Star Trek Into Darkness (2013): Grade: C

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Alice Eve, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Greenwood, & Peter Weller

Director: J.J. Abrams

Screenwriters: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, & Damon Lindelof

In one sense, it is rather appropriate that J.J. Abrams has been handed the reins to the Star Wars universe. That once-spectacular franchise became tarnished in one fell swoop by unimaginative storytelling under the direction of George Lucas. Similarly, J. J. Abrams was given the responsibility of taking over the Star Trek film franchise and although he was given the job because the franchise was already floundering, he did not make it much better. Abrams’ interpretation of Star Trek may have achieved huge box office success, but creatively, Abrams has sucked out everything that made Star Trek great and has resorted to tried and true formulas to tell his stories rather than expand on the Star Trek universe created by the late Gene Roddenberry.

In this latest entry to the Star Trek franchise, we begin the story with Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) running away from a tribe of a primitive alien race and an erupting volcano. Meanwhile, Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) beams inside the volcano to stop its eruption and save the alien race from imminent extinction. After barely escaping with their lives, the crew of the Enterprise returns to Earth. However, instead of receiving a commendation for his efforts like he expected, Captain Kirk is stripped of his captain duties, loses his ship, and is demoted down to a First Officer for his cavalier disregard of Starfleet regulations. While all this is going on, a terrorist attack occurs in London and the attacker is identified as Starfleet Commander John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). After a second attack that is directly aimed at high-level Starfleet commanders, Kirk is reinstated to Captain, handed back his Enterprise, and ordered to hunt down Harrison and kill him. However, Kirk and crew soon discover that Harrison is not who they have been led to believe and a far more sinister plot is underway.

Based on his past films, J.J. Abrams strikes me as someone whose entire universe of sources and inspiration consists of modern pop culture and whatever has gone mainstream. He seems to differ from the likes of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, whose inspiration for and development of Star Trek was inspired by real scientific theories and America’s exploration of space. Roddenberry was not looking to create a swashbuckling, action-oriented sci-fi series in the vein of Star Wars, Flash Gordon, or Buck Rogers. His approach was more intellectual. In sharp contrast, Paramount and Abrams have cast this approach aside and have remolded Star Trek into a hip, youth-oriented action series that is almost indistinguishable from Star Wars. It foregoes plot development and logic in favor of spectacle, humor, and a constant recycling of past tropes that have proven successful with fans.

I was not a big fan of 2009’s Star Trek. I grudgingly accepted the new, brighter and more colorful visual aesthetic that Abrams adopted for the series, but I was happy with the casting decisions he made for the core crew of the Enterprise. However, my biggest gripe about the film (and my biggest gripe with practically all of Abrams’ films) was the lackluster script and the easily forgettable villain who seemed to have been conceived as an afterthought when the screenwriters realized at the last minute that the story needed an antagonist. Worse, the film resorted to the oft-used device of having time travel incorporated into the story and having Leonard Nimoy return as the future Mr. Spock, presumably in order to attract die-hard Trek fans who were suspicious of this dumb-downed looking version of their beloved series. So with that said, I was not particularly enthusiastic about this sequel.

Star Trek Into Darkness is an improvement over the last effort and I don’t know whether or not that is due to the addition of screenwriter Damon Lindelof (Lost, Cowboys & Aliens, Prometheus). But as you can tell from the credits I just listed, the possibility that he lent added quality to the screenplay is as likely as the possibility that Bigfoot is real. So what works better this time? Two words: Benedict Cumberbatch (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Into the Univere with Stephen Hawking, the BBC’s Sherlock). This is the first time I have noticed this rising British star and I can now see why he has gained such a cult fan following. With his sinister voice and mannerisms, the icy-eyed Cumberbatch makes a strong impression as Khan (if you are interested enough in reading a blogger’s review of this film, then you are most likely already aware of the worst kept secret of the year), who has been reimagined as a terrorist.

The sequel has also improved on building the relationship between Kirk and Spock. Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman had already done a commendable job developing this relationship in the first film, and here they develop it further by having Spock understand and appreciate what it is to have a friendship with someone. As an aside, I noticed that Abrams employed less lens flare this time around. It still exists in copious amounts, but at least you don’t see it in every single frame of the film like you do in the last movie.

As with the first film, the two best characters to watch continue to be Spock and McCoy. Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban perfectly capture the most memorable characteristics of these characters and I only wish that McCoy was given more to do in the film.

Aside from this, Star Trek Into Darkness is a disasterious mess. Let us begin with the title. What the hell does “Into Darkness” mean within the context of this film? That the crew of the Enterprise is going to get into some nasty shit against Khan? In that case, shouldn’t every movie with an antagonist have “Into Darkness” placed after its title?

When J.J. Abrams took over the Star Trek re-boot, his plan was to reimagine the series in a fresh, new way that would not be beholden to what had come before. Although I think his decision to tie in the new films with existing Star Trek continuity was a bad one, I was somewhat encouraged to see what Abrams would be able to bring to the table. Instead, we have basically seen nothing but a retread of what has come before. In Into Darkness, we are reintroduced to Tribbles, Neutral Zones, Harry Mudd, and Carol Marcus (Kirk’s eventual wife and the woman who gave him a son). However, the two most egregious and headshake-inducing moments are the Leonard Nimoy cameo (again) and the recreation of the famous death scene from Wrath of Khan. I honestly could not understand how Old Spock was able to suddenly appear onscreen on the bridge of the Enterprise and give Young Spock advice. Isn’t Old Spock supposed to exist in a parallel universe? So if that is the case, how did he appear like that? Magic? More importantly, what the hell was the point of this cameo anyway?

The Wrath of Khan re-enactment deserves its own paragraph. As this scene began to unfold, my eyes began to grow bigger and bigger in stunned astonishment that the filmmakers actually thought that re-enacting one of the most memorable moments in Star Trek lore would be a good idea. Notwithstanding the fact that this scene was entirely unnecessary, the whole scene falls completely flat on its face. For one, Chris Pine is just simply not a good enough actor to pull off dying. Watching him die was like watching some After School special where the kid with the leukemia goes through a long progression of closing and opening his eyes before finally succumbing to his disease. Also, the scene is SO self-conscious that, unless you have never seen Wrath of Khan (and in that case, shame on you), it is impossible to separate yourself from the Nimoy/Shatner interaction and watch this without referring to it. Consequently, you don’t feel the emotion that came with watching Spock die in Wrath of Khan. Compounding the lack of emotion is the fact that this is only the second film we have seen Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto together so that familiarity with their relationship is entirely absent. Finally, Spock’s yelling of “KHAAAN!” comes off as totally corny and hilarious, which I somehow doubt the filmmakers intended for me to feel.

As I stated before, I really enjoyed Benedict Cumberbatch and he is the best thing about Into Darkness. Unfortunately, the script does him a great disservice by underutilizing his character and by not knowing what to do with him. The film does a good job building up a mystery around the motives of his character and a sense of dread. We are continually reminded that Khan is physically and intellectually superior to everyone else. However, when Khan finally reveals himself to be the bad guy, he is quickly outwitted by Spock and defeated (temporarily). The audience is totally cheated out of seeing a long, drawn-out battle of wits between Khan and the Kirk/Spock. Where were the ship battles? Abrams is obviously not against recycling the same old shit from before, so why not also give us ship battles? When Khan resurfaces later at the end, we are treated to a lame chase and fight sequence across San Francisco that for some random reason ends up on what appear to be flying garbage trucks. In short, Khan’s use of his superior intellect is barely displayed and it should have been the central conflict rather than the convoluted conspiracy plot involving a corrupt Starfleet Admiral, played horribly by Peter Weller.

Star Trek Into Darkness aims to be crowd-pleasing at the risk of not being original. The plot is confusing and poorly developed and J.J. Abrams eschews Gene Roddenberry’s utopian vision for Star Trek to instead deliver a simplistic, popcorn action movie that is more style than substance. Abrams has decided to bombard us with an exhausting procession of high-note action pieces instead of building any sort of suspense or momentum that gives us an impression of the high stakes involved.

My Top 5 TV Show-to-Film Translations

1. The Fugitive (1993): starring Harrison Ford & Tommy Lee Jone

This film is widely considered to be the best TV series-to-film adaptation and for good reason. I have never seen the TV series so I cannot speak to how good it is, but I have heard it was the type of show that held audiences spellbindingly captive during the series’ duration. The film gives you the same feeling. Harrison Ford’s Dr. Richard Kimble, a well-respected and wealthy man in the Chicago medical community, suddenly finds himself on the lam from the law for the murder of his wife. He is forced to use his survival instincts to keep one step ahead of the law while he attempts to piece together who killed his wife. The ‘cat’ in this cat-and-mouse chase is Tommy Lee Jones’ Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard. The film is great, but what makes it so is Tommy Lee Jones, who earned an Academy Award for his performance. His character’s dogged persistence to capture his man and keen intelligence lends the film its high stakes. You are left wondering how in hell Kimble can possibly outwit Gerard and coupled with Jones’ performance, The Fugitive has become one of the greatest action chase films ever made.

2. The Addams Family (1991): starring Raul Julia, Angelica Huston, Christina Ricci, & Christopher Lloyd

The Addams Family does not have a plot, but neither did the TV show. As the slightly classier version of its competitor, The Munsters, The Addams Family is simply about an eccentric family of what would now be known as goths who live in a big old mansion. The characters of Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Grandmama, Wednesday, Pugsley, and Thing were created by cartoonist Charles Addams and were originally featured in the The New Yorker. The film was directed by former DP Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black series), whose well-recognized aesthetic style behind the camera lent this film a gorgeous look and style. The film’s plot is paper-thin, but the uniqueness of the characters, the performances of the actors (especially that of the late Raul Julia and Angelica Huston), the stunning production design, and the morbid humor made this into a highly entertaining film.

3. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011): starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, & Simon Pegg

With the exception of the lackluster second film, which was directed by John Woo, I am a big fan of the Mission: Impossible series of films, which began with Brian DePalma directing, shifted to John Woo, and then J.J. Abrams before finally being handed to Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles). Each film has been tailored to its director’s signature style and amazingly enough, the series has largely remained a critical and box office success. In fact, I now look forward to a new installment of Mission: Impossible just as much as I do for a new James Bond movie. However, of all the helmers who have taken on this series, Brad Bird seemed to be particularly suited to direct a Mission: Impossible film. Given the series’ over-the-top and playful nature and Bird’s storytelling style, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol set a new bar for Mission: Impossible films that will be difficult to surpass or even match.

4. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982): starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Ricardo Montalban, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, & Kirstie Alley

There have been many Star Trek films, many of which are very good (as many fans have pointed out, the series has fallen into a pattern in which every other film in the series is good). However, the second film still remains after all these years the best of all the series, including the Next Generation and J.J. Abrams’ reboot. I have not seen Abrams’ Star Trek 2, but given how unimpressed I have been by most of his past work, I am not holding my breath that his upcoming Star Trek film will blow me away. The Wrath of Khan has so much going for it. There is a new Enterprise, new uniforms, the introduction of Captain Kirk’s son, Mr. Spock’s death, and the return of Kirk’s arch nemesis, Khan, who is superbly brought to the screen by Ricardo Montalban. Khan is a step for step match against Kirk and this maintains a high level of momentum and tension throughout the film. Add to all this the further development of Kirk and Spock’s friendship and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is an instant classic.

5. The Untouchables (1987): starring Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia, & Robert De Niro

Dances With Wolves may have propelled Kevin Costner to stratospheric career heights, but it was Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables that put him on the map. With a fantastic film score by Ennio Morricone, an electric screenplay by David Mamet, and the sure directorial hand of Brian De Palma, The Untouchables is an exciting and dramatic film that earned Sean Connery an Academy Award for his performance. Especially watch for the Union Station scene where Eliot Ness gets into a shootout with a bunch of gangsters. Beautifully shot and a real treat for film history buffs because it recreates a classic scene from the film Battleship Potemkin.