Breathless at ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’

MANILA, Philippines – The voyages of the starship Enterprise have never been so high octane, never been presented with such spectacle. And even though the film’s settings are limited to 3 planets, mostly Earth, the scale at which it operates is grandiose.

These are not complaints, but observations of the ambition and creative force which J.J. Abrams has applied in crafting his latest addition to the “Star Trek” franchise (and quite possibly a shot across the bow for the “Star Wars” fans who’ve responded to his being handed that franchise). 

“Star Trek Into Darkness” begins with a breathtaking sequence with numerous moving parts. Kirk and Bones are running from primitive beings on an alien planet, a diversion to draw them away so that they won’t see another team led by Spock, that is trying to drop a device meant to prevent a volcanic eruption.

As Kirk and Bones run through a field of shocking red — one of the many images that will leave viewers’s mouths agape — we get back and forth cuts as Spock’s efforts all move towards worst case scenarios. The action escalates, and what might have been the climax of another film serves merely as the starting point and introduction of conflicts for this one.

The philosophy that “sequels must be bigger” is adhered to religiously. Everything escalates, everything scales, bigger and bigger. After the big volcano open, we have a terrorist attack by a rogue Starfleet agent played by the steely Benedict Cumberbatch.

From that attack, we get a series of chases, bait-and-switches, and gigantic action scenes. Just when we think that we’re getting our footing, the rug is pulled out from under us and the parameters of how we understand the story to be moving are changed. 

Watch the trailer here:

At the start, Kirk’s fitness to command is questioned. He’s young, cocky, and restless, and Starfleet isn’t sure that he should be trusted with the Enterprise. But after the attack on the populace, they are deployed on a manhunt that quickly becomes something else. 

I can’t get into it any more without spoilers, but it’s clear that this movie relishes leaving viewers hanging. There are many moments when characters are cut off in mid-sentence, when actions aren’t allowed to finish, when we are suddenly jolted from the moment and forced quickly into the next.

It creates a breathless quality to it. There is no time to rest, no time to stop and think about things, when that might be the most necessary thing. It’s as if we should expect that the next moment will be more surprising than the last.

Surprises abound as the actor best known for portraying Sherlock Holmes is here asked to represent the darkness in the title. Cumberbatch is a chilling presence onscreen, adding a kind of engulfing cold to all his interactions. What he might lack in being physically imposing, he makes up for in viciousness and sheer vitriol. He easily overpowers the rest of the cast, and that only makes him more fearsome. 

The rest of the cast returns from the first film, and they are all the stronger for it. Having done away with the need for introductions, the filmmakers are now free to allow character relationships to develop. While the film is focused on action, the writing is sharp enough that it finds moments for the characters to interact and bounce off of each other.

Thus, we see a little lovers’ quarrel between Spock and Uhura, with Kirk uncomfortably shoved in the middle, played for both hilarity and a powerful poignant moment. I also like the interactions between Kirk and a spurned Scotty, where Scotty is getting hammered in a bar and he gets his shots in while still finding a way to get back into the game. 

Watch Jake the Movie Guy’s interviews with the cast here:

That’s the brilliance of the film. It is always running, never lets us catch our breaths, and yet it finds these pockets for depth and character. These are often small, quick quips in the midst of the larger goings on, but they suffice to make us care about the characters, to remind us that they are human, that they aren’t just people in funny suits running around or bouncing off terminals or flopping about in outer space. 

The action scenes are things to be watched over and over. When Abrams said he wanted to bring more “Star Wars” to “Star Trek,” he meant that he wanted to go from lumbering action based on old naval battles to fast-paced movement. And we get a lot of that here, particularly a chase scene on the planet Kronos which is reminiscent of the Death Star dogfights. 

Not only are things fast, but we also get a sense of impact. While we are well aware that all these explosions are driven by CG, the scenes are executed in such a way that we feel it and we care. Note too when things go bad, there’s some wonderful staging as characters like Kirk and Scotty go running through corridors that are under attack or that have compromised gravity.

Fans, of course, won’t need to be persuaded to watch this movie. And many will get a kick out of the way that this film once again plays with previous “Star Trek” stories. It is a riff on a previous film (I won’t tell which one, too much of a spoiler, but once you’re in there, you know) and ears will perk up at lines or plot points.

It’s a smart approach, again building a new story and universe, yet showing reverence to the stories that have come before it. 

All of this to say that you should watch “Star Trek Into Darkness.” A few times. 3-D optional, but multiple viewings a must. – Rappler.com

 

Carljoe Javier doesn’t know why people think he’s a snarky film critic who spends his time dashing the hopes of filmgoers. He thinks he’s not all that bad, really. He teaches at the State U, writes books, and studies film, comics, and video games…Then again, those people could be right.