Star Trek Into Darkness: Utterly Mesmerizing

These days, it is extremely rare for me to enter a movie theater and come out with a lot more than I had anticipated. Usually I think most films are over-hyped or fail to meet standards of decency and coherence. To be completely honest, I walked into the theater to see Star Trek, I had heard very little about the movie and was actually more excited about seeing Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance. I walked out of the movie with so many more emotions, questions, and excitement than I had anticipated.  I became utterly enamored with the scintillating dialogue, the intricate yet coherent interactions, and the incredible characters and their development. I’m beginning to understand how Star Trek has maintained a loyal fan base for nearly half a century.

At the start of the film, Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and his crew narrowly escape an active, exploding volcano and an angry group of tribal members on the planet of Nibiru. After breaking some rules to save Spock’s (Zachary Quinto) life, Kirk is stripped of his title as captain and sent back to the academy. Meanwhile, a mysterious terrorist manipulates his way into bombing a defense building of Star Fleet. The rogue terrorist turns out to be one of their own–a British man named John Harrison (Cumberbatch). Kirk is reinstated as the captain of U.S.S. Enterprise and must track down this dangerous man, who has run away to Kronos, a planet in enemy Klingon territory.

Star Trek Into Darkness is intelligently written and manages to stay ahead of the audience every step of the way. Sometime, I thought that I understood where the film was headed, but sooner or later the crew would be facing a new set of challenges and obstacles. The first fifteen minutes of the film felt very emotionally charged and action-packed. I got worried that it would quickly become an over-the-top and melodramatic piece of sensory overload, but the banter and squabbles between the characters—especially among the male characters—was compelling and mesmerizing. Time and time again, this crew is sorely tested and fragmented by Cumberbatch’s calculating, superhuman villain. We also see the still growing friendship between Kirk and Spock, especially as they realize how much they truly need one another.

This film is mainly about surviving and overcoming the biggest and unforeseen challenges. With its numerous plot twists, the movie keeps us guessing and struggling to truly understand the extent of the problem that they are facing. It’s an emotional roller-coaster of a film—and thus very much a product of this modern Hollywood age. Despite the numerous characters, storylines, and plot devices, everything flawlessly interweaves together and brings the characters and audiences closer to a collective sense of understanding.

It has almost every theme that we like to see in dramatic narratives—friendships, love, betrayal, trust, and selfhood. Each character possesses unique colors and storylines— ranging from the funny and clever Scotty (Simon Pegg), the compassionate, loyal, and cranky Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban), and the fiercely intelligent Lieutenant Uhura (Zoe Saldana). We also saw the growth and development of Kirk and Spock, as both of their philosophies are put to the test.

However, the two female characters felt a little short-changed, especially the character of Carol Marcus (Alice Eve), and I would have liked to learn a little bit more about her. Without revealing anything, her true identity seemed a little contrived and predictable, and she seemed more like a plot device than a character.

But even so, this spectacular blockbuster will keep you on the edge of your seat. From the U.S.S. Enterprise emerging from an ocean to large scale attacks and bombs, everything about this film was massive and impressive. It just plops the audience in the midst of all the action and chaos. At one point, Spock recalls joining consciousness with a suffering individual. In some ways, this whole movie is about getting the audience to empathize with the dilemma and the struggles of the entire crew. And for those who fear intense scenes, fear not. With the exception of one terrifying scene, most of them were artfully written with a mix of intensity, high stakes, humor, and wit while they also avoided coming off as formulaic and unoriginal or heavy-handed.

I also appreciated the film’s commentaries on how different political agendas and excessive greed can shape the fate of the team and the nation. The U.S.S. Enterprise, which prides itself on going on missions to further understand different planets natural life forms, faces becoming entangled in ugly politics, militarism, and corruption. Kirk and his crew will constantly realize that they aren’t in as control of the situation as they would like to believe, as high ideals and philosophies just don’t cut it in a highly secretive and morally ambiguous world.

The several plot twists also speak to the fact that often, there isn’t just one bad guy but multiple negative, insidious forces. There is so much debate in the world on what the moral thing to do is and how we can balance the emotional and the logical or if that is even necessary. When can we trust our instincts, and when must we distance ourselves from our feelings and rely on logic? In that sense the latest installment of Star Trek, while it probably features more action and CGI than its predecessors, goes back to these very relevant and universal questions that it has grappled with for over half a decade.

Even for someone who has very little knowledge and background on Star Trek, I found Star Trek: Into Darkness to be an utterly captivating and mesmerizing experience. Star Trek: Into Darkness will speak to the rationalist, the idealist, the action aficionado, and the philosopher within you. Be prepared to be completely immersed in the action, the dialogue, and each subplot that seamlessly melds into one overarching storyline.