So does his follow-up, Into Darkness, deliver?
Here's why you should beam yourself to a cinema ASAP:
#1 More Of The Same
The biggest joy of Star Trek's reimagining was its most important element - pure, unadulterated fun. And in this sequel there's even more of it, which is only a good thing as far as we're concerned. There are gags and giggles aplenty and it's a pleasure to see the cast return - from John Cho's Sulu to Karl Urban's ever-grumpy Bones, and Anton Yelchin's adorable performance as Chekov. Even Simon Pegg's occasionally corny performance as Scotty raises a smile. We were particularly satisfied to see Zoe Saldana get to do something as Uhura, rather than simply stand around looking pretty and a bit worried about her boyfriend.
#2 The Cumberbeast
There's no denying the calibre of Star Trek's existing cast, but Benedict Cumberbatch's performance as the manipulative big bad John Harrison is the stand out by far. In fact, we'd go so far as to say that his sheer acting quality lifts the others, provoking better performances from all. Dripping malevolence from practically every pore, Cumberbatch quietly delivers a dastardly villain who's as clever as he is able to kick arse. To say more would be to say too much, but good God the man can emote.
#3 Spectacular Spock
Star Trek was all about Chris Pine's Kirk, but Into Darkness lets Zachary Quinto's subtle and considered portrayal of Spock shine. His burgeoning bromance with his Captiain is still wonderfully - not to mention hilariously - awkward, but this time round there's a mutual respect and the clear beginnings of a beautiful friendship. Spock's curveball relationship with Uhura, meanwhile, is on rockier ground. And when push, quite literally, comes to shove it's refreshing and fascinating to see what happens when a Vulcan gives in to his human half.
While this might all sound a bit emotional for those who simply want a rip-roaring ride through space, the character moments are important, giving us a sense of who these people are, rather than simply moving from explosive setpiece to setpiece with barely any time to breathe inbetween.
#4 Fanw**k Aplenty
Whether die-hard Trekkies will be satisfied with this sequel remains to be seen, but there's plenty of geekery to get excited over. The storyline is steeped in Star Trek history, taking inspiration from a couple of classic stories. Several moments had us elbowing those next to us in geekgasmic joy and those with sharp ears will enjoy quite a lot of the dialogue, too.
#5 All Action, All Of The Time
As we've come to expect from Mr Abrams, the action in this movie delivers on every level. Stuff blows up, alien planets are visited, phasers are set to stun, there's lens flare galore and, yes, entirely unnecessary and gratuitous shots of Alice Eve in her underwear. In short, it's everything anyone could want from a summer blockbuster.
GG♥SF Verdict: ♥♥♥♥♥
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