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 (122002)
J.J. Abrams’
Star
Trek was about restoring a moribund franchise. His sequel is about taking it
for a spin. A highly polished piece of pop cinema with cliffhanger
sensibilities, Star Trek Into Darkness moves at warp speed as it pits Captain
Kirk and his crew against a cunning adversary of unparalleled strength and
intellect. For as much as screenwriters Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Damon
Lindelof focus on action to keep this sequel moving along, they smartly remember
that it’s the characters and their relationships that keep the fans coming back
for more.
London: 2259. A mother and father are tearfully bidding farewell to their dying
child as a mysterious stranger offers to save her -- for a price. Soon after, a
blast rips through a Federation library in the city, resulting in an emergency
meeting headed by Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller) where it’s revealed that John
Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) has been identified as the man responsible for
the attack. Kirk (Chris Pine), having just been demoted for violating the Prime
Directive in an effort to save Spock (Zachary Quinto), prepares to track down
the villain under the command of Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood) when Harrison
launches a surprise attack that wipes out some of the Federation’s top leaders.
Thirsting for revenge, Kirk volunteers to take the Enterprise into Klingon
territory, where Harrison is hiding out, to terminate him with extreme
prejudice. When the mission threatens to result in all-out war between the
Klingons and the Federation, however, Kirk follows his instincts and decides to
take Harrison prisoner instead so that he may face justice back on Earth. Kirk
then discovers the secret identity of his captive as the Enterprise comes under
attack, prompting the captain to team up with the very man he was dispatched to
kill in an effort to protect the integrity of the Federation and save his crew
from certain death.
Despite its spot-on casting, playful chemistry, and eye-popping action, the one
factor that seemed to weigh down Abrams’ otherwise satisfying 2009 reboot was
the lack of a truly memorable villain. For the second installment, Kurtzman,
Orci, and Lindelof work to rectify that oversight in a big way. And with
Cumberbatch as the antagonist, their noble efforts pay off handsomely. A
fast-rising star thanks largely to his memorable turn as the lead in the hit BBC
series Sherlock, Cumberbatch (with an impossible baritone) is a commanding
presence here as he plays with our sympathies while maintaining an imposing air
of deep-rooted menace. The writers also have fun with that as an unexpected
threat pops up in the midsection of the film. For as much flack as Lindelof gets
for raising more questions than he’s willing (or able) to answer as a writer,
the presence of Kurtzman and Orci as co-scribes seems to bring out the best in
him.
That isn’t to say that Star Trek Into Darkness doesn’t occasionally play things
fast and loose when it’s convenient (it only takes one stun blast to bring down
Cumberbatch’s character early on, but six barely slow him during the climactic
fight), but honestly at this point anyone seeking perfection in a Star Trek
script may consider a trip to sick bay for a brain scan. By maintaining the
alternate timeline conceived in the original film, the writers construct a
bridge between nostalgia and evolution that’s strong enough to appeal to both
the hardcore Trekker fan base and the casual moviegoer. Though observant viewers
will note the eerie echoes of 9/11 and its dark legacy woven into the fabric of
the plot and its imagery, Abrams smartly (and somewhat ironically) offsets this
with a vibrant color palate courtesy of returning director of photography Dan
Mindel.
For fans of the 2009 reboot who enjoyed the chemistry and camaraderie of the new
Enterprise crew, the good news here is that all of the major players have
returned to their roles as well. As before, their comic timing is impeccable,
though occasional levity courtesy of Karl Urban’s Bones, Simon Pegg’s Scotty,
and the playful banter between Kirk and Spock never takes precedence over drama
when the story calls for it, especially in a heartfelt scene that brilliantly
echoes one of the original film series’ most memorable moments.
At one point in this sequel, an incensed Scotty hands Kirk his resignation after
refusing to sign for 72 torpedoes to be loaded onto the Enterprise, lamenting
that they’re being dispatched on a military operation rather than a
space-exploration mission. “Is that what we are now?” he asks dejectedly. Given
the emphasis on action over futuristic philosophy in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek
universe, some die-hard Trekkers may ponder the same question. It’s a hard one
to dismiss, too, but it’s even harder to deny that much like Kirk and his crew,
Abrams and his team still manage to get the job done despite the criticisms that
they’ve drifted from the Enterprise’s original mission.
Star Trek Into Darkness has flaws, and I am sure they will bother some viewers
more than others, but there is no doubt in my mind that the good dramatically
outweighs the bad. This is not the best Star Trek has ever been, and at times,
it does not even fully feel like Star Trek, but where it counts most – in the
characters and themes that define them – Into Darkness serves as a powerful
reminder of why I fell in love with the Star Trek franchise in the first place.
It all goes back to a brilliant Captain named James T. Kirk and the wonderful,
talented crew of the USS Enterprise, and as long as this new series continues to
understand and experiment with what makes these characters great, it will
continue to excel like few other blockbuster franchises out there. While Abrams
departs the series — perhaps for good — to direct the next Star Wars installment
for 2015, he leaves Star Trek in much better shape — healthy, vibrant, and made
for the mainstream — than when he took over.
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