The following is a long form review that I originally wrote in 2013.
Star Trek: Into Darkness, or STID, as the kids are calling it (which makes me sad 'cause it's akin to both STI's and STD's) is, in my unprofessional opinion, a step up from the previous instalment (which I did still quite enjoy).
Both J.J. Abram's 2009 film, as well as Into Darkness did both, however, seem to have an issue I couldn't overlook in common. And that is that both essentially feel like an incredibly drawn out episode of a TV show. And I've seen next to nothing of the old Star Trek series, so it's not from that sort of a view I've come to have this feeling. It's just a sort of unshakable notion I developed after a few minutes from the start during each film. Even in this aspect, Into Darkness is a slight improvement on its forebear.
This new Star Trek film is, unfortunately, riddled with plot holes. Some... Or at least one, is completely unforgivable. They're not enough to ruin the film per se, but it does make me wonder about Abram's ability to be a showrunner in the future if he can't even handle Star Trek. Right from the get go I had questions that could have easily been answered with only a couple of lines of dialogue's worth of effort. Which was sad, because it cast a pall over what was, at its heart, an enjoyable piece of cinema.
Despite these issues worsening as the movie progressed, a congratulatory word does again have to go out to Abram's and his team for their tweaked timeline. Working a way in which to successfully reboot the franchise, without belittling the integrity of the original was a great move (moreover, they've left themselves open for more deviations in the future, now that the concept is established). Very smart.
Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho and Anton Yelchin returning is of course a big plus for me. Completely unsurprisingly there just as fantastic as ever. But, that kind of Tumblr user would I be if I didn't give a special bit of praise to Benedict Cumberbatch (which all levity aside, is actually well earned from the Brit, who makes for a spectacular villain).
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-Gimly