3.5 stars out of 5
Really, about 3.25 stars, but my strict self-imposed format doesn’t allow for quarter stars. I enjoyed this movie, although there’s a lot of stupid stuff in it. Some basic thoughts:
—Not as good as the 2009 Star Trek movie
—I’m a little worried about J.J. Abrams handling the Star Wars universe
—Would he please quit it with those blue streaks of light across the screen? It’s becoming a real distraction.
On the positive side, this is the best use of 3-D in the last few action films I’ve seen. The filmmakers rely a little too much on sparks/ashes/debris hanging in the air, but still, there’s some thrilling in-your-face stuff going on.
Plot-wise, this is a mess. We get the talented Benedict Cumberbatch (wasn’t he a friend of H.R. Pufnstuf?) as a villain… or is he a good guy… or is he a villain… or is he a good guy… or is he a villain? Uggh, enough! Kirk, who loses command of the Enterprise for about eight seconds, vows to track Cumberbund down. Joining the familiar crew is an extraneous beautiful woman who is inexplicably British and for no reason that THREE writers could come up with, takes her clothes off in front of Kirk. The writing is often not good, a low point being when a beloved character lays down some serious, stringent rules, then pauses and adds, “That being said…”
What mostly saves this movie is exciting action, strong characters (point, Roddenberry), and very solid performances. Except Chris Pine as Kirk—Zachary Quinto acts circles around him, and Pine ends up looking like an overwhelmed kid. But John “Harold” Cho is also quite good, as are Scotty and Bones and Chekov.
Star Trek Into Darkness starts well, drags in the middle into mediocre TV-episode range, and then picks up toward the end. Several times we are reminded of the importance of friendship and loyalty. Maybe that’s a little corny, but with spaceships and lasers and Wookies flying around, a bit of humanity is always welcome.
“Plot-wise, this is a mess.” Nuff said!