Plot: What’s it about?
It’s hard to believe that after nearly a half a century Star Trek is still going strong. Gene Roddenberry’s creation of a unified human race exploring the galaxy seems simple in concept, but it’s the multi-layered plots of the television shows and feature films that keeps us coming back for more. In 2009 the series went through a “reboot” and, essentially, going back to basics. Let’s face it – there are fans of Trek in every capacity and be them fans of the original series, The Next Generation or any of the other shows…there’s most likely a cast of Star Trek for you. However it took J.J. Abrams’ imagination, determination and pure grit to bring the series back from the “dead”, but he did so with great force (and success). Four years later we now have something to compare it to and, yes, Star Trek: Into Darkness has superseded its predecessor in nearly every conceivable way. That’s saying a lot since Star Trek was highly regarded to begin with. The cast is all back, plus a few new faces (Alice Eve and Peter Weller), a familiar name in Khan poses a threat like never before and we see that the Enterprise doesn’t need to be light years away to wage a battle against an enemy. Sit back and enjoy this because the film takes off at, you guessed it, warp speed.
As the film opens we see selected members of the crew on a strange alien world and narrowly avoiding disaster. Things go from bad to worse and an alien race is exposed to the Enterprise and therefore violating the Prime Directive. Capt. Kirk (Chris Pine) has to be reprimanded for his insubordination. He’s summarily demoted to first officer while Admiral Pike (Bruce Greenwood) will once again take the helm of his old ship. However, before this can happen, a terrorist attack on Starfleet headquarters takes out a number of senior members, so it’s up to Kirk and company to track down the culprit, John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and make him pay for his actions. Of course, there’s more to Harrison than meets the eye and even with “new” torpedoes to assist them, the crew will find their hands more than full. Along the way, they figure out that it might not be Harrison that’s at fault and that there might be something even more sinister right underneath their noses. Will Kirk and Spock (Zachary Quinto) find a way to defeat their enemy(s) or is the Enterprise destined for failure?
Star Trek introduced us to the new crew of the Enterprise and Star Trek: Into Darkness picked up and gave us one of the best installments that the franchise has ever seen. The cast seems to have gelled a bit more since the first installment, playing well of one another. The characters have more depth, the story a bit more intriguing and I don’t think I’m revealing anything by saying that Benedict Cumberbatch (best-known for his work in television’s Sherlock) emerged as one of the baddest ass villains in quite some time. Running at just over two hours, the movie movie runs along at a brisk pace with nary a dull spot along the way. And if you’re looking for the typical Trek one-liners, they’re there: “Captain I need more power!”, “Dammit I’m a doctor not a torpedo technician!”, “Captain, that is most illogical.” The list goes on. Star Trek: Into Darkness isn’t only a worthy sequel to the franchise reboot, it could easily stand on its own as a bona fide action movie. And for those clamoring for more Trek, I’m sure the critical and commercial success of this will ensure we see at least a few more films with this cast and crew. The only downfall – how do they top this?
Video: How’s it look?
A few years “newer” than its predecessor, the 2.40:1 image is stunning. This Ultra HD/4K version really seems to emphasize the HDR and dynamic range associated with 4K. Consider the opening sequence in which the characters are running through a forest full of red “trees” (I use quotes because I have no idea if they’re trees or not). Amazing. This, contrasted against the mud-ridden ivory skin of the inhabitants makes for a very unique look. Detail is also amazing, I found myself noticing the little Starfleet emblems that are patterned in the crew’s jersey-like uniforms. A good majority of the film takes place in space (obviously) and the black levels are rock solid. There’s no hint of artifacting, any softness or noise. Contrast is rock solid. Simply put, as good as this looked on Blu-ray, it’s been bumped up a notch in this Ultra HD release.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Dual Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD uncompressed soundtracks are included, neither of which leaves nothing to be desired. This isn’t one of those movies that has a few isolated examples of some good sound here and there, no this is a display of audio-goodness for 132 minutes. Vocals are crisp and sharp, Chris Pine’s rough, gravely voice takes front and center while Chekov’s adorable Russian accent resonates at three octaves higher. You want bass? Oh there’s bass. The battle scenes resonate with a “thump!” that makes your speakers earn their keep, the LFE slowly churn away and shake your room while the surrounds contain sounds that had my head spinning. Literally. All of this plus Michael Giacchino’s revamp of the Star Trek theme make for an audio experience so immersive, there’s just nothing wrong with it.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Ultra HD
- The Mission Continues – The lone supplement on the 4K disc this deters from the typical Trek material as we see veterans of our armed forces, how they give back and even their small role in the film..
Blu-ray Disc 1
- Enhanced Commentary – This is actually a pretty cool segment in that it runs longer than the actual film itself, but there’s a reason for that – some scenes are “rewound” and this allows some information to be posted on the screen as to how it was done and so on. It’s about as immersive, informative and interactive as an experience I’ve ever had with a disc Blu-ray or otherwise.
- The Mission Continues – The same supplement from the 4K disc.
Blu-ray Disc 2
- The Voyage Begins…Again – This first day of shooting shows the exuberance of those on the set again.
- Creating the Red Planet – This shows the technical crew members as they prepare for the opening scene. Originally to be filmed in Hawaii, they found it too expensive so manually painted and stapled hundreds of thousands of red leaves to trees. Tedious? Yes, but worth it.
- Introducing the Villain – Some praise is bestowed on Benedict Cumberbatch and his role as Khan in the film.
- Rebuilding the Enterprise – This movie featured a more robust stage and we get a larger, more informative look at the Enterprise (spoiler: some of the ship segments were purchased at a local Ikea).
- National Ignition Facility: Home of the Core – To ensure authenticity, some of the scenes were actually filmed at a fusion reactor lab with some of the “scientists” as extras in the film (wearing red, of course).
- Attack on Starfleet – This takes a look at the terrorist attack on Starfleet headquarters was created and executed, what they used for point of reference and the weapons used.
- Aliens Encountered – Similar to the “Aliens” feature on the previous film, this shows the arduous process of creating effects and prosthetics for the film, most of which are only on screen for a few moments.
- The Klingon Home World – This segment shows us the ever-present race of the Klingon’s, a race that’s nearly as old as Star Trek itself. We see how the makeup and costumes were fabricated as well.
- The Enemy of my Enemy – Probably the least technical of the group with the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch as the nemesis. With the array of plots out there, why they chose to go back to a well-established character and how it worked out.
- Vengeance is Coming – A look at how the alien spaceship was designed and some of the effects used to portray its role in the film.
- Ship to Ship – Analyzes the action sequence in which two characters literally avoid a veritable minefield of debris to make it to the other ship. We get a look at how the scene was thought out and filmed and get to see the final product.
- Mr. Spock and Mr. Spock – A look at the two actors who have portrayed the iconic character and with Lenoard Nimoy’s passing, a tad bit emotional as well.
- Down with the Ship – A slightly over-dramatized look at the ship-crashing scene and how it came to fruition during filming.
- Kirk and Spock – The two leads’ characters are analyzed by Abrams who tells us what we already know.
- Brawl by the Bay – Gives us a look at the ultimate scene in a post-modern San Fransisco, the battle that Spock and his enemy have and how it all came to be.
- Fitting the Future – A look at the costume design for the film and some of the rather form-fitting suits that at the actors were forced to wear.
- Property of Starfleet – This looks at the props and having them pay homage to the original series, but also don’t look like relics.
- Unlocking the Cut – A look at how some of the post production work is done. If you ever thought making a movie was easy – check this out.
- Visual Affection – We get a look at the job of a visual effects artist, not so much a “day in the life of…” but just folks on computers making things look cool.
- The Sound of Music (and FX) – Michael Giacchino gives us his two cents on the score as well as how some of the effects are scored.
- Safety First – Simon Pegg playing pranks on his fellow actors.
- Continuing the Mission – In case you missed it on the 4K version or the first Blu-ray disc, here it is again…
- Gag Reel – Simon Pegg once again with some shenanigans on the set.
- Deleted Scenes – Some rough footage composed of scenes with some additional footage.
- Theatrical Trailers – Three total.
The Bottom Line
A worthy sequel to the franchise reboot, Star Trek: Into Darkness gives us a great villain in Khan (as fans of TOS know all too well), reference-quality video and audio as well as a plethora of supplements. What more can a Trek fan ask for?
