May J.J. Abrams live long and prosper

Director J. J. Abrams no doubt reignited the dying Star Trek franchise and this follow-up to his 2009 reboot further cements his reputation as a director capable of delivering plenty of fun as well as a more than adequate plot and heart.

Our beloved characters are still all there; Pine once again nails being the light-hearted troublemaker Captain Kirk, with complete disreard for the rules, Quinto makes a welcome return and still has plenty to do as Spock, the half-human, half-Vulcan with identity crisis. It’s really Quinto who always has the tougher job of having to juggle a wide range of conflicting emotions. Vulnerable, robotic, sensitive, idealistic, he embodies all these things, and Quinto is no doubt an invaluable addition.

Because Into Darkness has bigger things on its mind, trying to deliver on the most impressive action scenes it can possibly manage, you do see certain characters becoming more side-lined for the sake of making room and freeing up the screen time. But everyone, ranging from Saldana, John Cho, Pegg, Anton Yelchin, Urban and Eve, is given their chance to stand out, and their own unique personality quirks to play around with.

What sets this apart from the original is however, the perfect casting of a solid villian. Britain’s very own Sherlock, Cumberbatch, takes on the role of John Harrison, someone who single-handedly declares war on the good guys. His one-man army is not to be laughed at given both the skills and rage he possesses. He is one capable of causing some serious damage, and Cumberbatch, with his tall frame, cold, still looks and sinister delivery of his dialogue, has no trouble passing as the one person who could possibly destroy all. His character is not all about him wanting to destroy the world for no reason whatsoever, he does have more to add to enrich the plot, with Cumberbatch showing a wider spectrum of personalities that bring out his initially villainous character.

It’s a predictably loud and action-packed affair, but one with intelligence and focus in telling a coherent story. What starts off as a straightforward “good guy goes hunting for the psychotic bad guy” becomes a lot wordier (and this is a good thing) with back stories and double-crossings that is kept up by the film’s healthy pace and many bursts of colourful sci-fi action.