Into Darkness with Miracle Max

I have just returned from the watching the latest Star Trek film.  Into Darkness is a good movie.  Great effects, great script, excellent acting (for the most part), an extraordinary villain.  But…  it remains only a good movie.  It was nearly great.  Really.  I loved it up until the end. 

If you haven’t seen it yet and you don’t want spoilers you’ll have to stop here.

If he’s dead, let him be dead.  Let his death be.  Let his death mean.  That’s what made Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan so effective; Spock’s death was real.  His death was powerful because he was dead. Stunningly dead.  William Shatner’s finest moment ever as an actor was in delivering Spock’s funeral eulogy when his voice hitched up on the word “human.”   Spock’s death was powerful and gripping because his death had consequences.

And yes, we all know that movie dead isn’t exactly the same as real life dead.  Sequels are great for undoing and redoing things like that.  But still, if he’s dead, let him be dead.  Let us have our catharsis and our grief – at least until the next film in the series.  

But, even in death, Kirk can’t accept consequences.  He’s only “barely dead” for a few minutes before he’s back, as good as ever.  It’s too easy.  Too glib.  Kirk’s death was meaningless.

Into Darkness telegraphed its ending well ahead of the climax.  As soon I saw the scene with Dr. McCoy injecting the dead tribble with Khan’s blood to discover why it rejuvenates, I knew that someone would die at the end and that that death would be “miraculously” undone by the application of Khan’s super-blood. 

Suddenly Kirk was only “mostly dead” and Dr. McCoy had become Miracle Max.