STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Bendict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldanna, Karl, Urban, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller and Alice Eve
Screenplay by Roberto Orci & alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof
Directed by J.J. Abrams

For once, the geek out movie of the summer is is not about a superhero.

 As many of us saw in the ten minute teaser before The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the latest chapter of the quintessential science fiction franchise begins as t he USS Enterprise has been sent to a planet in the Nibiru system to observe a primitive civilization, and Spock in trapped inside a volcano which is about to erupt. Captain Kirk violates the Prime directive in order to rescue Spock, and is therefore demoted and ordered back to the academy. However, Admiral Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), reinstated as commander of Enterprise in Kirk's place, talks his superiors into offering Kirk the position of first officer of the Enterprise.

The two attend an emergency meeting at Starfleet Command to discuss the bombing of a secret installation in London, part the top covert agency  Section 31 (familiar to fans of Deep Space Nine.). The bombing appears to have been perpetrated by former a Starfleet agent named John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch, the star of the BBC's Sherlock.). After a second attack, the crew of the Enterprise are sent to hunt down Harrison, who is hiding on the Klingon homeworld of Kronos.

Star Trek Into Darkness moves at a break neck pace while managing to preserve not only character and story, but more than a little bit of political subtext. The Federation in the years following the destruction of the planet Vulcan is clearly post 9/11 America, and this film could have been called Star Trek Into Zero Dark Thirty, the parallels are so clear. Fortunately they are also motivated, insightful and poignant; this isn't a cheap, lazy trick like the WMD's in Prince of Persia. In fact, truth be told, in many ways this movie goes more in depth into serious and thoughful questions about right and wrong in dealing with the unthinkable than Kathryn Bigelow's Academy Award nominee, though in fairness, being not only fiction, but science fiction, it has a lot more leeway to do so.

Once again, director J.J. Abrams and his writing team have made a blockbuster action film that will please non fans of the iconic series while throwing several huge bones to die hard Trekkers. References to past films and TV episodes abound, and while the film is still pretty  fun if you don't know Star Trek, it's an absolute blast if you do. And other science fiction references can be spotted, in particular a blatant but respectful homage to Ridley Scott's classic, Blade Runner.  The cast members seem to have settled into their roles, and the interplay between Chris Pine's Kirk and Zachary Quinto's Spock is superb. Cumberbatch proves to be an extremely powerful presence, even if his ethnicity and physical build don't fit the role he's playing, and at times he really owns the film. There's no doubt he's going to get a career boost from this one. Alice Eve is charming as a character that will be familiar to fans, and Peter Weller, the original Robocop, makes a great Dick Cheney.

Star Trek Into Darkness will easily compete for the title of most entertaining film of the summer, and it's hard not to walk out of it giggling at the prospect of Abrams next directing gig helming Star Wars: Episode VII.

The film is rated PG-13 for violence, profanity and some sexuality.