Star Trek Into Darkness (12A, 132 mins)

Director: J.J. Abrams

4 stars

 

Most expectations were succeeded with the release four years ago of Star Trek, J.J. Abrams' ambitious reboot of the original series that recast all the iconic parts with new actors.

With the groundwork done, the opportunity was there for this first sequel to blast us into the cosmos, all the while further whetting appetites for two years from now, when Abrams will turn his attention to that other sci-fi juggernaut, Star Wars.

But while expectations may be sky-high, the reality doesn't quite live up to them, and the result is a solid and very enjoyable adventure rather than an unqualified home run.

An all-action prologue finds the Starship Enterprise and her crew on an alien planet, where they're attempting to save the primitive inhabitants from an erupting volcano without revealing themselves and breaking Starfleet's prime directive about interfering with undeveloped civilisations.

As well as being stirringly executed, this sequence sets up the major themes of what's to come, found in the relationship between hothead James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and his seat-of-the-pants, wiseass captaincy versus seemingly emotionless half-Vulcan first officer Spock (Zachary Quinto) and his cold and logical approach to everything.

All the crew are present and all signs point to this being the jumping off point for a proper mission for them. But this proves to be a false start, and the pace stalls a little when Kirk gets busted for his antics on the alien world ("They saw us, big deal"), with he and Spock still railing against each other.

The central story kicks in with the arrival of John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), a former Starfleet officer who plots a series of attacks on earth against his former employers. The Enterprise is sent on an off-the-books revenge mission to shut him down, even though that may mean antagonising the Klingons.

So first, the stuff that doesn't quite work: a firefight on the Klingon homeworld is chaotic and incomprehensible. A midsection that cranks the plot in to place is often gibberish. Any attempt to summarise it would be futile, partly because it's badly written, partly because of the twists involved as it progresses.

So it's left to the characters for what works, which really is how it should be. Not everyone gets a chance to shine right enough. Does Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) do anything other than chuck out grumpy, albeit very amusing one-liners? Not really.

Simon Pegg has improved his accent no end since first time out, and his Scotty is a laugh, but Uhura, Chekov and Sulu are window dressing, even if the actors playing them (Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, John Cho) are perfectly decent. Pine and Quinto are good too, but Cumberbatch is amazing, a calm and steely presence who anchors the whole thing, blowing Pine off the screen whenever they face off in scenes which are among the best in the film.

A now familiar score is an absolute blast, and vast, stunning sets combine with glorious visuals to make this an adventure that's epic on most levels, packed with breathtaking individual moments. But, truth be told, much of its success is due to smoke and mirrors, with enough flare and energy to paper over the gaping holes in the plot and the fact that it's a film aimed first and foremost at pre-programmed audiences.

It really is a geek's delight, with nods and references to past glories likely to leave newcomers scratching their heads as to what the fuss is about. As betrayals and reversals abound and Kirk is outmatched by Harrison at every turn, the bigger picture is outlandish and impenetrable.

Hopefully there will be more fully developed blockbusters this summer, but there may not be too many that are this much fun. Just don't spend too much time thinking about it.

See it if you liked: Star Trek, Iron Man Three, Avengers Assemble

Deadfall (15, 95 mins)

Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky

2 stars

 

Eric Bana and his sister Olivia Wilde are robbers on the run, on a collision course with an ex-boxer just out of jail and also on the run (Charlie Hunnam). He's on his way to his parents' remote house for Thanksgiving but for reasons unknown we spend the next hour skirting around this Desperate Hours setup, dillydallying while Wilde and Hunnam strike up an unconvincing romance and Bana slaughters his way through the wilderness chased by Kate Mara's cop. A respectable cast that also includes Sissy Spacek and Kris Kristofferson is wasted in a cliched and clunky thriller that gains something from its snowbound setting but throws it all away on cloth-eared dialogue and lethargic performances.

See it if you liked: A Simple Plan, Fargo, Dead Man Down

Mud (12A, 130 mins)

Director: Jeff Nichols

3 stars

 

In the flood lands of the American south, two boys find a beached boat up a tree, but their plans for adventure are thwarted when they encounter Mud (Matthew McConaughey), a drifter who claims ownership of the boat and wants their help making it seaworthy to aid his escape. The mystery of Mud is the chief hook of this brooding, slow burning drama, but it's really a film about truth and trust and loss of innocence. As the boys, Tye Sheridan, last seen as Brad Pitt's son in The Tree of Life, holds his own, but newcomer Jacob Lofland is less assured, and for the fourth or fifth time in recent months, McConaughey is on slippery yet reassuring form. But for all its quietly impressive moments, Mud is ultimately let down by its uneven performances, weak conclusion and at least half an hour of extraneous material.

See it if you liked: The Paperboy, Stand By Me, Take Shelter

A Hijacking (15, 101 mins)

Director: Tobias Lindholm

3 stars

 

When a Danish commercial vessel is hijacked en route to India by Somali pirates, we meet the hardnosed company boss back in Denmark responsible for getting them home safely. A fine balance is created switching between the crew on board, and the conditions they're made to endure, and the ice-cold, very polite negotiations going on back home. As days turn to weeks and months and emotions become fraught, the question of the dollar value of their lives lingers, alongside the condemnation of the foot-dragging and refusals to meet the pirates' demands. The small moments of triumph on the boat, like catching a fish after weeks without proper food, are mitigated against the genuine peril on board that escalates through crisp, naturalistic performances and clear-eyed direction. But there's no escaping the sense that tension has dissipated by the last stretch, making much of the good work done in building it a bit of a waste.