Star Trek: Into Darkness

Star Trek: Into Darkness

Directed By: J.J. Abrams

Written By: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof

Produced By: J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof

Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Alice Eve, Simon Pegg, Bruce Greenwood

Plot: When an enemy (Cumberbatch) emerges from within Earths forces, and threatens to cripple Starfleet, Kirk and his crew must battle against the seemingly unstoppable foe, no matter the cost.

Star Trek was once looked down upon, made only for fans of the previous long standing television series. J.J. Abrams changed that in 2009 with the successful Star Trek reboot. He made Star Trek cool again. The sequel was inevitable, and boy, this is one hell of a sequel. It feels like a much bigger film, visiting bigger planets, bigger action sequences and even bigger character development. This could be one film that is genuinely better than the original.

Benedict Cumberbatch genuinely played the best villain I've seen since The Dark Knight. The much loved British actor, best known for his role as Sherlock Holmes, turns bad. His sinister performance as John Harrison was cold, calculating and downright scary. There isn't anyone he isnt afraid to hurt, children's fathers, women, the list goes on. There were various moments when Sherlock shined through the persona of Harrison, which might not always be a good thing, but he's certainly created a brilliant foe for the film. He certainly steals the show.

The ensemble crew of the starship Enterprise are lovable as always, and it was interesting to see Uhura and Spock's relationship progress throughout, with some heartwarming moments between the two. Simon Pegg is hilarious (as per) and the scenes he shares with his own little sidekick are amusing. The visuals are absolutely astounding, with brutal adrenaline fueled fights and high octane space action, all this film does is entertain again and again. With a running time of just over two hours, there's not much to disappoint, apart from the ending.

Now, I won't spoil anything, but the ending seems extremely rushed it's almost as if they're trying to tie up all the loose ends as quick as possible. The resolve of all the events doesn't seem severe enough either, but as a finale it's still rather impressive. The ensemble cast work well together, and if J.J. Abrams doesn't make another Trek film, he's certainly left it in a great place.

Written By Eammon Jacobs

8/10