From the perspective of a Star Trek fan, Star Trek Into Darkness felt like a film intended to make me feel as if it had been made for me. Though my fandom wouldn’t reserve me the title of “Trekkie”, I’ve seen enough Trek to note references to past films and characters, but unfortunately those references don’t carry the weight it seems J.J. Abrams and screenwriters Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof think they have. And what of fans unfamiliar with the lore being referenced? Many such inferences and reveals will either fly right over their heads or fall flat, which is to then ask, why bother?
Star Trek Into Darkness is built on conspiracy theories and flatline reveals. That said, my review almost can’t help but hint at some of the film’s secrets, hints I believe Trek fans will catch onto quicker than those with only a passing interest in the franchise and especially those that have only see the 2009 reboot.
So, if you would prefer to head into the darkness without a scrap of additional information, please move along and return after you’ve seen the film. If it’s of no concern to you, and it really shouldn’t be, then stick around and let’s take a closer look.
The main goal of Star Trek Into Darkness, beyond providing endless action sequences that stack peril on top of peril without any real sense of danger, would be to focus on and strengthen the bond between Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto). There’s an emphasis on leadership, friendship and sacrifice and some of it really works, thanks in large part to the performances of Pine and Quinto. Both still manage to capture the essence of their characters as they have been played in the past, while also making them their own. Unfortunately, their relationship isn’t enough to hold the film together and neither is the antagonist.
Introducing John Harrison, terrorist extraordinaire and an unstoppable superhuman to boot. Played by Benedict Cumberbatch, Harrison is as stiff as a board and emotes like a robot. His first course of action is to bomb a Starfleet building and his second is an attack on the higher ranking Starfleet officers. People die, Kirk gets mad and Starfleet agrees to send him on a mission to kill Harrison and destroy the abandoned Klingon planet he’s taken refuge on.
Throughout much of the goings on, fans will note the many times Abrams apes portions of previous Star Trek films in what could be perceived as fan service, but instead it feels more like a crutch holding the entire film up as there isn’t enough story to warrant a 132 minute running time. In fact, the story is so small the only dialogue it contains are conversations on the way to more action or Harrison droning on behind a glass wall like a robot Hannibal Lecter.
Now this brings us to the moment the film seems to be building toward. It’s a moment that plays as if it was meant to be a reveal that would have everyone in the theater gasping. Instead, Trek fans are likely to shrug and audiences unfamiliar with the reference may simply overlook it entirely or say, “Who?”
Star Trek Into Darkness (which, by the way, is a meaningless title) foolishly assumes a villain is effectively menacing in name alone and at the same time seems to believe in order for an action sequence to be truly harrowing, a ship can’t simply be shot at and torn to bits by another ship five times its size. The stakes must be even greater! The ship must be hurtling toward Earth, people must be hanging from ledges and people must be hanging from them and they must slip and be caught. There must be radiation concerns and worries over whether a volcano will destroy them or not.
However, to harp only on the size of the film’s action sequences is to forget the reason they suffer. Action is only engaging if the characters involved have captured your attention and created some form of an emotional connection. Harrison is a ball of confusion, empty and soulless, and while Pine and Quinto perform well as Kirk and Spock, the direction the story will take their characters and their learning curve is so obvious you can’t help but see it coming well before its arrival.
Additionally, while Alice Eve has been brought in as Dr. Carol Marcus, daughter to Peter Weller‘s Admiral Marcus, it would seem her only reason to be here is to create a new level of franchise continuity and to strip down to her underwear in one of the most gratuitous scenes I can remember for a film of this sort. Add to that Zoe Saldana as Uhura, whose primary role is as Spock’s girlfriend and the source of a conversation starter that gives the audience greater insight into Spock’s character with little thought for her.
The weaknesses are just too many to mention them all. Into Darkness is effective only as an amusement ride with truly awful 3D. Abrams’ lens flares were not meant for stereoscopic imagery and a scene at a bar between Kirk and Pike (Bruce Greenwood) is frustratingly distracting as the corners of the frame are obstructed by some sort of blurry object I, at first, thought might be Pine’s arm, but in the end I can’t really say for sure.
To say it’s depressing for me to be so harsh on a film I was looking forward to as much as I was this one is an understatement. This was a case where I found myself trying to like the film rather than being so immersed in its story that I couldn’t help but like it. You should never have to try to like a movie, it should capture your attention within the first 20-30 minutes to the point however long it is you can’t bear to look away. I could have left 30 minutes in and returned for the final 15 and never missed a beat. Or I could have just watched a trailer and never shown up at all.
