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Spoilers Ahead.

J.J. Abrams (TV’s Lost and Alias) serves up a second, fairly solid entry in the rebooted Star Trek franchise. This time Abrams reintroduces the character of the villainous Khan, played so memorably by Ricardo Montalban in the original series and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. In both his original and new incarnations, Khan is a genetically engineered ‘super being’ who uses his advanced cunning to seek revenge on the establishment for fearfully banishing him and his brethren. Abrams casts the much loved Benedict Cumberbatch as the new Khan, and while Cumberbatch makes no mis-steps in his performance, the character simply isn’t given the opportunity to shine. The result is a sequel that appeals to our nostalgia for classic Star Trek, but then fails to measure up in comparison.

Despite a lackluster Khan, Into Darkness is equal parts action and character-driven charm that ends with an emotional climax. As with the previous film, the cast is the movie’s greatest asset. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, and Simon Pegg are the MVPs among the Enterprise’s crew, with welcome supporting turns from Bruce Greenwood and Peter Weller. Alice Eve is introduced as Carol Marcus, the future mother of Kirk’s son, but her character isn’t handled as well as one might hope. Leonard Nimoy makes a final cameo as ‘Spock Prime’, an older version of Quinto’s Spock who came from the future in the last film.

You don’t have to be a Trekkie to enjoy this flick, but it will add immeasurably to your enjoyment if you’re familiar with the original crew’s feature films, particularly The Wrath of Khan. If you want to bring it out for inspection, the film does have something to contribute to a discussion on terrorism, but Abrams’ approach is decidedly less didactic than Gene Roddenberry’s. This Star Trek is just for summer movie entertainment.

With John Cho, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, and another fine score by Michael Giacchino.

Oscar Nomination: Best Visual Effects