I am by no means a savvy Trekkie. I know the basics- enough to get me through any episode without getting too confused. I've recently been watching TNG episodes- which are awesome to say the least (FYI- I want a TNG movie, dammit). I haven't watched much at all of the first series, particularly because I find Shatner's form of acting... difficult to sit through. So, one can safely assume that I haven't watched any of the old movies. You would be right. However, I think anyone even remotely interested in sci-fi has seen that GIF of Kirk screaming "KAHN!!!!1!!". That was the only forewarning any of us casual fans had when it was revealed as to who exactly that antagonist was. Which might have made it that much more enjoyable to watch, actually.

Taking the new movie duo alone, however, is a bit tricky. But when you do, it is possibly the most amazing (albeit fast-paced) sci-fi adventure yet to come out, omitting Avatar out of respect. As always, my favorite scenes focus primarily on Zackary Quinto as Spock. There are two scenes in particular that I'd like to highlight.
The first is the half-Vulcan's absolute confusion to Kirk's admission that he would miss him if he had died (earlier in the movie). Of course, we Trekkies know that true Vulcans are experts at burying their emotions, and viewers from the previous movie may remember this. So it stands to reason that Spock would be confused by this admitted emotion, not only because of his half-Vulcan side, but also because he and Kirk absolutely cannot ever agree on anything!
(Spoiler Alert!)
Later we see Spock lose his Vulcan tendencies after Kirk dies from being irradiated in the dilithium chamber. This is directly caused by Kahn's actions, and so there is a swap between the alternate universes. Spock cries and shouts Kahn's name in absolute rage. This is followed closely by a fist-fight between him and the antagonist.
So we see the two extremes of this half Vulcan in Into Darkness. Namely, the Vulcan side at first- completely logic-based and master of emotion, and the Human side later, as expressed by the overthrowing of the Vulcan side and the unbridled rage in need of revenge for a fallen friend.
I personally see symbolism here, if not a deeply rooted subliminal message. We tend to see peers, perhaps even ourselves, as logical, perhaps even infallible at times. And as life gets harder and perhaps we find ourselves in the midst of people who do not agree with us, we unshackle ourselves internally and let our emotions flow without restraint. This is not always a bad thing, but we saw from the last movie how dangerous a Romulan can be. And even here, while Spock is beating Kahn to a pulp, he endangers the possibility of bringing Kirk back to life. So it is up to us to curb our emotions, even when revenge is more than warranted, lest we fall Into Darkness.