Review: Star Trek: Into Darkness, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto

As a sign of the esteem in which the director is held – he has also been put in charge of the next in the Star Wars series, announced after Disney bought the rights from Lucasfilm. While some may argue that a classic series should not be messed with – his treatment of Star Trek does give one cause for hope.

James T Kirk (Chris Pine) is adjusting to his life as the Captain of the USS Enterprise. When an attempt at saving a remote planet puts his first officer – Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto) – in peril he makes a rash decision to save Spock at the expense of the rules set down by Starfleet and finds himself demoted.

Meanwhile a rogue agent called John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) is responsible for a series of terrorist attacks and disappearing into deep space – hiding out on a planet called Kronos – home of the Klingons, self-declared enemy of the human race.

Kirk volunteers to take the USS Enterprise to retrieve Harrison, but when he does he learns a far darker truth to Harrison’s mission.

Abrams has done it again – delivering a thrilling and entertaining ride with a strong emotional core. The effects are beautiful at times and rendered well in 3D.

There are lots of lovely references to the old Star Trek series for the fans without making too much of them. The performances continue to grow with Quinto’s emotional journey as the half-human, half-Vulcan Spock, being the most interesting and well played.

Cumberbatch adds a chilling edge to his role and will almost certainly continue to see his star rise after this performance. Great fun and a gripping adventure.

8/10

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