Thoughts on Star Trek: Into Darkness

So, as the avid Trek fan that I am, I went to see JJ Abrams’ new Star Trek: Into Darkness yesterday. So, I thought I’d give my thoughts on it. Mild spoilers included and one major thing at the end.

The Good

1. The first hour is absolutely awesome. It is everything anyone who has ever loved Star Trek will love and adore. 
2. There is a tribble in this movie. You know I love tribbles so how could I not love a tribble reference?
3. There is a great funny, tension-filled, amusing scene with Uhura, Spock and Kirk in a shuttle that is just perfect.
4. Great special effects.
5. The characters are flawless, still. Chris Pine is James Tiberius Kirk, Zachary Quinto is Spock, Zoe Saldana is Uhura, and Karl Urban is Bones. I mean, the casting is still point perfect. One hundred percent. And of course, it makes you want to hang with these characters till the end.

The Bad (Major spoilers ahead)

1. Big disappointment with the villain. And this is personal with me, because of my history.  As you know,  I love this franchise and I watched all the trailers. I also watched YouTube analysis of the trailers (yes, I should’ve been writing, but who can write when you can glean info about this film you’re dying to see). And based on the Japanese version of the trailer–where two hands each attempt to touch, separated by glass just like in Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan–there was rampant speculation that the villain was Khan. And I was like Khan, awesome. I love Khan. But then, Abrams and crew denied that Khan was the villain. So, I thought, OK, new villain. I can work with that. So imagine my surprise when I’m watching the movie and this villain turns out to be Khan. Left me ticked off and irritated.  I ultimately didn’t care who the villain was, but I don’t like being lied to about it, so it left a bad taste in my mouth. So, for me that was a big disappointment. If you really had no expectations of the villain, it was fine. From an objective point of view, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Khan is wicked. He’s not Ricardo Mantolban, but he’s good.
2. The last section of the movie fizzles a bit. The movie tries to riff off of Wrath of Khan in this new alternate universe, which is a nice homage, but it didn’t feel original because of that. The 2009 Star Trek reboot managed to pay homage and still feel like it’s own movie. This one felt less like homage and more like replay. It’s the difference between inspiration and imitation.

Well, those are my thoughts on the movie. I’d definitely recommend you see it. Despite my disappointment with the villain situation, it was an entertaining film.

Have you gone Into Darkness yet? If so, what are your thoughts?