‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ Reviews: Find Out What the Critics Are Saying

The first 'Star Trek Into Darkness' reviews have already begun to roll in even though the film doesn't officially hit theaters until May 17. J.J. Abrams' follow-up to his 2009 smash hit premiered in Australia last night and a handful of critics already have their thoughts online for your reading pleasure. So, is the new 'Star Trek' worth your time and money?

Let's cut to the chase: all of the reviews (so far) have been positive, ranging from recommendations to raves. First up is IGN's Lucy O'Brien, who gave the film 8/10 and said:

'Star Trek Into Darkness' is a hell of a lot of fun, maintaining such constant velocity that by the time you've half-formed a criticism in your head it's swept away by the next plot-twist or action sequence. It still has that urgency that made the first film so appealing, those big, optimistic messages of right vs wrong in a world at war.

Even more positive was 3News' David Farrier, who said he saw it with the head of the Australian 'Star Trek' fan club, who loved it. In fact, other than taking a few pokes at the film's admittedly terrible title, he had almost entirely nice things to say:

As dark as it is, it’s fun. You could liken J.J.’s 'Trek' films to the 'Iron Man' films, although again, this is darker territory here -- a perfect blend of action, humanity and humour. At one moment, I became annoyed by Bones’ puns -- one rolling in after another. The moment I had that thought, Kirk interrupts, telling Bones he’ll boot him off the ship if he continues.

And finally, Blake Howard at Graffiti With Punctuation was a little more mixed in his review, but his 3.5/5 score suggests that he found a lot more to like than dislike. He suggests that fans hoping for an 'Empire Strikes Back' style middle chapter will be disappointed but says that it lays a solid foundation for future films:

'Star Trek Into Darkness' isn’t ready to stretch to the unknown pockets of the universe just yet; instead it relishes in the evolution of the key characters in the wake of their defining challenge. It’s a rousing adventure and Abrams has laid the platform for a healthy and long lasting franchise.

As you know, you'll be able to see 'Star Trek Into Darkness' yourself on May 17. A very big and special thanks to CriticWire for pointing us toward these reviews.