Star Trek Into Darkness (Abrams, 2013)

The Star Trek franchise challenges viewers "to boldly go where no one has gone before". J.J. Abrams may have missed this touchstone in the Trek canon.

Star Trek Into Darkness is a worthy follow-up to 2009's Star Trek, featuring a new story while still maintaining the fun sci-fi action vibe that made the first one such a success. J.J. Abrams once again proves his talent as a visual director, and Into Darkness remains one of the director's finest science fiction achievements. The problem with this film, however, is it's lack of originality.

While Star Trek touchingly alluded to some of the franchise's most memorable moments and characters, Into Darkness blatantly copies the successful components of both it's predecessor and the series they each are based on. The new movie does nothing to further the Trek franchise, and instead relies heavily on what has already been done. There are several scenes, plot lines, and even dialogue that are taken directly from another Star Trek work.

But, this issue is not necessarily a bad fault. The material they use clearly works, otherwise the legions of Trekkies would not still be coming back to theaters each time a new film is released. Abrams takes the best parts of both the Star Trek franchise and his own movie version to create a sentimental and entertaining journey through his own Star Trek universe.

Star Trek Into Darkness again features the adventures of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, led by the rebellious Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and the half-human, half-vulcan science officer Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto). This time, they are pitted against rogue Starfleet officer John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), a brilliant but psychopathic terrorist who attacked a Federation archive in London. Captain Kirk must face his own insecurities while battling Harrison, and receives help from his loyal senior crew, including chief medical officer Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban), communications officer Uhura (Zoe Saldana), helmsman Hikaru Sulu (John Cho), and engineers Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (Simon Pegg) and Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin).

Abrams constructs a visually stunning story that combines several elements of Trek's past, and as such fans of the Star Trek franchise will see plot twists coming lightyears away. While they will enjoy the numerous references to Star Trek's various creatures, characters, and ideas, they likely will not be surprised by the twisty narrative common to an Abrams' film. Newcomers might be shocked, but non-fans (which supposedly includes J.J. himself) may also have difficulty understanding the dozens of references the cast makes.

Nevertheless, Into Darkness remains a well-crafted tale, fun to watch no matter how familiar a viewer is with the series. The movie moves much faster than Star Trek, with almost non-stop action from beginning to end. Key dialogue scenes interrupt the thrills for a few moments before kicking back up in a fight sequence. The action is well choreographed and perfect for a summer blockbuster.

Otherwise, stylistically, Into Darkness is virtually identical to Star Trek. The 3D upgrade is a nice touch, but largely unnecessary to the film. Star Trek Into Darkness itself is an upgrade, combining Abrams striking style with plot lines already used in previous Star Trek films. The cast is clearly having fun though, and as an audience member, it's hard not to have fun along with them.

The creative minds of director J.J. Abrams and screenwriters Roberto Orci, Alexander Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof could have created a more original story. But, what they made works, and for what it is, Star Trek Into Darkness is a success. It's a fun, action-packed, and entertaining thrill ride for fans of all ages. Set a course for the local movie theater, maximum warp.

Four out of five stars.