Star Trek Into Darkness

May 17, 2013 - This second entry in J.J. Abrams' reboot of the Star Trek franchise tops the first film with fantastic action, a more straightforward plot, and a (p)re-match with a villain named Khan. Chris Pine and company return as the young crew of the Enterprise; Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) plays Khan.

The movie opens with a Star Fleet officer anguishing over his seriously ill daughter. Suddenly, a mysterious man says he can save the girl. He does, but in return, the Star Fleet officer must blow up a building. Soon, another Star Fleet building is under attack. Ultimately, Kirk, Spock, Uhura, McCoy, Sulu, Scotty, and Chekov embark on a frantic chase that takes them to the darkest corner of Klingon while exposing some of Star Fleet's darkest secrets.

Overall review: **** Not much to complain about here at all. There's action, humor, and emotion bundled into one fabulous film. In some ways, it's a reverse image of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan as Abrams again pays homage to the original characters. And, while you root for Kirk and crew to win out in the end, Cumberbatch makes sure you know who Khan is and understand where he's coming from.