Non Trekkie's Thoughts on Star Trek: Into Darkness: Guest Post

Today Jamie is back again to review Star Trek: Into Darkness, which will be coming out on DVD in a few weeks.

It's Jamie again. I'm here to share a few thoughts on Star Trek: Into Darkness. 

I want to get a few things out of the way before I begin though, in making it clear I'm not an expert in Star Trek by any means. I'm not a Trekkie. My parents loved the show, but I have yet to be bitten by the bug. I couldn't stand watching one of the older episodes; 2009 Star Trek and this film is all I've seen in regards to the fandom. I want to make it clear to all Trekkies who will read this post that I'm not an expert on the characters and their personalities, on any of the previous films and their plots. I would really appreciate it if y'all just held with me. I hope my view of the film without certain 'lens' will be interesting to read. :) And yes, the thing that got me to even want to give movie a second glance was Benedict Cumberbatch. And that's not bad!

You can also try to convince me why I should watch Star Trek in the comments but I'm going to tell you right now; I'm not interested. So go ahead and give me your reasons why the fandom is worth joining.

This will be spoiler free and on the shorter side.

I like this movie better then it's sibling, the 2009 Star Trek. The films is a good combination of action, adventure and humor. The story's plot is well done and strings you along perfectly with suspense. The characters and their interaction together are priceless and hilarious. Although Spock is probably my favorite character, Scotty really stood out to me with his sharp wit and the role he plays throughout the plot (which I can't get into without giving out spoilers). The movie is a heck of a good ride with a perfect ending.

The highlight to me was Benedict Cumberbatch. I've seen him many roles and he never disappoints. He did a good job playing his character (who's name I'm withholding for spoiler reasons). He portrayed viciousness, coldness, great loss and formidable strength. He almost made me pity him at one point. The reveal of the character's real name is also one of the big shockers, at least if you are familiar with the Star Trek universe. Since I'm not versed in Trek knowledge, I had to find out later what the big deal was about. However, I think to Treckies the reveal is good one. :)

A I mentioned above, the character I liked best from this film was Spock; simply for his conflict of being half Vulcan half human; in fact the whole underlying message that I picked up and liked at the end of the film. I can't got into details of what triggers Spock to unleash human emotion ('cause of spoilers) but I wanted to speak briefly on it because it's what drew me to the character. As human beings, we have a problem that is called frequently on the internet as 'feels'. We suffer and have emotions that range a variety of reactions and outcomes. This can hurt us very much and yet at the same time it is a great blessing to us. 

Spock, although being half human, always seems to try to smother the emotions he feels, certainly preferring to be use on his Vulcan side. To do and think only the logical thing. And yet, what I liked the most at the end of the film, was the simple fact that because Spock felt and acted on certain human emotions, he was able to carry out a very hard but heroic task. 

What I found encouraging from this was that even though we can get really hurt sometimes, often times that very hurt can help push us to grow or conquer problems that is in our way. If we never felt things, we would never see the need to personally grow. While Spock is and always will be...well, Spock, his actions in Into Darkness encouraged me in the importance of understanding and acting the healthy feelings that always happen to me, instead of shutting them down and becoming a robot myself. If that was how I was suppose to be, I would have been born part Vulcan. ;)

I want to conclude by saying the film was great and I enjoyed it even though I'm not a Trekkie. Considering I don't know how it compares to the original characters, I'd love to hear your thoughts coming from a Trekkie's point of view! :) Live long and prosper.

Thanks to James for letting me guest post the last month and may the Force be with him through college! :)

~Jamie