Star Trek Beyond

photo courtesy of comingsoon.net

     Star Trek Beyond is the third movie in the latest iteration of the Star Trek mythos. Although J.J. Abrams (director of the previous two films) has noticeably left the director’s chair to capitalize on Star Wars, his influence as producer is enough to ensure that this installment does well enough. Director Justin Lin of The Fast and the Furious notoriety and the returning cast produce a film that’s fun and adventurous in true Star Trek fashion…but falls a bit short of Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness.

photo courtesy of superherohype.com

     Beyond follows the crew of the USS Enterprise, led by Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto), three years into their five-year mission to explore uncharted territory. Their adventure takes them past the new, super-advanced base of Yorktown on an assignment to rescue an endangered alien crew. But before long, the crew realizes that things are not at all as they seem—an ambush lies in wait at their destination. Stranded without a ship, the crew is faced with a new and vicious enemy that threatens to destroy not just the Enterprise, but the entire galaxy.

     There’s a lot to like in this movie. The whole thing comes with the fun, adventurous vibe that we should (rightfully) expect from Star Trek. It hits all the major Star Trek tropes, from Scotty frantically repairing impossible engine failures to improbable, last minute beaming-ups. There’s plenty of excitement to go around, often in the form of action and explosions—a characteristic feature of the Abramsverse (or, if you prefer, Kelvin timeline). And there’s quite a bit of humor injected into the drama to keep things from getting over-serious.

photo courtesy of fandango.com

     This movie, like Trek and Into Darkness, benefits from the high-budget treatment. The whole thing gives off a shiny, optimistic feel and a bright and engaging color palate. The most noticeable advantage is the absolutely stellar CGI-work. More than anything, that is what sets this installment apart from run-of-the-mill sci-fi fare. Not all the effects work, but in most cases the CGI is simply stunning, especially when it’s used to build entire, immersive worlds.

     The whole cast is back for this go-around. Pine and Quinto are back as Kirk and Spock, respectively. Karl Urban plays Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Zoe Saldana returns as Lieutenant Uhura, and Simon Pegg doubles as screenwriter and Montgomery “Scotty.” John Cho (Sulu) and Anton Yelchin (Chekov) reprise their roles as well. Idris Elba makes his Trek debut as fearsome villain Krall, and Sofia Boutella plays friendly loner-alien Jaylah. Unsurprisingly, Quinto and Pegg are the standouts, through Elba provides a notably solid performance.

photo courtesy of screenrant.com

     Though the movie is mostly fun and games, there are a few low points. The action, orchestrated by Justin Lin, is at times a little too fast and too furious, resulting in confusing edits that muddle huge action sequences. That comes as a surprise from a veteran director and from J.J. Abrams’ tried and true hand. They try and spice things up with a dash of rock and roll music, and while that is fun... we've all seen Guardians of the Galaxy too.

     Interestingly, there’s a surprising tinge of moralistic, patriotic lingo in parts of the film. There’s not necessarily anything wrong with that—and in fact, you could argue it fits the Star Trek vibe—but it does seem a little on the nose and out of place in a modern action film, where such idealism is often disregarded as childish cheesiness.

photo courtesy of trekcore.com

     The most disappointing thing about Beyond by far (and what takes it a notch below its predecessors) is that while it’s a fine movie, there’s not much sophistication to it. The plot is derivative on all counts and often incredibly predictable. There aren’t really any surprises—try though they might to convince us that there are—and by the end, the movie left this reviewer underwhelmed. The stakes are noticeably down from the predecessors.

     That’s not necessarily a bad thing, either. One of the major critiques of the previous films was that they departed from the Star Trek tone by being a little too melodramatic and action-driven, so this may be an attempt to bring the franchise back to its roots by giving it a cut-and-dry, good-old adventure plot without any hijinks. That’s probably the more mature storytelling tactic anyways (rather than continuing to raise stakes arbitrarily), but it nevertheless makes this movie a little less engaging than the others.

photo courtesy of nerdist.com

     When it comes down to it, Star Trek Beyond is a good time at the theatres and surely a must-see for fans. It continues the franchise’s legacy of optimistic galactic adventure, even if it falls a bit short of the Abrams-directed films. If nothing else, it serves as an honorable tribute to the franchise’s 50-year anniversary and to its two stars who passed away since Into Darkness, Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin. And with plans for Star Trek 4 already in the works, it seems this franchise will continue to live long and prosper. Sorry, I had to. 

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