Epic!
JJ may have left but the gravitas has stayed
Thematic
Identity and unity are discussed and dissected at a narrative level
Action Packed
Director Justin Lin brings excitement and a level of grit
Original Song
Sledgehammer by Rihanna might garner attention come oscar season
Rotten Tomatos 85% Cinemascore: A-
The rebooted Star Trek film from 2009 is one of my favorite films of all time, not just because its a great sci-fi epic, but because it's an amazing character piece that discusses the balance between fate and free will. 2013's Into Darkness was divisive and outraged many hardcore fans (which I can't really consider myself apart of), but as a movie I thought again it was outstanding, integrating a deep conversation about the nature of mortality with the thrills of a summer popcorn flick. Star Trek: Beyond has a huge quota to fill. It's marked not only by director JJ. Abrams departure from the franchise (since he left Star Trek to do Star Wars and I have no regrets there), but has to stand for and celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the franchise. I'm happy to say that Beyond works on all the levels it needs to and is a worthy model to the franchises history as well as it's future forward.
The story this time around is classic tv Sci-fi (which Star Trek has it's roots in). The Enterprise is attacked by an unknown enemy and it's crew is separated and marooned on a unexplored planet. The various members of the crew lead by Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) must find a way to reunite and stop their mysterious attacker, Krall (Idris Elba), from enacting revenge on the federation. Beyond takes its simple premise and makes it feel timeless. It fits right in with it's competing blockbusters and I believe it should satisfy any common movie goer just from an entertainment aspect.
But this is Star Trek, and like any great Sci-fi film it deserves substance, to be examined and to discover layers under the surface and fortunately Star Trek delivers yet again. This is a story about identity and discovering purpose through unity; Kirk and Spock are both at a crossroads in their five year journey and they begin to reconsider why they are traveling in the first place. As they story develops, and the crew is marooned, it's only by working together, and for each other, that they find purpose and the will to carry out their mission even though it could mean certain death. The theme is continued further with the villain, though it only developers late into the third act so I'll skip out on the details. We are warned in the trailer that "It's easy to get lost in the vastness of space" and that just the kind of crisis we see Kirk and Spock (and by extension their crew) struggle with in this movie.
Though the movie makes marks of greatness it arguably the most flawed of the recent trilogy. For one Krall, the villain, remains fairly undeveloped for a majority of the movie and even when more is revealed several inconsistencies remain. The CGI is a little lacking toward the end but not nearly enough to distract from the action. Lastly there is the script co-written by Simon Pegg (Who I'm a huge fan of); though the characters he pair together are near brilliant decisions, every now and then the film will hit a scene that seems a little too 'scripted'. I know that sounds stupid since the whole film is suppose to be scripted but it was just something I started to pick up on, either the scenes were stale or the dialogue was too 'one-liney.' I'm not too sure but it only happened two or three times and It never halted or shorted the smile on my face.
I loved Star Trek Beyond and would recomend it to any Sci-fi fan, any action fan, or anybody just curious as to what Star Trek is all about. I can't consider myself a Treky but I love good science fiction and Star Trek has a knack for delivering great stories with insightful commentaries. Going forward, Star Trek: Beyond is a standout this summer and will stick in my memory for some time to come.
Side note...
Beyond pays as much homage to it's fallen star's as it does the legacy of the franchise (hence the title). If your a fan of Leonard Nimoy or wanted to pay respects to the young Anton Yelchin, Beyond will thank you, and will satisfy as a worthy tribute.
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