STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

When an enigmatic individual initiates terror attacks on Starfleet, Captain Kirk and his motley crew must set off on a planetary manhunt to apprehend him. But capturing this elusive terrorist is only the beginning of a sequence of events that will test the true fortitude of the Enterprise troop.

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS is the sequel to the successful STAR TREK (2009) which was a reboot of the popular television and film series. During the 2009 version, the filmmakers established that this particular timeline is an alternate to that of the original series. In the Science-Fiction genre, this plot device has given Director J.J. Abrams and his team of writers license to modify the characters and events from the original timeline. What this means is that Abrams can make changes to Star Trek folklore and get away with it without incurring the wrath of fan-boys all over the world. 

At its core this plot is simple and formulaic. Set up a clear and present danger such as the villain committing sudden attacks, sacrifice a loved character in one of those attacks, allow this loss to fuel vengeance in the heart of the hero and thus beginning a revengeful chase. The past films, especially the four featuring the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” cast were sophisticated and focused on the complex relationships between those characters. But the plot of INTO DARKNESS is pure Hollywood. It’s like a typical action film with a little buddy-movie shtick thrown in. These characters are superficial and hollow versions of their predecessors.

Chris Pine’s “Kirk” continues to be arrogant and brash but lacks the charm and warmth of the original Captain Kirk. Zachary Quinto’s “Spock” is stubborn and hardly explores the duality of the character. It seems that the bit of character development given in the first film was for naught. The supporting cast gives ordinary performances but the standout of all the actors is Benedict Cumberbatch who plays Khan. His portrayal of the beloved villain is exceptional. Although the Khan from the original series was meant to be of North Indian descent it was played by Mexican actor Ricardo Montalban, in fact the full name of the original character is “Khan Noonien Singh.” But Cumberbatch’s “Khan” is obviously British which makes perfect sense because there are probably more Khan’s and Singh’s in Britain now than there are in Northern India. This Khan is menacing, intimidating and probably the most memorable villain since Heath Ledgers “Joker.”

The best thing about this film is its cinematography, action sequences and special effects. It’s a standardized blockbuster where everything written on the script is meant to lead into a spectacular action scene. As a lifelong fan of sci-fi movies it’s always enjoyable to see new aliens, planets, spaceships and galaxies. INTO DARKNESS does not disappoint in that aspect. The shots of Planet Nibiru in the beginning of the film are breathtaking with the red tree forest and the pale white skinned aliens, the imagery is remarkable. The battles both in space and on soil are fun to watch especially in the 3D format.

In Director J.J. Abrams attempt to make the Star Trek franchise more accessible to new viewers he has subsequently alienated most Trekkies. He and his team of writers fail to include the elements that have made this series so beloved. Those of us who love Star Trek not only love it for the awe inspiring alien races, alien worlds and futuristic technology, we love it for the inherent sociological commentary it makes about humanity. We love it for the philosophical dilemmas faced when dealing with beings from different worlds. We love it because it shows a utopian future-Earth that other sci-fi movies don’t. But Abrams has taken the depth of the series and dumbed it down for the “Attention Deficit Disorder Audiences” of today. The screenwriters seem to have no clue about the series and lack originality, for instance how is the villain able to transport himself light-years away to another planet but the transporter onboard the Enterprise has a hard time beaming a person up from the very planet they’re orbiting? Furthermore the writers have duplicated the ending of STAR TREK 2: THE WRATH OF KHAN but instead of Spock sacrificing himself to save the crew, it’s Kirk who does the same in INTO DARKNESS. The writers have also blindly omitted character growth from one film to the next. Abrams is a director who seems to have no discernible style in his filmmaking. He seems to want to resurrect movie franchises by making it shallow and clichéd. “To boldly go where no one has gone before” seems the antithesis of this filmmaker but if he set out to make yet another generic Sci-Fi Action film, then he’s succeeded.

Rating: 6/10

S. V. Fernando