Geek Girl Features

Months of teasers, brilliant virtual marketing and sly hints from the cast and director finally paid off when the new ‘Star Trek” film hit theatres. It reunites the cast from the 2009 blockbuster, with Chris Pine playing Capt. James T. Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock and newcomer Benedict Cumberbatch as the brilliantly mysterious villain John Harrison.

The movie opens to Harrison carrying out terrorist attacks against Star Fleet, and it is revealed that he is a member of the space organization. Kirk and his team are sent on a mission under orders to fire missiles into Klingon space, killing Harrison, who has taken refuge on the Klingon home planet Kronos, and potentially igniting a war between the two groups.

Kirk reneges on this and capture Harrison and is faced with a choice when Harrison’s true identity and purpose within Star Fleet are uncovered, about whether he will continue to follow orders or if he will, in Kirk fashion, break the rules and follow his gut instinct. We are introduced to the potential true villain of the movie, also from within Star Fleet, who has plans for the organizations future that are othre than space exploration.

This review will remain spoiler free for the sake of those who have not seen the movie, but chances are you have already heard all the spoilers you need. While initially unsurprising, the twist in the movie is a a true twist on cinema history, as it flips accepted Star Trek history on its head. It may upset diehard fans of the series, as it takes a large piece of fan-favorite Trek history and flips it on its head.

Let’s be Whovians here for just a moment. As the Doctor says, there are parts of time that are solid and must always happen. When 2009’s “Star Trek” hit theatres, it created an alternate timeline with the Romulan Nero going back in time and destroying Vulcan. Within this alternate timeline, events from the original timeline(see: Star Trek TV series and previous movies) may still happen, but they might be significantly different. This was the apparent intention of the screenwriters when they wrote this movie.

Forget everything you have seen so far this summer, for “Star Trek Into Darkness” is the epitome of a summer movie. It is loud, bright and exciting.

Many of my reviews in the past months have reflected a trend in wasted time in movies. “Star Trek” runs 155 minutes, and not a second is wasted.

Again here, the acting brings to life characters that are loved the world over by millions. My only concern was in the initial stages of the movie, when Chris Pine has to cry. He definitely might want to go back to the drawing board next time he has to act that emotion out.

The star of the movie is Benedict Cumberbatch. The British import, who stars in the BBC series “Sherlock”(a must-watch) and has parts in the upcoming “Hobbit” movies, is magnificient as the cold and merciless Harrison, a far cry from the character he is based on. He steals the show from the rest of the cast with his phenomenal acting. When he glowers at the screen, even you can feel the intensity.

Normally, I wouldn’t recommend 3D for a movie, but in this case it brings a new level to the film. While there are things that shoot out, the most impressive part is how is deepens the picture, and makes the Enterprise look more than a flat picture on the screen. When you stare down a hole in the ship, you can see how deep it is.

“Iron Man 3” may have kicked off the summer season, and owned the box office, but “Star Trek Into Darkness” is the first truly fun, spectacular summer movie for everyone.