Yup, he's back to the other space based franchise he successfully booted up four years ago with one of the most fun and rewatchable movies of that decade. In the first of this series, time is rewritten as to allow Spock (Zachary Quinto, Heroes), Kirk (Chris Pine, This Means War) and the rest of the crew aboard the Enterprise to engage in novel and increasingly energetic adventures. Into Darkness follows the team as they fight against the evil genius of John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock) who has declared war on his former employers, Star Fleet.
How does this latest outing compare to it's predecessor? Well, the acting is terrible, the science is off, the ridiculous plots and melodrama are cranked up to eleven and the dialogue is laughable. Basically, all I could have hoped for. I should preface this review with a warning that I am not a fan of the Nimoy and Shatner films, nor the original series - mainly due to never having watched them. What follows will only refer to the previous Abrams film, and nothing that precedes it.
That being said, what I do love about the current reboot of the franchise is the sense of fun that has made repeat viewings of the first film possible and pleasurable. Its silliness and the campness allowed for total immersion in the whole new world that the directer created. If, like me, this was your experience of the 2009 film, then I believe you shouldn't be disappointed with the latest offerings.
Having now seen Into Darkness twice - with a possible third viewing on the near horizon - I think that the over-the-top-action-romp-ness of the film will carry it at least as far as the audience who enjoyed the first. These are films very much centred around punching, shooting, blowing things up and screaming over the sounds of explosions (in space. Yeah, don't ask.) There are, if you wish to find such things, some broad questions raised in the areas of politics, race relations and such issues, but really if that were the point of a movie like Star Trek Into Darkness, it would have failed miserably to achieve it's prime directive.
I believe the only true problem in the film is the acting. It is terrible. It's easily over come by loud bangs and gun fights, but I mention it only in passing as it provided, for me, the highest level of comedy the film reached - even with amusing wit and repartee written into the script. But if you fancy a good, hearty laugh, look out for the hammed up performances of Pine, Urban, Pegg, Yelchin, Cumberbatch and Eve.
The most fitting comment I think I could make regarding Star Trek Into Darkness was one made by those who designed the advertisements played before the movie. Before Star Trek started, the audience was treated to the action-packed first scene of the new Fast and Furious (6) film. Need I say more.
