Product Description
-------------------
Note: The Digital Copy code is valid till September, 2023.
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.
.com
----
A good portion of Trekkies (or Trekkers, depending on one's
level of Star Trek obsession) have special affection for episodes
of the original TV series that related to Earth and other-Earth
cultures visited by the crew of the Enterprise, version 1.0. Some
of the shows unfolded in distorted forms of the past, some in the
present day of Star Trek's future reality. Director J.J. Abrams
recognized the importance of this relationship in his
origin-story reboot of the franchise in 2009, and in Star Trek
Into Darkness he has made it an even greater touchstone to the
roots of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's defining philosophy
from nearly 50 years ago. The human home world is key to the plot
of this spectacularly bold leap into Star Trek lore, which
cleverly continues along the alternate path that was established
as separate from the "original" Star Trek universe in Abrams's
first whiz-bang crack at advancing the mythology. But it's not
just Earth that is cool and imperiled in this rendering of
adventure in the 23rd century; Into Darkness also plays with the
original conceit that Earthlings were member to a multi-species
United Federation of Planets ruled by a "Prime Directive" of
noninterference with other civilizations. The conflict comes when
rogue elements in the Earth-based Starfleet Command hunger to
shift focus from peaceful exploration to militarization, a
concept that is anathema to the crew of the Enterprise and her
ongoing mission. The new cast is again inventively reunited, each
of them further investing their characters with traits that
reveal novel acting choices while staying true to the caricatures
that are ingrained in our popular culture. The interplay between
Chris Pine as Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock is deeper, and Zoe
Saldana as Uhura is a solid third in their relationship. John Cho
(Sulu), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Anton Yelchin (Chekov), and Karl
Urban (McCoy) all have standout roles in the overall ensemble
mystique as well as the plot-heavy machinations of this
incarnation's narrative. Fortunately, the burdens of the story
are well served by some important additions to the cast. Benedict
Cumberbatch's Shakespearean aura, ferociously imperious gaze, and
graceful athleticism make him a formidable villain as the
mysterious Starfleet operative John Harrison. Harrison has
initiated a campaign of terror on Earth before leading the
Enterprise to even greater dangers in the enemy territory of
Klingon-controlled space. That his background may make dedicated
Trekkies/Trekkers p is just one acknowledgment of the
substantial and ingrained legacy Star Trek has borne. There are
many references, nods and winks to those with deep reverence for
the folklore (some of them perhaps a little too close to being
inside-baseball), though the fantastical and continually exciting
story stands as an expertly crafted tale for complete neophytes.
Another new face is Peter Weller--iconically famous in sci-fi-dom
as RoboCop--here playing a steely, authoritative Starfleet bigwig
who may also be following a hidden agenda. Not only is he running
a covert operation, he's also at the helm of a fearsome secret
starship that looms over the Enterprise like a shark poised to
devour its prey. Which brings us to the awesome CGI effects
driving the dazzling visual style of Into Darkness and the
endlessly fascinating cosmos it makes real. The wow factor
extends from the opening set piece on an alien world of primitive
humanoids, garish vegetation, and a roiling volcano to the finale
of destruction in a future San Francisco that is elegantly
outfitted with gleaming-spired skyscrapers and all manner of
flying vehicles. (London also gets a breathtaking 23rd-century
makeover). With a coolness that glistens in every immaculately
composed , the movie never forgets that humanism and
creativity make the myriad design details and hyper-technology
pop out as much more than eye candy. The biggest achievement of
Star Trek Into Darkness is that it hews to the highest standard
of a highly celebrated tradition. Though Kirk and co. may bend it
a little, the Prime Directive remains unbroken. --Ted Fry