 |
In the first film Kirk and Spock met and became chums. Here, they
become absolute besties.
|
For
fans of Star Trek, the 2009 relaunch
of the series, much of Star Trek Into
Darkness will feel extremely similar. Once again, the crew of the
Enterprise is tasked with dealing with a self righteous, revenge-seeking
villain who, early in the film, kills a Kirk (Chris Pine) father figure. And,
once again, the major focus is on the developing bromance between Kirk and
Spock (Zachary Quinto).
Some
could argue that makes this outing derivative, especially when you throw in
lifted story beats from an earlier Star Trek film (more on that in a bit), but
considering how well they’ve pulled everything off here, I see little reason to
complain.
(Ummm….
spoiler warning).
The
villain here is first introduced as Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), a rogue
Starfleet Commander who apparently has curative blood and a major vendetta
against his employers. Kirk and his team are tasked with hunting him down, and
when they do, they discover he also possess superhuman strength and
unparalleled intellect. Oh, and they come to learn that he is actually Khan, an
extremely iconic Trek character who, as even non-fans like myself know, killed
Spock in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
 |
He may not have the ridiculously large chest, but Benedict
Cumberbatch offers up an imposingly memorable take on Khan.
|
Despite universal praise for Cumberbatch’s magnetically forceful performance, a great deal of criticism has been launched at using Khan for this story, particularly related to the thematic bastardization of the Spock death, which has been twisted here to result in the death of Kirk. A good example of this backlash can be found here.
I
actually quite liked this aspect of the film. Although the concept of keeping
Khan’s identify a secret from the audience was silly, I think making him the
bad guy worked well, especially in the way it played off of the previous
history with the character. When Spock seeks the counsel of Spock Prime
(Leonard Nimoy), it’s a nice little nod to the original series, but also a
story beat that makes sense.
Furthermore,
while I understand there was great thematic heft to having Spock be the one
that died in Wrath of Khan, I really
like that they flipped the script. Instead of building on Kirk’s inability to
accept death, this new interpretation (which you can watch here) represents a thematic
highpoint in the developing friendship between Kirk and Spock, both of whom are
learning from one another and changing as a result.
Some
might argue Kirk’s quick revival ruins the impact of his death. I disagree with
that, because regardless of his status at the end of the film, the death is
still a real and tangible moment for the characters. It still meant something
to them and still elevated the relationship to another level. In the first
film, Spock Prime told Spock his relationship with Kirk would be “a friendship that will define you both in ways you cannot
yet realize.” Here, the filmmakers continue to develop that idea.
 |
Alice Eve doubles the sexy woman total on the Enterprise, taking some
of the weight off of Zoe Saldana's back.
|
That
being said, there are some incredibly silly things in this film. Obviously, the
Khan blood stuff is hokey, and that isn’t helped by the way McCoy discovers it.
And, while I mostly like the way Khan is used, the climatic showdown between
him and Spock just doesn’t make sense. I mean, seriously, why would a super
human run from one mere Vulcan?
There’s
not much more to say. As with its predecessor, all the technical aspects are
top notch, and the hurling momentum of the thing is huge plus, but the greatest
strength of the film is in the character dynamics. While the film predictably
focuses on Kirk and Spock, nearly every character is nicely sketched, well
portrayed and feels like a vital part of the team. They may not all interact
with each other and some recede to the background, but they all seem to have a
very specific relationship with Kirk, a subtle touch that I think plays very
well, especially considering so much of Kirk’s development has to do with his
standing as a leader. Meanwhile, Kahn isn’t the only famous character to be
reintroduced – Dr. Carol Connors (Alice Eve), who in the previous Trek timeline
bore Kirk a son, also plays an integral role.
Overall, Star Trek Into Darkness
is not quite up to the level of its predecessor, but it’s pretty damn close.
It’s one of the better sequels you’re likely to see, because it commendably
deepens and expands the themes of the first film, making the combo seem far
more apiece than the typical series. B+
No comments:
Post a Comment