Stardate: -309583.59795154753
J.J. Abrams has made it clear that he loves mysteries. Once a little boy fascinated by a sealed cardboard box labeled with a single question mark in a small New York magic tricks store, J.J. became a director known for keeping his the details of his films secret before the release date. He’s made use of people’s attraction to intrigue. The less they know, the more they anticipate.
And I did anticipate. First came the poster. A hooded villain, cloaked in black, his back turned to the observer, against the backdrop of the remains of a city. A foreboding, ambiguous title: Star Trek: Into Darkness. Then came the teaser trailer: The Announcement, featuring a familiar, chilling baritone voice threatening those who think that their “world is safe”, which paved the way for the actual trailer: tension, relationships, possible deaths, destruction, and greater threats, both within and outside Kirk’s Enterprise ship. A 3-minute glimpse of what promised to be a spectacular journey, akin to a colorful giftwrapped box on the display shelf attracting everyone’s attention.
Trouble is, the present inside the box was not as impressive.
The timeline of the film picks up a year after the events of the 2009 film. James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Captain of the USS Enterprise, continues to lead his crew into missions for the United Federation of Planets’ Starfleet. A sudden violent attack on Starfleet’s headquarters in London by an ex-Starfleet officer John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) draws Kirk and his crew into their most dangerous journey yet.
I was entertained from start to finish, and could not be happier to see the old faces of the tight-knit Enterprise crew I love reunited on the big screen. Yet after reflection, flaws began to surface.
Concerning this film in particular (and the reason for the wide range of online reviews—from mixed to beaming, positive receptions), the audience can be divided into three major groups: fans of the Star Trek original series (TOS), fans of the 2009 reboot, and regular moviegoers. Despite J.J. Abrams and company’s claims that the film was made for “everyone” including those who have not seen the 2009 film, there are major references made to TOS. More discerning fans, especially of TOS, would definitely pick up on the subtleties and be more emotionally affected by certain scenes of the film.
As a reboot girl who has recently started watching TOS and watched a certain 1982 Star Trek film in preparation for Into Darkness, I stand at the intersection between the fans in question.
For TOS fans, the reveal of a certain character’s true identity was a huge letdown, especially since J.J. Abrams and company had tried so hard to dismiss true rumours as false. Furthermore this villain was underdeveloped throughout the course of the film. The plot was messy, with plot holes that went unresolved in a quick drop onto Earth after a warp-speed trip through the galaxy. References to TOS and the 1982 film were intentionally made, to the point that they were simply just there and did not work to impact or strengthen the plot elements within this film as they did before. It felt like a spot-the-references than clever, artful inserts into the reboot’s timeline that would mean something to the plot. Some decisions concerning the beloved characters in the plot and storyline made me cringe.
With the 2009 reboot putting Kirk and his crew on an alternate timeline, separated from TOS universe, J.J. and company had a chance to pay tribute to the 1982 film and explore the dynamics of Kirk’s character in a new light. They failed. Abrams misinterpreted Kirk’s character and shoved other important relationships aside for one pivotal relationship buildup near the end. The dynamics between characters were uneven, and some characters, namely, the Enterprise’s Chief Medical Officer, Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban), were hurriedly included. McCoy was folded into a 2-dimensional comic relief character, rather than the complex and passionate voice he was in the first film and had been throughout TOS.
Regular moviegoers, including those not familiar with Star Trek before this film, would find the film enjoyable, albeit leaving them with unanswered but easily forgotten questions. While J.J. had missed the target on certain points he still succeeded in pleasing the greater public.
There’s plenty of his signature lens flares, along with stunning visuals, enhancing the beautiful production designs—from the sleek interiors of the Enterprise, the red forest on planet Nibiru, to a futuristic London. Michael Giacchino’s moving score was a perfect accompaniment to every scene. The Star Trek main theme song could not be more poignant. There was a sly reference in one of the tracks back to a TOS episode (Amok Time) as well.
The best part about Into Darkness was its cast: actors perfectly the TOS crew as humans rather than caricatures. It is evident that they are now more comfortable in these shoes for the second film in the reboot timeline as they made the most out of the flawed script. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto shared ample on-screen chemistry as Kirk and Spock, complimenting each other just as William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy had decades ago.
The supporting cast also fleshed out their roles, adding colorful accents to the plot. There were memorable moments for each character, notably the Enterprise’s Chief Engineer Scotty (Simon Pegg), Communications Officer Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Navigators Chekov (Anton Yelchin) and Sulu (John Cho). Newcomers to the crew, weapons specialist Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) and a certain unnamed character were also quite charming.
Into Darkness is a fun summer film, though saddened by the potential of what it could have been. This is a reboot that fails to be sufficiently original and becoming instead a greatest hits collection of the old Trek.
Pick up a new mission, J.J. and company. Do it for the Enterprise, for Jim Kirk, for the Trekkies: dare to actually commit to the lines embodying this 50-year-old franchise, to boldly go where not even the original Star Trek has gone before. Create your own hits. Show me that you care. We know that you can.
Show us that mysteries are worth waiting for.
For now, Anjida out.
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