“Shhh, it’s a secret!”
If the title and excerpt of this piece haven’t already alerted you to the fact that MAJOR spoilers lie below in regards to J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness, then this is your final warning. Do not continue reading this article if you want to remain unspoiled. Oh who am I kidding? You already clicked on the link, so it’s your own damn fault for reading it! Besides, the picture to the right just told you what deep down you already knew to be true.
Benedict Cumberbatch is “John Harrison”. They haven’t lied about that particular detail one iota. This is where the truth ends, however. “John Harrison” is an alias of one Khan Noonien Singh. Yes, ole Benny Batch has taken up the mantle of Ricardo Montalban and is playing the new iteration of his superhuman madman with a superior intellect.
Are you shocked? You probably shouldn’t be, but I imagine many still are after all of the outright denials from those involved with the production. Our villain is apparently referred to as Harrison throughout the film until finally revealing his true identity while under captivity aboard the Enterprise. Before everyone gets in a huff about a Brit playing a character who is meant to be a Sikh, let’s not forget that the great Montalban himself was Mexican. Is that an excuse? Of course not, but it’s the least of our worries here. The lack of creativity is the chief concern. Did we really need a SECOND Star Trek 2 where the villain is Khan? Come on, Abrams! At least have the dignity to save him until your inevitable third entry.
So they are reusing Khan, but jettisoning the rest of Wrath of Khan, right? Wrong. We get the reactor sequence again, but in reverse this time. Okay, so a crew member dies. Is the death at least permanent; adding an emotional weight and consequence to the narrative? No such luck. They don’t even wait until the next movie resurrect their fallen comrade! Are you shaking your head yet? Because I am. Other similarities supposedly lie within the film, but I suspect they aren’t as drastic as the two I have already mentioned.
This isn’t killing my drive to see Star Trek Into Darkness. I’m a lifelong Trek fan and am still excited to see what they have up their sleeves on this entry. I also love the current cast and am interested to see how comfortable they are in their roles in their sophomore outing. Am I disappointed that they took a predicable route? Of course. It does dampen a lot of the excitement that I previously held. That said, we are talking about Cumberbatch here and from the footage I have seen thus far, he seems to be relishing his part. Feel free to consider me disappointed, but still somewhat optimistic.
The real question is…how do you feel about this? Chime in below and on the forum. I patiently await your (likely) passionate reactions, be they positive or negative.
Source | Shockya