Before he jettisons to a galaxy far far away, Spielberg wunderkind JJ Abrams takes the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise on a journey Into Darkness, following 2009’s fantastic alt-verse voyage, Star Trek. Anyone concerned that Abrams’ focus may have been blurred by a preference for Star Wars needn’t have worried, because - lens flares and all - this is superior science fiction film-making.
As an audience we are beamed straight into the middle of the latest mission for the now well-oiled team of Starfleet’s finest. Captain Jim Kirk (Chris Pine) is becoming increasingly cavalier in his decision making, much to the ire of his first officer, Spock (Zachary Quinto), who has his own issues with Uhura (Saldana), as she’s struggling to deal with his Vulcan emotional detachment. Their tribulations take a back seat when enemy from within and seemingly indestructible force, John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), unleashes a brutal act of terrorism upon Starfleet that triggers a galactic man-hunt.
Recognisably Abrams, Into Darkness excels by foregrounding character amongst spectacle, but by no means does it skimp on the latter. With the meet-the-gang out of the way, relationships are now fully established and allowed to flourish. The quick-fire quips exchanged between Kirk and Spock, and Kirk and Bones (Karl Urban would have stolen the movie if it wasn’t for a certain expertly enunciating bad guy) supersede any comedy you’re likely to see this year. But for every jibe about pointy ears or Bones’ overuse of metaphors, there are an equal amount of weighty exchanges, one of which is a real tearjerker, which is very different from most summer blockbusters.
