The latest Star Trek movie is a solid entry in the series and does a good job of maintaining the momentum established with the rebirth of the franchise in 2009.

Star Trek into Darkness sees all the major cast members returning from the last film. Chris Pine is a little more credible as Kirk and Zachary Quinto is, if anything, even better this time around as Spock. Leonard Nimoy makes a cameo appearance and Benedict Cumberbatch is good as Khan, the villain this time around, while Peter Weller plays a corrupt Starfleet admiral.

The plot, which I gather from more serious Trekkies, is more or less borrowed from the 1982 Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, the second film in the original movie series. Starship Enterprise is off on a dangerous mission which may excite the Klingons, organized by the nasty Weller, where the crew encounters a genetically engineered ‘John Harrison’ (Cumberbatch) who creates havoc with nasty acts of terrorism.

Trekkies should be delighted with this. Producer/director J.J. Abrams (he is also working on the next Star Wars film), who was also responsible for the 2009 reboot, continues to capture the spirit and feel of the series. This reviewer’s only major complaint is the endless action sequences, sometimes milked past the edge of credibility. At times, with all the special effects, it is just too much like another superhero movie. But the script does manage to keep you interested in the characters most of the time.

Rating: four deer out of five

New on Video

Sarah Polley’s family documentary Stories We Tell has got some excellent reviews.

Alf Cryderman is a Red Deer freelance writer and old movie buff.