Star Trek Into Darkness (J.J. Abrams, 2013)

Now that the alternate universe reboot is out of the way, which allowed the scriptwriters to escape the yoke of reverentially paying their dues to the weight of generations of films and TV shows and the struggle to keep things canon-consistent in everything from technological advances to historical details, Star Trek Into Darkness should have free rein to go off where no director of the franchise has gone before. Why, then, does Abrams choose to bring in Khan as the villain, just as in the second film of the original series? And bait the audience by making him a WASP? Yes, he's a more complex character this time, with believable motives, and Benedict Cumberbatch keeps his portrayal in check in comparison with Ricardo Montalban's tour-de-force in hamminess, but it isn't actually any more fun and a real departure would not have done any harm.
Anyway, any criticism of the Abrams way is probably pointless as the ludicrous lens flares on board are still there as raised middle fingers, and he will loot only the finest cheese references from the archives for cheap laughs. Just take it as decent popcorn and it passes the time perfectly adequately.

6/10