Starfleet is under attack by the cold-blooded, calculating terrorist John Harrison (Cumberbatch). James T. Kirk (Pine) leads a Federation force operation to neutralize the criminal, but he also has his own goal – to avenge.
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Few understand the meaning of this statement from “Star Trek” (or, more precisely, from Charles Dickens) better than J.J. Abrams. Having taken on the reboot of the famous TV series by Gene Roddenberry, filmed in the 60s, after several films, the director, with the very first flight of his spaceship “Enterprise,” saved the franchise from the fate of a “cult” film for a narrow circle of fans, ready to endlessly argue about who is cooler: Sisko or Janeway (the correct answer: Picard). Everyone liked his “Star Trek.” The creators of “Star Trek 2.0” (or, if you like, XI, also known as “Star Trek Into Darkness”) managed to get rid of the orating gout sufferers with silly hairstyles, so characteristic of the previous films of the franchise. But it became more energy, dynamism and spectacle. At the same time, Abrams retained respect, if not for the spirit of the original Roddenberry, then for the characters he created. In his work on “Into Darkness,” he did not deviate from these principles by an iota, but rather followed them even more strictly.
Following the example of “Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Star Trek Into Darkness” begins right with the dizzying denouement of an adventure that we are not destined to see in full. From a height, we observe a planet covered with screaming scarlet vegetation. The jumping camera shows Kirk (Chris Pine) and Doctor “Bones” McCoy fleeing from a pack of angry white-faced natives in yellow hoods, but they face certain death because their path is blocked by a steep cliff. As if that were not enough, Spock (Zachary Quinto) is dropped by parachute right into the mouth of a volcano: to save the entire planet, he needs to stop the eruption. From this, at first glance, absurd example of movie action with a magnificently daring ending, you get real pleasure. If this summer viewers manage to see a more exciting and breathtaking episode, they can consider themselves very lucky.
After such a beginning, it would seem that it is time to catch your breath, but not here: the creators of “Into Darkness” immediately step on the gas, and a film about a manhunt begins. A bomb explodes in the Starfleet archives in London – by the way, England in the 23rd century will be completely built up with “London Cucumbers” – and the chase begins for a terrorist, a neatly dressed renegade named John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). “Star Trek,” Abrams’ first “Star Trek,” was criticized for deviating from Roddenberry’s precepts in terms of reflecting the problems of the real world, but “Into Darkness” broke all records of clairvoyance. Just weeks after the events in Boston, we are watching a film about the hunt for a bomber, during which Kirk receives an order to forget about a fair trial (“I’ll grind this bastard into powder!”) and destroy Harrison with the help of invisible photon torpedoes. This is a Star Trek-style political assassination. Before you know it, students will soon be getting their well-deserved three points for term papers with titles like “Ben Laden, ‘Star Trek’ and American Revenge”…
Harrison, played by Cumberbatch, although dressed like a model from the cover of GQ, is essentially an army consisting of one person: he single-handedly deals with an entire garrison of heavily armed marauders, without batting an eye, endures Kirk’s brutal beatings, and personally gives the Federation soldiers a hard time. At the same time, as one would expect from an actor who has successfully played both Sherlock Holmes and Stephen Hawking, his Harrison is not only muscles, but also brains. Perhaps there is something in his master plan from the insane logic of the madman Silva from “Skyfall,” but Cumberbatch’s imperturbable manner of playing avoids any banality. The level of his acting skills is evidenced by at least how ambitious and frightening Harrison remains throughout the film. This impression cannot be destroyed even by the unimaginably villainous musical themes that accompany his first appearances on the screen.
If the first film showed how the crew of the Enterprise became a single whole, then in order to defeat Harrison, they need to separate. The cast of “Into Darkness” is very strong, and the attractive outlines of future media idols are emerging quite clearly. You will be pleased with the strengthening bromance of Kirk and Spock, the silly aphorisms of Bones, and – oh, a miracle of miracles! – the appearance of the steel Sulu without a sword. However, there is still too little time for the viewer to deeply attach themselves to the characters. The same can be said about the continuous duel of wits between Kirk and Harrison. Throughout the film, you expect something from them in the spirit of Hannibal Lecter and Clarissa Starling, but these hopes, if they come true, are not fully realized. Abrams masterfully knows how to introduce personal moments even into the hottest battles. In this regard, the lines of Kirk and Spock are interesting – the first learns to be a captain, and the second to be friends – but still the framework of the film is too tight for these emotional episodes to truly resonate in the hearts of viewers and remain with them forever.
Like the first film, “Into Darkness” is replete with references to the history of “Star Trek,” both television and screen. Some of them are witty and sophisticated, others seem so obvious and inappropriate that hardcore fans may have to turn to Colinahr. Commitment to the fundamental ideals of “Star Trek,” whether it is the importance of the Prime Directive (non-interference in the affairs of alien cultures) or the dynamics of conflicts between instinct and logic, pacifism and bestiality, is expressed even more strongly in “Into Darkness” than in “Star Trek.” Despite all this, Abrams is strongly against respect for “trekker” traditions spoiling all the fun for him. By the way, don’t miss the amazing joke about one cult sound effect!
Fortunately, the whole film is permeated with such playfulness. It is sexy both in the direct (Kirk and two tailed aliens) and in the figurative sense: cameraman Dan Mindel combines in each frame the gloss characteristic of science fiction with human warmth. Abrams’ direction is spectacular, bright (throw away your 3D glasses, put on your Ray-Bans!) and, much more importantly, talented. His style is somewhere in between Cameron’s honed to mechanical work and Bay’s maniacal intensity. He is effective and at the same time so free that it seems as if the director is improvising.
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Working with screenwriters Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof allows Abrams to instantly change the intonation (a comic quarrel between lovers during a battle turns into touching reflections on the nature of fear) and use all possible techniques to entertain the viewer: a dramatic episode of defusing a bomb, a scene of tense interracial negotiations, a game of cat and mouse between two spaceships, large and small, the comic character of Simon Pegg, a chase at warp speed, chaos straight from disaster films, Alice Eve in a black negligee – this is far from a complete list. Not everything works – in comparison with the initial scenes, the final action, although good, does not make your jaw drop – and yet the full impression is created that we are watching the work of a true showman. Like Lucas, Abrams is not a fan of all sorts of science fiction gadgets like cold nuclear fusion and interdimensional transitions. He just wants everyone to be interested and have fun.
Abrams’ Future in Sci-Fi
Everyone knows that Abrams will be filming “Star Wars” next, and the temptation to re-analyze “Into Darkness” in an attempt to find the key to “Episode VII” is very great. The director clearly prefers ordinary scenery to the green screen, and lovely nuances to the work of the star company ILM (pay attention to the trails of cosmic dust that accompany transitions to warp speed), is not afraid of the authorities and old-school no-montage filming, and also knows how to shoot people running through corridors. If he does not rush and fully demonstrates his signature ability to create lifelike characters, we will get a film of the caliber of “The Empire Strikes Back.” In one of the episodes, Kirk has to make a jump through subspace, which is rapidly turning into a patented feature of the franchise. At the height of this dangerous maneuver, the ship’s computer freezes, and at this moment it is almost impossible to refrain from shouting “Use the Force, Jim!”. And how can you not look forward to 2015?