Film: Star Trek Into Darkness
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto
Directed by: JJ Abrams

When JJ Abrams first unveiled his vision of Star Trek in 2009, fans and outsiders around the world were taken by surprise. A franchise most assumed had played out its finest years was suddenly new again, and even more importantly (from a business standpoint), people wanted to see more. The end of the film didn’t necessarily warrant the need to continue the story, but one would have to be a fool to think studios don’t leap at cash grab opportunities when they see it. Four years and a fairly decent job of keeping twists secret later, Star Trek Into Darkness has arrived to (hopefully) launch a new series of films.

As someone who grew up with Star Trek and Star Trek: Next Generation as household staples of entertainment, I fell in love with JJ Abrams’ vision of the universe because I felt he too shared my passion for the characters and their journey. The first film made everyone feel modern and relatable without losing any of the qualities that made the original series so beloved all these years. For the most part, this goes for Into Darkness as well, but this time around everything lacks a certain amount of inherent fun that leapt from the debut. Our characters have aged and from what we gather have seen corners of the universe we can only begin to imagine, but when we catch up to them their personalities and inter-crew relationships are essentially exactly where we left off. None of them, Kirk and Spock included, seem to have learned anything from the first film and everything that followed, and this ultimately makes the arc of the story feel rushed.

Abrams tries to cover a lot of ground with Star Trek Into Darkness, from understanding the difference between intelligence and luck, to the emotional woes that come from caring about an alien who appears incapable of feeling similarly about you, and, of course, saving the planet and everyone on it from a rogue Starfleet agent seemingly hellbent on destruction. The action sequences involved in telling all of that are admittedly eye-popping, but for the first time in his applauded body of work I must admit JJ Abrams simply does not pull off the act of balancing all these story elements as well as one would hope. It feels like less of a complete movie and more of a bridge between the crew’s origin story and whatever adventure lies ahead when the crew finally begins their five-year journey into space (which is where the original series began), and the number of ideas and actions that need to be expressed in order to bridge that gap, for one reason or another, do not add up to a complete story. Instead, fans catch a glimpse of everything they love amidst a relatively interesting, but in the end essentially forgettable battle against a bad guy whose motivations are honestly not all that interesting. There is one reveal to his character that I did applaud the team behind the film for keeping a secret so long, but it’s nothing that young and new audiences will appreciate or cling to moving forward.

I still believe JJ Abrams is the next Steven Spielberg, but even someone that talented is prone to a slip or two along the way. Star Trek Into Darkness is by no means a complete misfire, but it falls short of its predecessor in every way except lens flares and unnecessary use of 3D. I still love the universe he’s re-imagined, and if another film happens I will assuredly be amongst the first in line to see it, but when we reflect on the saga of Star Trek in years to come this entry will be a decidedly ho-hum affair. It’s the moviegoing equivalent to spending time with people you love while doing something neither of you are ever that excited about. You’re happy to be with those you love, but you cannot help feeling like there is a better way you could all be spending your time.

Score: B-

Review written by: James Shotwell (Twitter)

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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