If Skyfall was the official reboot of the Bond franchise, resetting the format, and letting loose with the revised formula then Star Trek into Darkness serves the same purpose. This film hits all the right marks and as a non trekkie entertains and delivers as a movie in its own right. There is no requirement to see the last movie, this film works on its own terms. By the end of the film the franchise is well and truly rebooted and the torch held out for the next standard bearer with a good set of bones to mess around with.
The set-pieces are stand out, the 3D not too bad and the film has a wonderful ambiguous villain in the form of Dominic Cumberbatch who is a worthy protagonist for our hero's.
This film delivers, J J Abraham's delivers on his original set up and by the end of the film were are once more in familiar territory and the closing moments will leave you smiling and once more on familiar turf. Yes the familiar has been tinkered with but you come away feeling that such tinkering with character motivations are deserved and well earned.
Yes there are twists and turns, the villains name, motivations are unclear. Kirk and colleagues are playing a deadly game of cat and mouse, but Kirk's transition from impulsive and reckless Captain to a leader of men is believable.
This Trek will go down at this franchises Skyfall, and a masterful transition is achieved that means the next films in the franchise will be in the Five year mission territory inviting new tales not dependant on the tv series.
I highly recommend this film, yes it could be tighter in places, a little leaner, but it delivers and at the end of the day that is what you want from a film.
