Firstly - Major, Major, MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!!- if you want to enjoy the film (and it IS great fun)then don’t read any further than the first two paragraphs. Beyond that the gloves are off!!! You have been warned. Also, given the problems the 3D gave me in Iron Man I stuck with old fashioned cinema this time and it felt miles better, because there is really ,really ,far, far too much going on at times (like IM3 ) to track comfortably in 3D.
So , straight off the verdict is this is the most enjoyable film I’ve seen since "The Avengers" last year. Hell, I might even prefer it by the very slimmest of margins. Why? Because it beat ever expectation I had for it. It was action packed, funny, playfully clever with the script (and the old ST films and TV series),quite emotionally touching at times and above all bloody superb to look at. There seems to have been a quantum leap with effects these last couple of years and I’ve got to say Star Trek Into Darkness (STID) ended up looking superbly "real". The land/city scapes particularly. And you can forget all your worries about the Dreadnaught from that photo, most of the quibbles about its design are lost in the distance,lens flare and other effects shots.It totally won me over as a ship of combat.
Now this is where its going to get a bit sticky for some. I can see how some diehard fans are going to hate this one. A lot. Some of the changes will be a little too much to take in. The Klingons for instance ,may have been taken a step too far in their redesign but I honestly thought the masks and new facials suited them better than ever.
But that minor change will pale in comparison to what they do with the "John Harrison" story. And Benedict C IS definitely "John Harrison". And not. But again, if you are willing to accept that this is a totally different timeline then the script works really very well. Both the character and story are given an unexpected depth as the new events unfold.Only one thing spoiled it for me rather badly and that moment was as terrible as Vader screaming “NOOOOO” in Return of the Sith. Because it effectively destroyed every bit of work that had gone into what was otherwise an emotional and cleverly written scene in a split second. But for that one instant ( and perhaps a trans warp "backpack") I could have easily given the film an "A-" instead of a "B++++++". You'll know it when you hear it.
Other than that the film totally surprised and delighted me. The Raiders riff at the beginning is as amazing and spectacular as you could imagine, the various twists were excellent and cleverly done, the actors have “matured” into their roles a little more and were better written and developed and it was great to see a very old face return . And those effects!!! I can still see some of them with my eyes closed. ILM certainly pulled ALL the stops out. No wonder Disney wanted JJA for the SW gig. I’d go and see it again tonight if I could, but I’ll wait a week perhaps.It is THAT good. I came out bouncing with delight at it and as happy as I felt after seeing "Avengers". Damn, it was fun to watch!
My only real disappointment now is that Benedict C will probably find it difficult, nay impossible, to fit into that other universe now. And I’m talking Star Wars here. What a Sith (or new “Emperor”) he would have made!!!!
Great ,great film, for me easily one of the best Treks ever, even stronger than the last one and that takes some beating. I just hope we don’t have to wait a whole "Five years" for the next mission. Well done JJA and team. I'd be prepared to wait that long ,on one condition. Be warned though, my expectations for the new Star Wars had better be met!!!! Kan he do it? Yes I think he most definitely can!!