Star Trek Into Darkness 2013

Director: J.J. Abrams

Writer: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch

From the start, I thought I was watching a Wuxia film. The opening is more than reminiscent of the style of many Chinese and Korean period movies.

In terms of the performances, the actors feel like they are restricted by the weak script and the not subtle requirements to recreate the original cast’s characters to a fault, from mannerisms to campy accents. As the villain, Cumberbatch has so much more freedom to interpret his role, that one can’t help but be drawn in by his charm.

A weird detail about this film is the possible miscommunication between the director, cinematographer and actors. (It felt like the director may have called for closeups, but told the actors to give their best stage work). I can think of no other reason why the cast seemed to be overdoing their facial expressions. Maybe this flick could be rendered black and white and recut with a score and titles and no voiceovers. The crazy faces could make for an entertaining art film. All in all, Into Darkness is a fun romp, but repeated viewings are only for die hard Trekkies.

Actors Performance: Its All About The Face. B+

Direction: Did The Best He Could For What He Had. B-

Cinematography: Nice Place To Visit, But I Wouldn’t Want To Live There. A-

Production Value: No Surprises. B+

Script: Somewhat Lame. C+

Final Bitch: B