Star Trek Into Darkness

In the peril-propelled opening sequence of this swashbuckling sci-fi adventure, impetuous Capt. James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) rebels against the Federation's Prime Directive that prohibits interference with alien civilizations. This breach of military discipline is duly reported by half-human/half-Vulcan First Officer Spock (Zachary Quinto), setting the pair in conflict. But soon the crew—including Zoe Saldana as Lt. Uhura, Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Simon Pegg as Chief Engineer Scotty, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, John Cho as Sulu, and introducing Alice Eve as weapons expert Carol Marcus—are reunited aboard the starship Enterprise, proceeding at warp speed into Klingon space in pursuit of a mysteriously malevolent, super-powered, intergalactic villain (Benedict Cumberbatch), who is determined to destroy Starfleet. Bruce Greenwood scores as Admiral Pike and Peter Weller as Admiral Marcus, but it's British star Cumberbatch who steals the show, delivering an icily cunning performance. Director J.J. Abrams continues his reboot of Gene Roddenberry's iconic franchise, serving up a sprawling, high-tech, high-tension spectacle, adroitly revealing one layer of deception after another with a breathless sense of pace and tempo. The upbeat and lighthearted bantering humor of the original series has been almost discarded in favor of sinister, convoluted global conspiracies, challenging moral ambiguities, and a myriad of graphic effects and set-pieces. But die-hard Trekkies will appreciate a few fan-oriented surprises here. Recommended. [Note: Blu-ray extras include a “Creating the Red Planet” location featurette (9 min.), the production segments “The Klingon Home World” (8 min.), “The Enemy of My Enemy” (7 min.), “Ship to Ship” (6 min.), “Brawl By the Bay” (6 min.), “Attack on Starfleet” (5 min.), and “Continuing the Mission” (2 min.), trailers, and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package (on the Blu-ray edition) for this action-packed franchise entry.] (S. Granger)