Review: Star Trek: Into Darkness
At a Glance:
Definitely worth seeing. It’s an all-out action blockbuster that doesn’t let up, you’ll not be bored for a second but that also means you don’t get a break. The hand-to-hand fights are on a surprisingly brutal level for a 12A rated film which is quite refreshing as other big budget movies would tone it down for larger audiences. There are no unexpected turns so no need to bring your thinking cap, just strap in and prepare to walk away with PTSD.
Quality: 7/10
Entertainment Value: 9/10
In Depth:
The action starts from the very first second and goes from chases to fighting to explosions until the very end of the film. There is no time to even try to wonder where the plot is going, as you are thrown violently from scene to scene. At times it felt like J.J Abrams was at a Michael Bay wank-fest like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, where by the end you don’t really care about the plot because you are too busy cowering in a foxhole. Yes, visually it is spectacular and you will walk away high on adrenaline, but I think it needed a break somewhere. This would enable you to take stock of what is happening and to allow the audience to relate to the characters more.
The acting is brilliant, as you’d expect with such good casting. Especially Benedict Cumberbatch (of Sherlock, Warhorse and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy fame) playing the baddie, he is terrifying and surprisingly good at being evil, considering his previous roles. It is great to see that they are trying to develop Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Kirk’s (Chris Pine) relationship, keeping it light-hearted with well-delivered one-liners that will make you chuckle. They also attempted some emotional scenes, but I’m not sure that they had the desired effect.
It is a good sequel but something is lacking; then again how many films really live up to the original (in this case I mean the 2009 film). There are many parts of the film where luck and coincidence are the reason our heroes survive, which is sometimes good but I think in this film they may have overdone it a tad. Do not get me wrong, go watch it, you’ll thank me later but don’t expect it to be the best film this year.
The Good
- Bloody amazing effects throughout and equally epic environments for each scene
- Brilliant acting (including a massive improvement to Simon Pegg’s accent)
- Some well-delivered humour and non-stop action will entertain you throughout
The Bad
- No respite means you get to the end of the film and no scene particularly stands out
- When a friend asks how the film was you will struggle to come up with more than a three word response
