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Movies & TV Star Trek Into Darkness

Early Reviews for Star Trek Into Darkness Reveal Benedict Cumberbatch’s Identity

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Published on April 23, 2013

He's a ghost! A SPACE GHOST.
He's a ghost! A SPACE GHOST.

Reviews are beginning to come in for Star Trek Into Darkness, which premiered in Australia on April 23rd, so we’ve rounded up some of the more prominent ones. So far, the non-spoiler reviews are generally on the positive side, with a little bit of hesitation.

The spoiler reviews tell a different story, however, and include the identity of the character Benedict Cumberbatch is playing. There are no visible spoilers in this article (but please consider the comments below a spoiler thread, and do not read past the end of the post if you do not want to be spoiled).

Most reviews are praising Star Trek Into Darkness for being exciting and fast-paced. Based on the breakneck speed of 2009’s Star Trek and the usual energy that J.J. Abrams instills in his films, this makes sense.

On Graffiti With Punctuation, Blake Howard writes about Abrams walking the line between a Star Wars style and a Star Trek world:

“Whether it’s being chased down and attacked at warp speed, fighting the sublime power at the centre of a Volcano, or the Enterprise in a spiral toward the surface of the Earth –  J.J. Abrams applies that big-budget action spectacle to the Trek franchise, whilst staying true to the brand. Trek is not Star Wars and the Enterprise isn’t running into an awaiting Empire armada hiding behind Endor’s moon – the Fleet’s directive is to find peaceful solutions. Abrams and his team find opportunities to show off the action and tension without all out warring. Abrams gets the characters at the core of Gene Rodenberry’s genius and vivid projection of the future; and uses them as the gateway to the greater mythology.”

Overall, Howard gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars.

IGN UK’s Lucy O’Brien has a positive review, though she hints this movie isn’t quite as good as its predecessor.

“Abrams doesn’t quite repeat this trick – although to call it a trick is doing him somewhat of a disservice –  but does manage to solidify Star Trek as one of our most palatable blockbuster franchises moving forward. While it may not be the most sophisticated of sci-fi spectacles you’ll see this year, Into Darkness will certainly be one of the most fun.”

O’Brien rated the movie 8/10.

3News.com’s David Farrier echoes the notions that this movie is in many ways, exactly what you expect it to be:

“If you were to put it bluntly, Into Darkness is more of what we saw in 2009. It’s a riveting action-adventure in space, complete with interpersonal relationships. The bro-mance between Kirk and Spock is in full force here. Grown men cry. And yes, it looks like a JJ Abrams film. There’s the lens flare, and the camera tracking a crashing spaceship might as well be a bigger version of the plane from the LOST pilot. Smoke billows and it all feels very real, like you could reach out and touch it.”

Farrier also praises Cumberbatch’s performance as an example of something this film has that is better than its predecessor.

A full (negative) spoiler review has shown up over on Furious FanBoys.com, written by Jeremy Conrad. Conrad isn’t happy about some of the plot details, including the identity of Cumberbatch’s character, which can’t be discussed without including spoilers for Star Trek Into Darkness. You can read the full review on FuriousFanBoys.com, including how the movie ends. Keep in mind that these spoilers are unsubstantiated.

For now, we’re continuing to take everything with a grain of salt and eagerly await Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty and whoever to show up in the U.S. on May 17th! [Again: The comments below may contain spoilers; do not read below this point if you want to avoid spoilerization!]


Stubby the Rocket is the mascot of Tor.com. Once Stubby thought it was Benedict Cumberbatch, but that turned out to be depressingly untrue.

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