IMAX 3D is amazing.
Seriously, words can't really describe just how good Star Trek Into Darkness looked on an IMAX screen. I'd seen films in 3D before, but this felt like a completely different experience. The screen is enormous, the sound rattles your internal organs and there were moments when I genuinely forgot I was sitting in a cinema.
The film itself is essentially a modern take on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which is no bad thing considering Khan is one of the greatest villains in Star Trek history.
And what a casting choice.
Benedict Cumberbatch was superb as Khan. At the time, most people knew him as Sherlock, so seeing him swap detective work for intergalactic revenge was great fun. The man has one of those voices that sounds threatening even when he's ordering a cup of tea.
The film also gets bonus points for featuring Mickey from Doctor Who at the beginning. It took me a few minutes to work out where I recognised him from, which meant I spent the first scene quietly playing a game of "What have I seen him in before?"
The answer, of course, was being eaten by wheelie bins and fighting Cybermen.
What I loved most was the scale of everything.
The action is huge.
The visual effects are spectacular.
The Enterprise has never looked better.
Every set piece feels bigger than the last, and director J.J. Abrams somehow manages to keep things exciting even when half of Starfleet appears to be exploding.
It's the perfect follow-up to Star Trek (2009) and continues everything that made that film work. The cast have settled into their roles beautifully, the chemistry between them is fantastic and the whole thing feels like classic Star Trek given a modern blockbuster budget.
I loved every minute of it.
In fact, it was probably my favourite film of the year.
Resistance was futile.
5/5
