Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013) - Movie Review
The follow-up to Star Trek (2009), Into Darkness follows Kirk (Chris Pine) as he goes on a manhunt to find John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). As a basic story, it works perfectly. The characters in this film have much more believable and interesting motives than in the previous film. In fact, the characters are overall written much better in this film than the last. Kirk is no longer an utter ***** but is a bit more of an enjoyable but reckless character. He gets so much more to do as a character and Chris Pine does a fantastic job. Spock is also better-written, but his humour is dull to say the least. His motivations at the end, however, were perfectly played and well-executed. Uhura was also better written, although she still is nowhere near my favourite character. Pike also has a bit more to do in this movie and it is because of him that the movie goes the way it does.
Now, the next part of the review contains huge spoilers for the film, so don't read if you haven't seen it. Pike's death is caused by John Harrison's attack on Starfleet - and this is what motivates Kirk to go on a manhunt for John Harrison. This is also a film that tests Spock and Kirk's friendship, as they prove they are actually friends in so many places, especially when Kirk is dying. McCoy in this movie does very little and is mostly there for comedic purposes. Not that this is a bad thing; he does a great job and is entertaining. Scotty does a lot more in this movie and Simon Pegg plays the character with ease. In the last film, Scotty was definitely one of the high-lights for me and there is a lot more character depth in this time. The crew of the Enterprise are also joined by a new science officer Carol who turns out to be Admiral Marcus' daughter for no apparent reason. She does some stuff in this film but does come across as either too in-your-face or just randomly there with no explanation. She adds very little to the film. Chekov and Sulu do a lot more and Sulu gets a pretty awesome moment in the Captain's chair.
There is a lot more emotion in this movie, especially between Spock and Kirk. My one big problem is that you know that neither of them is going to die, which kind of ruins the scenes. Admiral Marcus is a very weird character and himself as a character really makes no sense. In the middle of the film, there is an incredibly tedious section of boring stand-offs between Marcus and the crew of the Enterprise - which goes on a bit too long. When he dies (killed by Benedict Cumberbatch, thankfully) it comes as welcome relief.
The music in this film is fantastic, the direction is superb and the special effects are stunning in 3D, although this was the same with the last film.
Leonard Nimoy makes a cameo as old Spock randomly, and his inclusion surprisingly makes a lot of sense.
But, overall, it is Benedict Cumberbatch who steals the show as John Harrison - or Khan. He gets across a sense of evil and good and has a great screen prensence. When he first appears (opposite Noel Clarke for the Doctor Who fans) he has just an amazing presence and when he kicks butt he kicks butt. He has such a bad-ass moment beating the living smeg out of some Romulans, he kills Marcus, beats up Kirk and Spock practically to death, kicks Carol so hard it breaks her leg, and nearly destroys the freakin' Enterprise single-handedly! What a dude! He is easily the best thing of the movie, and the scene where he reveals his true identity as Khan is perfectly played. He even cries yet still looks superior to the rest of the cast. If you think Benedict Cumberbatch is a boring and wooden actor you need to see his performance in this!
Overall, despite great production values, a fantastic score and Benedict Cumberbatch at his best, the plot of this film is so overcomplicated at points and the ending just comes out of nowhere - literally? And the ending itself is practically the same as the 2009 Star Trek film, making that ending utterly redundant!
Now, the next part of the review contains huge spoilers for the film, so don't read if you haven't seen it. Pike's death is caused by John Harrison's attack on Starfleet - and this is what motivates Kirk to go on a manhunt for John Harrison. This is also a film that tests Spock and Kirk's friendship, as they prove they are actually friends in so many places, especially when Kirk is dying. McCoy in this movie does very little and is mostly there for comedic purposes. Not that this is a bad thing; he does a great job and is entertaining. Scotty does a lot more in this movie and Simon Pegg plays the character with ease. In the last film, Scotty was definitely one of the high-lights for me and there is a lot more character depth in this time. The crew of the Enterprise are also joined by a new science officer Carol who turns out to be Admiral Marcus' daughter for no apparent reason. She does some stuff in this film but does come across as either too in-your-face or just randomly there with no explanation. She adds very little to the film. Chekov and Sulu do a lot more and Sulu gets a pretty awesome moment in the Captain's chair.
There is a lot more emotion in this movie, especially between Spock and Kirk. My one big problem is that you know that neither of them is going to die, which kind of ruins the scenes. Admiral Marcus is a very weird character and himself as a character really makes no sense. In the middle of the film, there is an incredibly tedious section of boring stand-offs between Marcus and the crew of the Enterprise - which goes on a bit too long. When he dies (killed by Benedict Cumberbatch, thankfully) it comes as welcome relief.
The music in this film is fantastic, the direction is superb and the special effects are stunning in 3D, although this was the same with the last film.
Leonard Nimoy makes a cameo as old Spock randomly, and his inclusion surprisingly makes a lot of sense.
But, overall, it is Benedict Cumberbatch who steals the show as John Harrison - or Khan. He gets across a sense of evil and good and has a great screen prensence. When he first appears (opposite Noel Clarke for the Doctor Who fans) he has just an amazing presence and when he kicks butt he kicks butt. He has such a bad-ass moment beating the living smeg out of some Romulans, he kills Marcus, beats up Kirk and Spock practically to death, kicks Carol so hard it breaks her leg, and nearly destroys the freakin' Enterprise single-handedly! What a dude! He is easily the best thing of the movie, and the scene where he reveals his true identity as Khan is perfectly played. He even cries yet still looks superior to the rest of the cast. If you think Benedict Cumberbatch is a boring and wooden actor you need to see his performance in this!
Overall, despite great production values, a fantastic score and Benedict Cumberbatch at his best, the plot of this film is so overcomplicated at points and the ending just comes out of nowhere - literally? And the ending itself is practically the same as the 2009 Star Trek film, making that ending utterly redundant!
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