Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Opening Weekend Box Office: #1 with $70,165,559
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $156,013,879
Gross Revenue: $258,113,879
Production Budget: $190 million
Director: J.J.
Abrams
If you think comic book fans are picky, imagine the
meltdown that would have occurred amongst sci-fi fanatics had J.J. Abrams
failed to do justice to the Star Trek
franchise back in 2009; luckily, his efforts were lauded and audiences were
left eagerly awaiting a follow-up chapter.
When the trailer for Star Trek
Into Darkness was first released back in December, the Internet went into
overdrive analyzing every small detail and potential Easter egg that might
reveal some details related to the heavily-guarded script; but aside from the
novelty of seeing the original cast return, the core story still remained
shrouded in mystery. Chris Pine and
Zachary Quinto charmed everyone with their surprising portrayals of iconic
characters Kirk and Spock, but all discussion related to the cast for this
sequel revolved around Benedict Cumberbatch, BBC’s Sherlock Holmes, who has
remained relatively unknown to American audiences outside of a few small roles…a
small flub by Entertainment Weekly
revealed his character’s identity months before release, but Paramount was
quick to squash those “rumors” and instead focus attention on the actor’s
strong performance. And as far as
partnership and marketing tactics go, Paramount wasted no effort in positioning
Star Trek Into Darkness as THE
high-profile release of the summer; you couldn’t turn on a television without
hearing the epic score or seeing either Spock in a volcano or Alice Eve in her
lingerie (a fact for which Abrams had to later apologize), but my personal
favorite promotion for the popcorn blockbuster involved the Esurance commercial
where members of Starfleet get into an outer space fender-bender. Fans and non-fans alike had to appreciate
that this newest sci-fi adventure was going to be a fun and adrenaline-filled
time at the theater, and with showcases of large-scale action and overall
critical approval, audiences were not going to be disappointed by another
journey to the final frontier.
Picking up well after the events of the first film, Star Trek Into Darkness opens with
Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and First Officer Spock (Zachary Quinto)
violating Starfleet’s Prime Directive while trying to save a primitive
civilization, actions that lose Kirk his command of the USS Enterprise. However, Kirk is soon thrown back into action
when former Starfleet agent John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) bombs a secret
installation in London and attacks a meeting of the high command, killing
Admiral Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) in the process. Reinstated as captain, Kirk is ordered by
Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller) to hunt down and kill Harrison with the
help of prototype photon torpedoes and new science officer Dr. Carol Marcus
(Alice Eve), but Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (Simon Pegg) resigns
in protest of the new weaponry. Aided by
Communications Officer Lieutenant Nyoto Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (Karl Urban), Kirk tracks Harrison to the Klingon home
world of Kronos, and after a brief but brutal battle, the dangerous villain
inexplicably surrenders despite having the upper hand. Beginning to question these strange turn of
events, Kirk stumbles upon Harrison’s true identity and a dark conspiracy, one
which puts every member of the Enterprise
from Navigator Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin) to Helmsman Hikaru Sulu (John Cho)
in mortal danger, and one which requires the brash captain to discover the true
meaning of being a leader.
Between its ridiculously entertaining action
sequences, its nods to longtime fans of the source material, and focus on
overall character dynamics, Star Trek
Into Darkness takes every element that made its 2009 predecessor so
enjoyable and sends it into overdrive.
The action sequences of this sequel are so imaginative and grand in
scale that they make for the perfect immersive experience, one which will keep
audiences on their seats and demands viewings in an IMAX and 3D format. For instance, while watching Spock dive into
a live volcano is exciting enough, nothing compares to the scene where Kirk and
Harrison execute a high-velocity space dive amongst wreckage debris…talk about
setting the bar high for any future entries in the sci-fi adventure genre. And longtime fans of the franchise have to
appreciate all the attention that was given to the subtler character
interactions so that each of the favorites was given adequate time to shine;
whether you are watching Spock and Kirk’s friendship grow, Bones and Scotty
freak out with righteous indignation, or Sulu being given a turn in the
commander’s chair, you have to enjoy the passionate references to canon. However, even with all of these strong
elements, one component of Star Trek Into
Darkness outshines all the rest, and that is the villain brought to life
with chilling efficiency by Benedict Cumberbatch.
While critics have absolutely adored the multiple
filmmaking elements showcased by Star
Trek Into Darkness, the one accolade receiving the most attention is the
performance of Benedict Cumberbatch, who delivers easily one of the best
cinematic antagonists in recent memory.
While I won’t reveal his true identity (a twist that most longtime fans
have likely already reasoned-out), suffice it to say that Cumberbatch is such a
venomous and calculating onscreen presence that I haven’t enjoyed an
interaction between hero and villain this much since Heath Ledger donned clown
makeup. And when you add such a
character to a script that foregoes complicated plot threads for purer, if
rather formulaic, storytelling, the end result is a remarkably enjoyable
adventure that represents perfect cinematic escapism. Now, some critics have drawn associations
between certain plot details and current politics and terrorist attacks, while
others have complained at the over-sexualized nature of Alice Eve’s character,
but I think too many are simply overthinking a fun movie…and trust me, no
red-blooded male can ever complain about Alice Eve. In the end, while I am sure that there were
some needs for fine-tuning within Star
Trek Into Darkness, I was far too thrilled and charmed by this successful
sequel to needlessly nitpick, so I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt anyone to just sit
back and enjoy.
Given the success and reputation of its predecessor,
I was a little surprised to see Into
Darkness tracking nearly identical numbers to 2009’s Star Trek over the course of its opening weekend, and a $70 million
first place performance, while respectable, fell far short of the projected $89
million and $117 million 4-day receipts.
This underwhelming debut certainly doesn’t spell disaster for Paramount,
but it may indicate that a lengthy 4-year-gap between original and sequel and a
competitive May schedule can overshadow even the cleverest of marketing
campaigns. And, in retrospect, it may
have been more prudent to just reveal Cumberbatch’s character and appeal to
lifelong “Trekkies,” who may have chosen to forgo this update…lord knows that
everyone at Marvel can attest that villain “twists” can have adverse effects. Still, with an established international
presence, this sci-fi sequel has already recovered an intimidating $190 million
production budget, so this series shows no signs of slowing down and I cannot
wait for another entry. If you are still
on the fence, trust me, you cannot afford to miss Star Trek Into Darkness, which is an early contender for the best
film of the 2013 Summer Movie Season.
Overall
Recommendation: Very High
