September 11, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES II & IV • Page 19 Saga continues with ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness’ Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) plan their response to an attack on Starfleet headquarters in ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness.’ by Dennis Seuling “Star Trek: Into Darkness” (Paramount Home Entertainment) is the latest episode in the saga of the starship Enterprise and its crew. Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) violates Starfleet’s strict rule not to interfere with alien civilizations as he and Spock (Zachary Quinto) flee from painted primitive beings through their planet’s red-vined vegetation. With Spock in peril, Kirk disregards all protocols and is later called on the carpet for it and stripped of his command. An attack on Starfleet headquarters by disgruntled colleague John Harrison (Benedict Cumerbatch) results in an order from Starfleet Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller) to seek out and destroy Harrison at all costs. It is irritating when a franchise film spouts endless background information that confuses rather than enlightens the viewer. “Star Trek: Into Darkness” never does this, moving briskly along without the encumbrance of unneeded exposition. The script is clear, lean, and witty: a win- ning cinematic trifecta. What stands out in this edition is its embrace of the various crew members’ flaws, idiosyncrasies, and egos. Director J.J. Abrams manages some fine moments with Scotty (Simon Pegg), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Bones (Karl Urba), and Sulu (John Cho). Action films are as only good as their villains and Cumberbatch is excellent as Harrison, a guy who is more than he might initially appear. The movie includes a scene in which Harrison and Kirk must outthink each other in a life-threatening moment. These kinds of scenes were a frequent ingredient of the TV series, and illustrated that Kirk not only can handle himself physically, but also has a definite head for command. Special effects are first-rate. Shooting in 3D, Abrams harks back to those gim- micky ‘50s 3D flicks where anything and everything had to be propelled toward the audience to make people duck. Both the three-disc Blu-ray 3D/Blu- ray 2D/DVD and the two-disc standard Blu-ray/DVD editions contain six behind- the-scenes featurettes. “Wish You Were Here” (Entertainment One) centers on a group of Australian friends whose lives are irreparably altered after one of them goes missing during a spontaneous vacation. Alice (Felicity Price) and Dave (Joel Edgerton) are about to become new parents when they agree to join Alice’s little sister, Steph (Teresa Palmer), and her new boyfriend, Jeremy (Antony Starr), on a trip to Cambodia. Their tropical retreat quickly turns mys- terious, however, when Jeremy vanishes without a trace. As the investigation into Jeremy’s disappearance begins to reveal the nefarious motivations behind their trip, the remaining three struggle to carry on with their lives amid the threat that more awful details will emerge. First-time director and co-writer Kieran Darcy-Smith builds tension as he doles out clues, red herrings, unexpected twists, and frequent flashbacks, enabling the viewer to piece together what happened to Jeremy and the circumstances. For a first directorial effort, “Wish You were Here” is an impressive mystery/thriller. Bonuses on the DVD release include a making-of featurette and cast and crew interviews. “Love Is All You Need” (Sony Home Entertainment) is a romantic film with nearly every cliché ever encountered. Philip (Pierce Brosnan), an Englishman living in Denmark, is a middle-aged widower and estranged single father. Ida (Trine Dyrholm) is a Danish hairdresser whose husband has just left her for a younger woman. The two meet at a pala- zzo in Sorrento, Italy, at the wedding of Philip’s son and Ida’s daughter. Once viewers get over the spectacular setting and cinematography, what is left is flat, familiar, and frequently grating. There is a “meet cute” scene, a melodra- matic serious illness, an annoying, obvi- ous soundtrack that prods rather than provides atmosphere, and dialogue that never sparkles. There is little suspense, since the audience knows from the get-go that Philip and Ida will wind up together, and the journey is hardly novel. Brosnan and Dyrholm are effective and have good chemistry, but they are burdened by a leaden script which they try their best to enliven. Special DVD features include com- mentary with Brosnan and director Susanne Bier, a Q&A with cast and direc- tor, cast interviews, and a profile of Trine (continued on Crossword page)