STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS

With the Good Guys versus Bad Guys scenario constantly ambiguous, the tension fades pretty quickly (assuming it was even there to begin with). The back-and-forth tennis match of Good then Bad, Bad then Good assures that you quickly quit second-guessing everyone and just sit back, shut up and watch the movie. There’s also more than a few twists, turns and winks that are handed to the audience (and Trekkies) on a platter, meaning you’d have to be Helen Keller to miss them, resulting in the punchline being delivered even before the joke - but who cares! Your brain doesn’t have a moment to process everything, with start to finish being 132 minutes of unadulterated movement and action.

We’ll also forgive the slightly frustrating lack of breathing room these fantastic characters (and the direction they’re inevitably heading) deserve. With effects, jokes and a story that resonates so aptly today, it’s hard to stop and nit-pick when you’re having such a darn good time.

Don’t be fooled by the title - this pure adrenalin sci-fi fest is a blaze of stunningly fun energy that has now officially relegated the franchise from its niche audience and hand-delivered it to a new, broader audience with familiar, easily digestible and likeable actors filling out those form-fitting Starfleet skivvies.