Movie Review: Star Trek: Into Darkness
J.J. Abrams, set to direct the upcoming Star Wars movie in a couple of years, gives us a taste of what to expect with Star Trek: Into Darkness. Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty, Sulu, and others are all back aboard the Enterprise. This time around they are trying to stop a mysterious terrorist played by Benedict Cumberbatch.
I’m not a long-time Star Trek fan, but I have to say that these last two movies are a lot of fun. Abrams has rebooted the franchise for a broader audience, and the result is a couple of really fun action/adventure movies that (I think) also satisfy all the “Trekkies” out there.
Abrams is a disciple of Steven Spielberg, and it’s on full display here. The movie feels like something Spielberg might have made 20 years ago, back when he still made entertaining films. The cast is the best part – Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto have great chemistry and Kirk and Spock. That always hilarious Simon Pegg and great as Scotty, and Benedict Cumberbatch is one of the best movie villains in recent memory.
Star Trek also boasts excellent special effects. I would imagine that most of this movie was filmed in front of green screens, and a lot of the space exploration and background was probably added digitally, but never once did something seems fake. The entire experience felt real and authentic.
Star Trek is now two-for-two on the reboot, and I’m looking forward to more installments down the road.