Into Darkness is definitely Star Trek for grown-ups...and it is a wonderful movie. 2009's mostly triumphant reboot movie was about building the crew; here, they are all put in unfamiliar roles and situations, giving the actors plenty to do (Chekov and Sulu are still a little shortchanged, but both get their moments to shine) and creating some interesting dynamics. The dialogue feels almost effortless, delivered with ease and aplomb by the terrific cast - it is interesting to see the character performance detail that Chris Pine generates compared to his real-life laid -back interview persona, and Zachary Quinto gets to show more of his range this time out - with many entertaining quips and retorts. Cumberbatch gives a formidable antagonist performance, and Peter Weller is a heavyweight addition to Starfleet. The riffs on established lore and Trek movies are deployed very effectively (the new-model Klingons have clear potential for the next movie, for example), and piecing together the narrative puzzle with Kirk works well, but it does quickly become apparent where it is all headed, especially as this is the second movie in this revisionist canon. Nevertheless, the movie does manage a couple of real shocks and twists and dilemmas for the leads (even if decisions are almost exclusively based on breaking rules), and the fact that it offers real emotional beats and relationship issues may be one reason for the internet vitriol being directed at Into Darkness by die-hard Trekkers, who seem unable to handle the fact that 'their' timeline and characters have been played with. Undoubted successes in this film are the fantastic use of 3D and the genuinely astonishing visual effects, which are an utter joy to watch and experience, and Michael Giacchino does some of his best ever scoring work here. This is very confident film-making, and the broader palette of tones used in this second outing make Star Trek Into Darkness an impressive and hugely entertaining movie overall.
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