Star Trek Into Darkness [Blu-ray/DVD] [Includes Digital Copy] [2013]

It’s been a 4 year mission to wait for a sequel to J.J. Abrams’ awesome Star Trek reboot but, finally Star Trek Into Darkness has arrived. And while it’s not quite up to the 2009 blockbuster, it is still a really entertaining 2 hours at the movies. The film opens with Kirk (Chris Pine) disobeying Starfleet’s Prime Directive to save a primitive alien race and his Vulcan first officer, Spock (Zachary Quinto). When the Enterprise reaches Earth, instead of being handed the much coveted 5 year mission, Kirk is handed a demotion and Pike resumes command of the good ole NCC 1701. But, this speed-bump in Kirk’s career doesn’t last as a mysterious rogue Starfleet agent by the name of John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) launches deadly terroristic attacks against Starfleet and it’s personnel. His actions put Kirk once again in the captain’s chair with orders to hunt this dangerous fugitive down, on the Klingon home world of Kronos to where he’s fled, and eliminate him. But, Kirk is not comfortable being an assassin and he and his and crew find that once they enter Klingon space and retrieve their quarry, that “John Harrison” is not who they think he is and they may be pawns in a greater conspiracy involving a Starfleet Admiral (Peter Weller) with a monstrous warship and his own agenda. Star Trek Into Darkness is a fun and fast paced action adventure that’s only real problem is that it moves a little too fast and we’d like a little more time to allow the emotions of the events witnessed to resonate. Kirk’s demotion is a good example as he is back in command in about 10 minutes of screen time and we really don’t get a chance to appreciate this blow to the character’s career and ego. Once the plot starts to unfold, the film is all too eager to get to the explosions and fisticuffs then to give us a few minutes to properly absorb the dramatic effects of what occurs. But, I would be lying if I said that what action Abrams delivers is not exciting and fun because, it is. This is especially true during an exhilarating last act which made up for some of the lack of real emotional depth earlier on. The script from Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof has it weaknesses but, ultimately I did like their twist on a familiar Trek character and how the new timeline effected his involvement in Trek history. The cast is once again top notch and it is the interaction between characters that really helps keep this movie on target during some of the weaker bits. The combination of Abrams’ direction, the script’s character interaction and the cast, really give this film it’s strength despite all the awesome action and eye popping SPFX. All the crew return from Trek 09 and are all really good, once again, at making these classic characters their own yet, still familiar. Trek’s bad guy is played with relish by Benedict Cumberbatch, giving a strong performance as the main villain, though I just wish his character had a bit more screen time to be developed a little more, to give the character more weight and impact. And it’s great to see Peter Weller back on the big screen as Admiral Marcus, the Starfleet officer whose visions of war with the Klingon Empire have caused him to act against the very things he seeks to defend. And pretty Alice Eve is fine as Carol Marcus, the admiral’s daughter and future Kirk love interest. The character has little to do for the most part but, Eve does well when Miss Marcus does become important to the plot. So in conclusion, I had a fun time watching this Trek sequel and while I wish it had a little more emotional depth in the first two acts and a little more development of some of the new characters, their is plenty of warp speed action to entertain and the film really delivers in the final act where it counts. Beam me up for Trek 3!

OK folks first of all, this is a movie. J.J. is not trying to re-invent the wheel here. What J.J. Abrams has accomplished here is to re-imagine a burned out brand and series (that I loved as much as any true fan) and had the guts to go where no director has gone before with it. He shows his total respect for the best of the previously done films, his respect for the fans of the original films, and bravely creates a marvelous environment for the future of this series. I cannot tell you the last time I have sit in a darkened movie theater (full of fans and first timers) and had so much fun listening to the audience ooh and aah at what they were seeing and hearing from the screen. I along with them laughed, oohed, aah-ed, and even shed a tear, as this movie unfolded, and cannot remember the last time I felt so satisfied in seeing a film. To all of the families with teens and tweens out there, Yes! this is the whole family movie experience you've been waiting for (and to be fair, there are some really intense scenes, and a four letter word uttered, but you just know the character would really say it in the heat of the moment) !!! It Is Fun! The cast is pitch perfect, the look, sound, and feel of "Into Darkness" is a joy to behold, and a loving homage to all of us who loved the original characters and films, and to those of us who just love good old fashion science fiction. It is a first class roller coaster ride and a true challenge to film makers to up the ante for audiences, if you want us to continue to shell out the movie bucks. By the way, this is a repeater for me as I will go back to see it again. To J.J. Abrams and your entire crew, Thank You! for being so fearless, so brave to tweak and tamper with a sci-fi original, and re-remind me why I like to go to the movies. I think that Gene Roddenberry would be so proud of your take on his universe. To the entire cast, Thank You! for being true to the original actors and characters, for giving them your spin, and making the roles your own. I have not had this much fun in a movie theater in a long, long, time, and in a galaxy far, far, away. BRAVO !!! And to those of you that are leaving such horrid and negative comments to my review, WAKE UP!! These are MOVIES that we are talking about. I now understand why some actors comment at some point in their careers, about some fans needing to get a life. Movies are not real life changing events. They are meant for ALL of us to ENJOY (or not)for the two or three hours we sit in that theater, and maybe learn a little something (or not). Movies allow us to escape our sometimes droll and stressful lives for just a moment, to fantasize, to dream for a moment, to forget how different our lives have become. If you don't like or feel the same way about a movie as I do, I understand. But understand this, I don't try to keep people from seeing, renting, or buying a film because I don't like it, nor do I spend my time trying to drag someone else down because their opinion is different from mine. I saw this film and I had Fun!! It took me back to the early days of Bart Sloane (The 4D Man - The Blob), Ray Harryhausen (Jason and the Argonauts), and Stanley Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey) when special effects were in their infancy. I felt the same way when I saw my first Steven Spielberg film (Jaws), my first Ridley Scott movie (Alien), George Lucas (Star Wars), and now J.J. Abrams. These are but a minute few of the hundreds of great filmmakers (I could go on forever)that have gone the extra mile to entertain us, to give us a break from the real world that is so full of Intolerance, Hate, Fear, Hunger, Struggle, and Disease. Give them a break guy's, they are just making movies for us to enjoy (or not).

First, let me begin by simply stating that this is a fantastic movie featuring a well-paced and authentic screenplay that takes advantages of the best audio and video production available. The movie features a new villain, new in the sense those who watch the first movie (2009) have not met him before as well as introduces a number of characters and races we know in ways that are believable and fun. While at times the movie is predictable, the film includes some twists and turns that keep you enjoying the entire ride. While some fan favorites may not feature as central a role as one would hope, the characters all play an important role in making this a believable environment. For those with families, this would probably be good for anyone 10-12 years old or older. The movie features some lingerie (well, "sexy" underwear) and a few instances of profanity (s word being the worst). Obviously whether this movie is appropriate would depend on your family, but my personal opinion would be as stated above. The audio in the movie is fantastic and features strong low frequency extensions (aka will make your subwoofer work) when ships go to warp and other events occur which I won't spoil for you. The highs are warm and vibrant and not shrill or harsh. The sound field envelopes you a few times in a full 360º experience for those with surround sound, with phasers firing, characters talking and action occurring on all sides. Overall, the Dolby HD track on the Blu-Ray would be considered a reference quality audio that is perfect to show off a home theater or to marvel at with your family. This is engaging and purposeful sound that truly transforms the experience. The video is sharp and crisp, in beautiful 1080p (Blu-Ray version) with saturated colors where appropriate. The film benefits from a larger screen as you can get more details and can truly appreciate the scale and work that was put into this, but any device will do. There is a little bit of film grain (the little speckles on the picture) which is really only noticeable if looking for it on the darker scenes and in some of the fog like effects. Throughout the film, the camera is very close to the characters, showing detail and color, but can get a bit much if the constant camera motion bothers you. CGI was well done, and never appeared "fake", all of it blended well and felt like part of the set. For some viewers, you may want to watch this at night, or in a room that you can control the light as the sunlight on the TV may wash out some of the blacks, causing you to miss some of the detail that can be found in the dark colors and the blacks. Overall, this film is a wonderful experience. It will stimulate all of your movie-goer senses (auditory, visual, and touch if you have a subwoofer). The script is well written, nicely paced, and albeit predictable at times, wholly enjoyable. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys Sci-Fi, Action, and great character interaction.

I bought this version of the blu-ray because we hadn't been able to see the movie in the theatre, and this version promised instant digital viewing before Blu-ray release. This worked out great for us, and then the problems started. Two big issues: Cinema Now (CN) should be called Cinema Not. It worked for us to watch Star Trek Into Darkness (STID) once, and then, we watched some of another movie on CN. Then, we were unable to watch ANY of our CN content, including 30 mins of extra features from STID. To mean, this means I didn't get that for which I paid. I spent 40 minutes on the phone with a CN rep, until she finally declared that there was a programming issue with Sony devices and CN. Ok. Fine. But CN didn't work on three computers, two different internet networks, via 3 diff web browsers, and also didn't work within the CN app itself. 2nd issue: If you read the available "extras" between this version and the other Blu-ray versions, this one is lacking (via any delivery format) at least 40 minutes of extra features. Extra features are a MAJOR reason I buy blu-ray, because my DVD player upconverts DVDs VERY well, I don't really need Blu-ray for the movie. Anyway, DON'T buy this version for the Cinema Not content. Get one of the other Blu-rays with digital copies if you want all the content, and don't want to deal with broken Cinema Now.

I've been a fan of Star Trek since the first series. This movie was excellent. Here's why: - The story was engaging, exciting, and had plenty of edge of your seat moments. - The way it wove the new story together using prior movie and TV themes to build on was kind of genius. Those who know Star Trek will enjoy that. - It had humor with a few good laughs and chuckles, but it also brought tears to my eyes. - I loved the way they developed the relationships between the main characters, especially between Spock and Kirk. I very much disagree with the poster who said there wasn't enough character development. I felt it was quite the opposite. - There were surprises. Especially one big one, which I won't reveal. I enjoyed that this movie wasn't predictable. - The casting was spot on. It's so believable that these are the young versions of Spock, Kirk, etc. - The acting was superb. What else can you want! I saw it at an IMAX 3-D theater, and I'd highly recommend that. The 3-D was phenomenal on this huge screen. There were moments when I could imagine I was in space. I think that Star Trek fans, as well as those who are new to Star Trek, will enjoy the movie. You really don't have to know Star Trek history to enjoy this movie, but if you are familiar, you'll get a lot more out of it. So Star Trek fans shouldn't miss this new addition. I also recommend this movie to all scifi and action fans. I'll be purchasing this movie when it becomes available, and I'm sure I'll watch it many times.

OK folks first of all, this is a movie. J.J. is not trying to re-invent the wheel here. What J.J. Abrams has accomplished here is to re-imagine a burned out brand and series (that I loved as much as any true fan) and had the guts to go where no director has gone before with it. He shows his total respect for the best of the previously done films, his respect for the fans of the original films, and bravely creates a marvelous environment for the future of this series. I cannot tell you the last time I have sit in a darkened movie theater (full of fans and first timers) and had so much fun listening to the audience ooh and aah at what they were seeing and hearing from the screen. I along with them laughed, oohed, aah-ed, and even shed a tear, as this movie unfolded, and cannot remember the last time I felt so satisfied in seeing a film. To all of the families with teens and tweens out there, Yes! this is the whole family movie experience you've been waiting for. It Is Fun! The cast is pitch perfect, the look, sound, and feel of "Into Darkness" is a joy to behold, and a loving homage to all of us who loved the original characters and films, and to those of us who just love good old fashion science fiction. It is a first class roller coaster ride and a true challenge to film makers to up the ante for audiences, if you want us to continue to shell out the movie bucks.

If your into the JJ Abrams time line then this was a good movie. I have a little bit of a problem with the lack of imagination with trying to bring back the whole Khan character into the plot but overall I think the movie worked well and kept my interest. That being said I'm more interested in reviewing the 4k aspect of the blu ray. I broke the order of the movie release and purchased Star Trek Beyond on 4k HD before this one. I was a little hesitant to pop for this title on 4k because I was disappointed with the video quality of Beyond on the 4k HD version. Beyond was entirely too dark and lost video detail in several scenes. I've been told this was because they haven't really figured out the HD settings on movies yet. This is a review of Into Darkness and not Beyond. Sense this movie was not a 4k HD release but was 4k I had NO problems with any scene at all and the video quality was very good. Audio was also very good although I do not have a Stereo which can take advantage of the new Dolby Atmos sound track it was still excellent in the Dolby True HD my Yamaha is capable of.

Personally, I enjoyed this movie because I'm not a purist who believes there "can only be one Star Trek" (grow up people, every property is open to interpretation; if you don't like it, don't watch it). I AM a fan of the original series. Even have it on Blu-Ray, along with all the movies. So, watching the shout-outs the a lot of the original material was pretty enjoyable. As far as I'm concerned, they were honoring it by even mentioning it. Despite that, it does seem to me that by constantly using Spock as a "Deus Ex Machina" for these movies seems a bit trite. They're basically saying they can't find a good resolution without referring to him for help, which does seem a bit insulting to the characters they're supposed to be portraying. I'm sure there are people that will tear this newer franchise apart. But, these are probably the same people that hold the original series to an impossible standard when, let's face it, that series had an INSANE amount of plot holes and inconsistencies. Watch it for entertainment value. Don't try to overthink it. Enjoy it for the little in-jokes and one-liners, the special effects or just the pretty actors. Whatever floats your boat. It's not Oscar material. But, it is great fun if you'll let it be.