Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)

 

Well, seeing as the reboot of this franchise went rather well, with an enjoyable film that does focus a lot more on action and thrills and less on talking and problems societies might have, it only stood to reason they would make a follow-up. And they actually even upped everything here. This is even more wild, action-packed and flashy than the first outing. This also means that some people didn't quite have the hots for this one. 

I like it, but I can still see a few issues that tend to distract a little from the overall enjoyment, but we'll get to those. 

The crew of the Enterprise is now a cohesive unit and has several missions under the proverbial belt. You can tell they have been spending some time out there. But when during a mission Kirk breaks the Prime Directive in order to save Spock's life, you get that same tiresome conflict between the two, because Kirk always bends or breaks the rules and Spock rigidly follows them. 

Seriously guys? This could have been dropped by now. 

Meanwhile on Earth, a mysterious stranger (Benedict Cumberbatch) is helping a distraught couple saving their daughter, but the husband then proceeds to blow up his workplace at the behest of said stranger. This makes the heads of Starfleet call an emergency meeting, during which this stranger shows up and kills most of them. Kirk is not having it, and wants to get some of that sweet vengeance. But this enigmatic figure is now on Kronos, the Klingon homeworld and tensions are high. Admiral Marcus gives Kirk the go-ahead for an unsanctioned mission to get this guy, knowing full well that discovery by the Klingons will lead to a all out war. 

You see where this is heading, don't you? 

It turns out that Kirk received 72 new missiles, and even more puzzling: they contain cryotubes filled with people. The stranger surrenders, explaining that Admiral Marcus is steering the Federation towards war, because he's evil. Being played by Peter Weller doesn't help inspire confidence, as Weller can play the bastard quite excellently. Even more so, the stranger reveals his name to be Khan, and he is genetically altered in the past to be superior and was hired to design weapons for Marcus, who promptly shows up in order to annihilate everyone. 

And then, even more things go boom.

So yes, they definitely upped the 'destruction & action'-scale on this one. It is a wild ride from start to finish, that is for certain. Heck, it jumps right in with an action-sequence and pretty much doesn't let up until the end. Is that tiring? At times. Is it fun, though? Well, yes. You also get the feeling the cast have now meshed well and have found their stride in the roles. Sure, their individual attributes have been amplified a little, but there are scenes that play to their strengths. I absolutely love the scene where Uhura goes out on her own to confront a Klingon War Party, as she can actually speak the language. It is great, and even the updated design of the Klingons doesn't bother me. I'll always love the classic ridgeheads more, but these ones look okay to me. 

Benedict Cumberbatch is okay as Khan, but truthfully? Ricardo Montalban did it better. Sure, Cumberbatch has that awesome voice, but he plays Khan like a cold, almost robotic character and it just doesn't click. That the good man looks nowhere as imposing as Montalban also doesn't help. And as you get two baddies for the price of one in this film, I have to say that Peter Weller's Admiral Marcus is a more fun villain, because he is revelling in being an absolute bastard. You can tell that Weller is going for it, and thus you can perhaps forgiven the fact that his dialogue at times sounds straight out of the cliché-playbook. 

No really: you can often tell what he is going to say even before he says it. You know, like a Bond-villain. 

So as a film and a new take on classic Trek-mythology, this can work, but there is one aspect that has always bothered me with this one: the overabundance of nods and winks to the classics. I mean, I get that the name Khan is epic in this franchise, but you could have used any type of character or name for the role. Willy-nilly introducing Carol Marcus as well? The occasional role reversal between Spock and Kirk when compared to 'The Wrath of Khan'? 

Why? 

Sure, fans might love it, but then again - speaking as a fan myself - I don't get it. Didn't the makers feel confident enough about their story that they had to include all these winks? As: "Look! We did the thing! Aren't you satiated now?" It does come across as being cheap a lot of the time. 

Don't get me wrong: as a flashy space spectacular, this one absolutely works. But is it as memorable as the film they are trying to hearken back to so often? 

Not even close. 

So sit back, turn off your brain and enjoy. Or ignore. It's a nice pastime, but don't expect a masterpiece. It just is a very competently made film with thrills, but as for longevity and class, you might want to revisit 'The Wrath of Khan'. There is a reason why that film is still hailed as probably the best of all the Star Trek-films.