Poster © Paramount Pictures. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
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GenreAction, Adventure & Sci-Fi
RatedPG-13
Runtime2 hr 12 mins
ReleasedMay 15, 2013
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorJ. J. Abrams
StarringJohn Cho, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve
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Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
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| Star Trek Into Darkness's Details | |
| Genre | Action, Adventure & Sci-Fi |
| Rated | PG-13 |
| Released | 04/23/2013 (Sydney); 05/15/2013 (United States) |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 2 hr 12 mins |
| Budget | $185–190M (reported) |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Based On | Star Trek by Gene Roddenberry |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Star Trek Into Darkness's Interests | |
| General | Warp cores, photon torpedoes, the Prime Directive, red volcanoes, Spock's eyebrows. |
| Music | Michael Giacchino. The classic Trek fanfare, polished up and blasting. |
| Movies | Star Trek (2009). Where this crew first met and started arguing. |
| Television | Star Trek, the original series. Shatner did it first, with cheaper rocks. |
| Heroes | Scotty. Will absolutely tell the captain no. |
| Star Trek Into Darkness's Crew | |
| Director | J. J. Abrams |
| Writers | Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof |
| Producers | J. J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci |
| Cinematography | Dan Mindel |
| Music | Michael Giacchino |
| Edited By | Mary Jo Markey, Maryann Brandon |
| Production | Paramount Pictures, Skydance Productions, Bad Robot, K/O Paper Products |
| Distributed By | Paramount Pictures |
Everybody on the internet guessed this movie’s big secret before opening weekend, and the movie still acts like it’s a shocker. The mystery box was empty. Benedict Cumberbatch is the reason to watch: that deep, calm voice could make a grocery list sound like a threat. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto still have great chemistry, and the volcano opening is a blast. But the big emotional finale is borrowed from a much better Trek movie, flipped around and played straight, and it feels like karaoke. The lens flares are back too, bright enough to need sunglasses. Simon Pegg’s Scotty gets the best jokes, and Karl Urban’s McCoy keeps finding new ways to be grumpy. The movie.guru score sits at 8.3, so plenty of people had fun, and the 132 minutes do move. A 5.7 because it trades the first film’s fresh energy for nostalgia it didn’t earn. $28.28 says you hunt down the older Trek movie this one borrows from and like it more.
What works: Benedict Cumberbatch’s menacing calm and a strong volcano opening, plus a crew that still plays off each other well.
What doesn’t: The big twist was obvious before release, and the climax recycles a classic Trek moment without earning the emotion behind it.
Who it’s for: Fans of the 2009 cast who just want more of them together, and anyone who likes a villain with a great voice.
Spoilers
John Harrison is really Khan, woken up by Admiral Marcus to design weapons. Kirk dies of radiation fixing the warp core, Spock yells Khan’s name, and Khan’s blood brings Kirk back a few scenes later.
Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) breaks the rules on an alien planet to save Spock (Zachary Quinto) from an erupting volcano, and Starfleet is not impressed. Then a rogue Starfleet operative named John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) bombs a secret facility in London and vanishes. Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller) sends Kirk to hunt Harrison down, deep in Klingon territory. Scotty (Simon Pegg) has serious doubts about the cargo they're carrying. McCoy (Karl Urban) has doubts about everything. J. J. Abrams directs. One hundred thirty-two minutes, way too many lens flares.
Anyone who read the Prime Directive all the way through. Kirk didn't.
Lieutenant Commander Montgomery "Scotty" Scottphoto: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
| Chris Pine | Captain James T. Kirk |
| Zachary Quinto | Commander Spock |
| Karl Urban | Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy |
| Zoe Saldaña | Lieutenant Nyota Uhura |
| Simon Pegg | Lieutenant Commander Montgomery "Scotty" Scott |
| John Cho | Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu |
| Benedict Cumberbatch | Khan Noonien Singh |
| Anton Yelchin | Ensign Pavel Chekov |
| Bruce Greenwood | Admiral Christopher Pike |
| Peter Weller | Starfleet Fleet Admiral Alexander Marcus |
| Alice Eve | Dr. Carol Marcus |
| Noel Clarke | Thomas Harewood |
| Nazneen Contractor | Rima Harewood |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 18 October 2026 DataBot +40 Numbers refreshed: IMDb users 7.7 / 10 (513,176 votes) → 7.7 / 10 (513,200 votes).
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 17 October 2026 DataBot +480 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $467.4M; Domestic box office $228.8M; Opening weekend $70.2M; Profit / loss (est.) -$47.6M; Rotten Tomatoes 84%; CinemaScore A; box office chart updated; Rotten Tomatoes critics 84% (295 reviews); Metacritic 72 / 100; CinemaScore A; IMDb users 7.7 / 10 (513,176 votes); movie.guru score 8.3.
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 17 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.