So, Star Trek – Into Darkness. A dark blot on Hollywood’s sun, or a beaming ray of light? What do you think of it?
I found it landed somewhere in between. It certainly contains fast-paced action sequences, and a storyline that you can enjoy without any knowledge of Trek lore. One-liners to make you smile. And if you DO have some Trekkie insight, even more for you to enjoy amongst the in-jokes and quips (not least Pegg’s unconvincing Scots accent that mimics the terrible attempts of James Doohan’s original). The main characters hit their mark (e.g. Cumberbatch’s early minimalist acting renders him more menacing). One of the biggest strengths of JJ Abrams creation is Quinto. I can think of no other contemporary actor as a better reincarnation of the Vulcan Spock. So, in general, a good romp, with much fun to be had as part of the rollercoaster ride.
However, as someone who grew up watching the TV and cinematic canon, there were disappointments. I remember the three main protagonists as Kirk, Spock and McCoy. However, the good Doctor’s role in this picture appears to have been cut down to its bare ‘Bones’. The new trio of leading characters appears to contain Kirk, Spock and Uhura. I understand that the sexual tension offered by this approach is interesting ground to tread, but I can only assume Karl Urban’s scenes were cut and dropped onto the editing suite floor (sorry – it’s digital, so that should read emptied into the computer’s ‘Recycle Bin’) such was the screen time the good Doctor actually got. At times, it feels like a computer game – it is clear that actors have spent many days working in front of green screens for the T(r)ekkies to paint in the details afterwards.
That Kirk and Spock are seen as equally important protagonists is reflected in the dare-doing in which they both separately engage (indeed, the final action of the movie belongs to Spock rather than Kirk). From the outset, Kirk’s hot emotional passion is directly contrasted with the cold logic of Spock; as the movie progresses, we see how the one extreme cannot survive without the other. To perhaps reinforce their joint importance, the cast list during the end credits places a very peculiar and pregnant pause between the listing of Pine and Quinto not used elsewhere in the alphabetical sequence.
The absolute definition of a "popcorn" movie - fun and filling at the time, but still strangely not entirely satisfying.