trek lands in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D May 16.