Sequels are often expected to be
darker and more harrowing than their predecessors. This is also true of immediate follow-ups to
successful franchise reboots. The notion
is directly related to the trope of “sequel escalation.” Sequels are generally meant to be “bigger and
better.” Hence, the stakes have to be
raised. This is usually achieved via the
introduction an even more ruthless villain, preferably one who has a score to
settle with the protagonist(s). The Japanese
teaser for Star Trek Into Darkness offers
just that. From the looks of things, it
may be taking fans down a very familiar path.
In Star Trek Into Darkness, the crew of the Enterprise is called back
home. Upon their arrival, they find that
Starfleet has been decimated. What’s
more, the threat seems to have come from within. As always, Captain Kirk and company face this
new menace head on. However, mere determination
may not be enough, as this particular foe is more than formidable.
There’s a lot of speculation as to
the true identity of the antagonist. Benedict
Cumberbatch is billed as Lt. Cdr. Gary Mitchell, but many suspect that he might
actually be Khan Noonien Singh. That theory
is being met with skepticism in many circles, but a shot in the brand new teaser
goes a long way in confirming it. It has
Kirk and Spock communicating through a pane of glass, with the latter flashing the
Vulcan salute. It’s a rather obvious
callback to Spock’s death scene from Star
Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn. It might just be a bit subterfuge on Abrams
part, but it’s much too early to tell at this point.
The rest of the trailer contains
more than enough of the aforementioned darkness. The Enterprise crash lands in a body of water. Kirk and a companion run through what looks
like a terraformed patch of land before leaping off a cliff. A volcanic planet a la Mustafar is shown, and
a character makes a wire assisted leap that would be right at home in a Wuxia
film. It all wreaks of urgency, and lets
audiences know that a new and dangerous threat I son it’s way. If Kahn definitely is the villain of the
piece, this film might be facing an uphill battle. However, with Abrams sitting at the controls,
I’m willing to bet that it has a fighting chance.
No comments:
Post a Comment