Director: J.J. Abrams
Year Released: 2013
Rating: 2.0
The crew of the Enterprise (helmed by headstrong Chris Pine with assistance from cold, calculated Zachary Quinto) chase after a superhuman psychopath (Benedict Cumberbatch) who launched an attack on the Starfleet commanders and killed good ol' Admiral Pike (Bruce Greenwood). The only real subtext in this is a very feeble allusion to U.S. foreign policy post-9/11 ("we can invade wherever we want") that only seems to support (!?) America's questionable tactics (support the troops!) - it's only marginally better at cramming its plot line full of gizmos and explosions and chase scenes to make it seem more brimming with life than it actually is (those close-ups do nothing). Cumberbatch, very good as Sherlock Holmes on television, shows he is just as comfortable playing intelligent villainy (and arguably the sole reason for non-fans to bother with this); Abrams' use of lens flare is just as irritating as it was in the first film. Alice Eve is in there playing Woman In Underwear #1.
