Star Trek Into Darkness

Rejoice! For summer is 'ere!

With it comes unbearable heat, water shortage, short skirts, Dermi-Cool advertisements and most importantly a slew of thriller/action/blockbuster/"Kids! Throw your money at us" movies.

Kicking it off two weeks ago was Iron Man 3. But it's early release date in India meant technically (at least in my mind) it was still spring. Now we have this summer's first big budget sci-fi action movie which in true form is of summer movies is a remake of a reboot.

Hey kids! Look at their poses! This is going to be so much fun! Here, have a  free toy!

I would like to make it clear that my knowledge of the Star Trek universe is limited to what has seeped into my brain as a sort of cultural osmosis from watching plenty of American and British television shows and films. Wait a second. My lawyer's telling me something. My lawyer tells me to declare that I am not a Trekkie, if I do not I am liable to incur physical damage from actual Star Trek fans. So I repeat, in fear of Trekkies ripping me a new a**hole, I am not a Trekkie.

Let's start with the plot, which I can't divulge too much of it because it might have references to the original universe, thus ruining the surprise. So in short, James T. Kirk is the captain of the USS Enterprise. His merry and ethnically diverse crew-members including of course Commander Spock. The traipse around the universe, going where no man has gone before, exploring and observing. That's all you need to know even if you haven't seen the first film. The rest is revealed through exposition.

The writing is pretty good. I've heard that there were a few "terrible" Star Trek movies a few decades ago. If the quality of the writing remains the same J.J. Abrams can pump out half a at least two or three more movies. My only desire is that the next one focuses on something environmental, i.e. the Enterprise reacting to a new world they've discovered. We've had two films with the hero/villain plot structure. I hope the change it up for the next one. The acting is pretty good. As usual the entire crew of the Enterprise gives solid performances and so does Benedict Cumberbatch.

Also, this.

Abrams directs it well, the pacing is fast to keep things interesting for the typical attention deficit crowd of the summer. It moves as it should, like a blockbuster, the familiar dramatic reveals, the cliffhangers and all the other tropes are there. The usage of lens flares has reached epic proportions. I know for a fact that their purpose is to create an optimistic atmosphere and making it seem as if action is taking place off screen. I understand that. But the extent of its usage is ludicrous. My only question to the designers and constructors of the USS Enterprise would be, "Anti-reflective surfaces, you heard of them?"

One last thing. 2001: A Space Odyssey got it right in 1968 when it showed the lack of sound in space. It's 2013, why can we still hear the guns and explosions in space?

In conclusion, go watch the movie it's pretty good. I couldn't put it more simply.

So rejoice, summer is here. And though the Americans might have gotten democracy and McDonald's before we did, rejoice because here in India the Star Trek movie releases a full week before the American release.

IMDB Rating: 8.5/10 (This rating will probably decrease in the following weeks)

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 89%

Should you watch it: Yes

My Rating: 7.5/10