Warning – Spoiler Alert!
Went to see “Into Darkness” at the weekend. What an awesome film! I love what J.J. Abrams (and others) have done with this franchise, and the first outing was fabulous. At the time I commented about my appreciation of the fact there was no cheats way out of the paradox. Vulcan really was destroyed. Spock really was set adrift in time and ended up in a parallel timestream.
The casting is superb, and the action relentless. I have a few quibbles (would Kirk really be the only person to think that all the senior starfleet officers would be gathered in one room?), but in general it was very easy to suspend disbelief and get drawn into the action.
My favourite thing about the film is probably the parallel storyline to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It’s not really a secret that the chief antagonist is Khan, and I don’t think it really spoils the film to know this in advance. But this film ends up being almost the same film as “Wrath”, but with several crucial differences and switched roles. You could see it all coming a mile off, but it didn’t spoil the enjoyment all.
One of the positive aspects for me is the respect with which the original series is treated. You recognise the characters and their characteristics, while they still manage to be fresh and new. And the trekkie in jokes are there too, as is the humour.
The special effects are also spot-on, and Sci-Fi in general is a genre that particularly benefits from special effects. I saw it in 3D – mainly because of the times of the showing – and it’s just nicely done. Not in your face, but generally more immersive.
Summary – fantastic film. Go see. (but see the first one first)
Seen Sunday 12th May at Harrogate Odeon, in 3D.