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Star Trek Into Darkness

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, and Benedict Cumberbatch
Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Screenplay by: Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman

    Another manhunt movie? Really?
    There's a terrorist in Star Fleet.  He's caused mass damage and taken many lives.  When Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and the rest of the starship Enterprise find out who this guy is (Benedict Cumberbatch) and find that he's part of Star Fleet, they go after him.  And where does this manhunt take them?  The Klingon home world.  Will they catch this villain before he causes more damage and kills more people?
    Stylistically, this film isn't a whole lot different from the first film in this series.  For example, in the first film, there is a very intense opening sequence in which Kirk's father becomes the captain of the star ship Kelvin for a few minutes during a crisis that ultimately gets him killed and the ship destroyed.  Into Darkness opens with an equally intense scene, one in which you'll just have to see the movie for.  I like this opening sequence because it makes the audience jump right into the action of the film and doesn't give the audience a whole lot of time to think about what's going on.  We also don't have the opportunity to become acquainted with the crew, but rather reacquainted with the crew.  Those of you who haven't seen the first film may be a little lost during this opening sequence.
    I think this film strays from what the Star Trek series of the past are about.  Star Trek was about "going boldly where no man has gone before".  The first film seemed to set up this idea very well and I would have expected the sequel to exemplify it.  But Into Darkness fails to do so in a very upsetting way.
    Into Darkness proves to be a movie about a manhunt set in the future.  It has very little to do with "going boldly where no man has gone before".  This is a film about the crew of the Enterprise tracking down a terrorist instead of experiencing conflicts with extraterrestrial life forms.
    Overall, the viewing experience of this film is awesome, especially in IMAX 3D.  It can be a little tough at certain parts because there are a lot of quick cuts and sometimes the camera shakes or moves around a lot and can make viewers a little dizzy.  It gave me a pretty big headache after the film was over (totally worth it).  The visual effects are pretty awesome, making the movie look like a realistic future world.  The story is easy to follow and fans of the characters will certainly be pleased by the actors' performances.
    I give Star Trek Into Darkness a B+.

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