Star Trek Into Darkness - 9 stars out of 10

Star Trek Into Darkness - 9 stars out of 10

The new Star Trek series has brought the old characters into the mainstream and made them cool.  Many people see the old Star Trek as “nerdy” but this new interpretation makes the characters gritty and deep.  J.J. Abrams has used a combination of incredible special effects, witty dialogue, and pure action to bring Star Trek to “the next generation” (couldn’t resist the pun).  This story picks up where the first one left off, developing the relationship between Kirk and Spock and again throwing Kirk into the center of controversy.  With the character origins established in the first installment, this film gets right into the action and allows for the introduction of Khan.  He is one of the most intriguing characters in the franchise and Benedict Cumberbatch is the perfect actor to deliver this sophisticated dialogue.   The plot twists back and forth, keeping you on your heels and trying to figure out if Khan is helpful or dangerous.  The greatest part of the film is the heroism and sacrifice displayed at the end.  It really gets to the heart of science fiction and superhero movies of days past.  Whoever dreamed up this script should be commended for successfully bringing Khan back to life (pun intended), building chemistry between Spock and Kirk, echoing the themes set forth in the opening of the film, resolving the seemingly impossible plot twist, and setting up the next film with the “Space: the final frontier” speech.  This greatly exceeds the expectations of most action movies.  All of the acting is spot on and I love how they found a way to feature Simon Pegg as Scotty, even though he wasn’t critical to the themes being developed throughout the film.  Space has come to life with “Star Trek: Into Darkness.”  Not only am I anxious for the next installment, but I may even have to go back and watch the original films.