MOVIE REVIEW: 'STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS'

Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

Director J.J. Abrams once again catches lightning in a bottle as Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the crew of the Starship Enterprise face off against the diabolical Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) in "Star Trek Into Darkness." The film also stars Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Alice Eve, Peter Weller and Leonard Nimoy.

Captain James T. Kirk (Pine) finds himself demoted to first officer after he breaks the prime directive in order to save his friend Mr. Spock (Quinto) from a volcanic eruption on an alien planet.

Still a believer in young Kirk, Admiral Christopher Pike (Greenwood) assumes command of the Enterprise after fighting his superiors so that Kirk can remain in Starfleet.

After a surprise attack is carried out in London to lure Starfleet's top brass together, Pike is murdered in a violent attack by the renegade Starfleet agent John Harrison (Cumberbatch).

Scotty (Pegg) discovers a transwarp transporter aboard the wreckage of Harrison's ship and tracks the traitor's whereabouts to the Klingon world of Kronos.

Fueled by revenge, Kirk accepts Admiral Marcus' (Weller) orders to hunt down and kill Harrison. After giving Spock's counsel consideration, Kirk captures Harrison instead of killing him and learns that John is actually Khan Noonien Singh -- a man literally out of time.

Khan, using the guise of Harrison to protect Marcus, is actually a genetically-enhanced superhuman from the late 1990s. Khan is being exploited by the unscrupulous Admiral Marcus to start a war with the Klingons. Desperate to save his own crew, which are still frozen in suspended animation, Khan deceives Kirk into a brief alliance long enough for Khan to murder Marcus.

Khan is reunited with his crew and prepares to destroy the Enterprise before reviving his people and unleashing their evil on the galaxy. Faced with the horror of losing everything he loves to Khan, Kirk makes the ultimate sacrifice to stop him. Will it be enough to save the crew of the Enterprise, the Earth and the galaxy?

The film is every bit as good as "Star Trek" (2009), but it does assume that most people know the history and heritage of the fan favorite baddie Khan. Other than that, the film is an intriguing narrative with incredible IMAX 3-D special effects.

SPOILER ALERT!

"Into Darkness" is a little bit Space Seed (1967) and "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (1982) all rolled into one feature. This time around Khan is found and revived by Admiral Marcus, instead of Kirk, and the 200-year-old ruler of 20th Century Earth is being used for his advanced warrior's intellect and strength.

In the new Star Trek timeline, Khan is the only one released from suspended animation, as the evil Admiral uses Khan's people to coerce him into doing his bidding. Cumberbatch is not the physical specimen that Ricardo Montalban was, but Benedict is absolutely a genius actor. His performance is sensational and he really gives Khan a dark malevolent side with a touch of unexpected humanity.

As a fan of the original television show and films, I love that this time around we get to see Spock fight Khan. Khan has 5 times the strength of a regular human, so it was hard to believe Captain Kirk could beat him one-on-one, as it happened in the episode Space Seed.

I also enjoyed how the tables were turned at the end of the movie in comparison to "Star Trek II." At the end of The Wrath of Khan, Spock sacrifices himself to save the crew of the Enterprise and this time around Kirk finds himself on the wrong side of the radiation-filled glass.

Kirk's death is an extremely poignant and unforgettable moment in Trek history, as Spock finally opens up and shows his human emotions to his dying friend. Enraged, Spock pursues Khan and the two have it out in a spectacular fist fight. Vulcans are more powerful than humans, so that wish I had as a young child is finally fulfilled. "Mom, what if Khan fought Spock?"

I hate that Christopher Pike died, but his scenes with Kirk were also stand out moments in the film. Pike's death is very emotional, as Kirk watches the one man who always believed in him die horribly at the hands of Khan. Greenwood and Pine are at the top of their games in this heart-wrenching sequence.

Carol Marcus (Eve) is of course the one love who got away from Kirk, according to "Star Trek II." They may go on to have a child (David Marcus), as in the original timeline, but for now Kirk and Carol are just beginning to know one another. I wish she had been more utilized in the film, and more of a romance had been explored, but at least Carol is now "part of the family." Something that wasn't the case in the original Star Trek mythology.

I really enjoyed this film, and I walked out wanting to see it again. Unlike "Iron Man 3," which I was supremely disappointed in, "Star Trek Into Darkness" is a fast-paced thrill ride with cutting edge IMAX 3-D imagery, well-crafted storytelling, memorable characters, compelling acting and non-stop breathtaking special effects.

SEE or SNUB

RECOMMENDATION: MUST SEE!

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