Review Roundup: J.J. Abrams' STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS

J.J. Abrams' STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS hits theaters tomorrow, Friday May 17th. In the action thriller, when the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

The cast includes Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Benedict Cumberbatch and Peter Weller.

Let's see what the critics have to say:

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Yes, it's brazenly dependent on our collective (and justified) fond memories of the best of the first-round 'Star Trek' movies, 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.' We won't say how, exactly, but it is. But the new film works. It's rousing. The human element, and the Vulcan element, to say nothing of various other species, are present, accounted for and taken seriously enough to matter.

Erik Davis, Movies.com: Star Trek Into Darkness' is a movie that tries so very hard to appeal to everyone (and should satisfy most) during a summer season that knows how to bring the noise and the funk and the big-budget special effects. It wows and it pows, and while the gang is still having some issues balancing fan service with the growth of something new and fresh, the sequel is exciting, thrilling, funny, emotional and everything you'd want from a summer blockbuster.

Alonso Duralde, The Wrap: Star Trek Into Darkness' continues Abrams' gambit of retelling the 'Star Trek' saga, only slightly backward and upside down, and some of his tampering with canon will no doubt solicit yowls from the usual corners of the internet. (Admittedly, I felt a little cheated by writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof indulging in a cake-and-eat-it ending, but it's not a deal-breaker.

Silas Lesnick, ComingSoon.net: "Although the film is directed with the fervor and intensity of a tie-in theme park ride, the script, sadly, has precisely the same narrative aspirations. Offering a nonsensical mess of conspiracy theory, "Into Darkness" ends up becoming something stuck midway between a muddled Truther metaphor and a nearly beat-for-beat remake of the identically plotted 'Star Trek: Nemesis,' widely regarded as the franchise's worst entry."

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: "Star Trek Into Darkness," bursting at the seams with enemies, wears its politics, its mettle, its moxie and its heart on its ginormous 3-D sleeve. Director J.J. Abrams and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise try to build a better sequel with action spectacles to get lost in, clever asides to amuse, emotional waves to ride and allusions to terrorism in general and 9/11 specifically.

To post a comment, you must register and login.