Mirror, Mirror: Star Trek Into Darkness

Like an overdue shipment of dilithium crystals, Star Trek Into Darkness is here at last - it's been a while, but it felt like damn near everybody was in a major hurry to get to this one opening weekend, as the shelf-life on the secrets of this movie is bound to be brief - and it looks like fans old and new turned out in droves.

It's not just that this is the long-anticipated sequel to 2009's Star Trek. With the recent news that director J.J. Abrams had also been tapped to re-energize the Star Wars franchise and that he'll be directing that next, the collateral excitement for this new film has been palpable - after all, those signing the checks at Disney must have seen Star Trek Into Darkness before signing J.J. and it must have made a sizable impression for them to bring him into the fold. In a way it feels like a preview of what that film might feel like.

I had all kinds of angst about this film, but it's deliriously entertaining and as a long-time die hard original series fan, I just loved it. If you're married to "canon" and demand Torah-like fealty to what's come before, you may want a shot of cordrazine before strapping yourself in for Star Trek Into Darkness. First, know that the new film is probably going to end up being considered superior to the first one. Star Trek had the infectious glee of an origin story, but this new film is a rip-roaring action-fest with some truly amazing sequences. It's crowd-pleasing in the extreme, and I enjoyed it much more than Iron Man 3. At the end of the day it just feels like an episode of the old series - a $180 million episode, granted, but the dynamic of the characters and their values together are the glue that makes this story take off.

In an outlandish opening sequence, Kirk makes a very human choice to disregard the prime directive to save Spock's life - a decision that will have great consequences and which sets the theme of friendship, morality and doing what matters in motion, that is frankly refreshing to watch unfold. This James Kirk is brash and nobody can tell him anything - he's willful to a fault and quickly finds himself in hot water with the brass at Star Fleet Academy, including his mentor, Christopher Pike. But there's little time for reprimands as a shadowy figure emerges to begin wreaking vengeance on Earth. This foe may seem familiar, but he's reinvented in a more political landscape, and with a strong post-9/11 subtext - Star Fleet finds itself at the juncture of becoming a more military, vindictive entity, in order to fend-off the approaching darkness they fear is at their door.

Much of the story behind Star Trek Into Darkness draws from recognizable waters, but it does a pretty smashing job of reinventing elements from the series and the films and reflecting them through the lens of the new reality of this particular Trek universe. For the most part it's cleverly done and there are plenty of affectionate winks to the fans, most of whom I think will be extremely pleased with the results. The action and special effects in the film are just stupendous - I saw it in 2D and I'm glad I did - nothing made me lament the lack of 3D, which just seems to dim the image way too much, as in the recent Iron Man 3. The CG is beyond top notch and things seem utterly tangible - the Enterprise feels enormous and real and the futuristic cityscapes and alien worlds all have a rich atmosphere but feel convincing.

There are some plot mechanics that you'll likely see coming about 20 minutes ahead of the characters, but the thing is - you're just not going to care. I found myself wildly entertained, thanks to the tremendous energy and heart of this cast - they utterly embody these characters. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are marvelous and witnessing the early days of the Kirk/Spock friendship evolve is great fun, as we see both these characters develop, each still grappling with their own convictions. Zoe Saldana is terrific and once again, Karl Urban steals every scene he's in. They have got to make McCoy a larger part of the action in the next film - he's sensational, as is antagonist Benedict Cumberbatch, putting his own stamp in the Trek universe.

There's bound to be some great chat-room arguments about some of the events in Star Trek Into Darkness, but for this vintage old school Trek fan, I couldn't imagine a better place for this film to leave off, pointing towards the beginning of a voyage we can't wait to start. "We're supposed to be explorers," someone laments during the film. It's my hope that when J.J. and company next return to the Enterprise crew, we're at long last seeking out new life, strange new worlds and all. This crew is more than ready for what's out there.