Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Idris Elba, Simon Pegg
Directed By: Justin Lin
Running Time: 120 Minutes
Certificate: 12A
UK Release Date: 22nd July 2016
Star Trek Beyond marks the 50th anniversary of the franchise and is the third instalment of the rebooted film series, this time directed by Justin Lin and co-written by Scotty himself, Simon Pegg.
Like many I had my doubts when Paramount announced they were going to retell the origins of the original series crew on the big screen, but I am pleased at how they have rebooted this franchise by creating an alternate timeline which respects and acknowledges all that came before and left a blank canvas for new crew. One thing J.J. Abrams injected into the reboot was a sense of fun and adventure akin to Indiana Jones or Star Wars, which this film also has bucket loads and isn’t a problem for this fan.
In this instalment the USS Enterprise and her crew are three years into their five year mission, and Captain Kirk (Pine) is visibly fatigued. He mentions in his opening Captain’s Log that things feel episodic (one of the many great lines and in-jokes of this movie), and he still has daddy issues.
On a rescue mission in an uncharted nebula the Enterprise is attacked, forcing its crew to abandon ship and take refuge on an alien planet ruled by the villainous Krall (Idris Elba). With the crew separated, they must band together to find out why the Enterprise was attacked, escape, and save the day.
I enjoyed the previous two entries but much preferred them on repeat viewings, however with this film I instantly found it to be one of the best of the thirteen Star Trek movies, as it is a highly entertaining and often a hilarious adventure. The film has countless nods and homages to the original series and the subsequent films and series that followed. The way that Star Trek (2009) integrated itself into the pre-existing lore was done incredibly well, as it didn’t completely wipe the slate clean of what had gone before, and these new films utilise elements of its existing universe such as the aliens, cultures and, best of all, the character relationships and dynamics of the Enterprise crew.
A lot of what makes this film great is the script from Simon Pegg and Doug Jung, as they are clearly fans of Gene Roddenberry’s creation and manage to capture the essence of the show and respect its legacy. This is a film that has been made by fans, for fans, and it is apparent throughout. Even the soundtrack odes itself to the original series score during its exploration of the planet and Kirk’s hand-to-hand combat scenes. But one stand out sequence utilises ‘classical’ music to great effect.
There are plenty of jokes and none feel forced or out of place. Most of the humour comes from the characters interacting with each other and this is the funniest entry since Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). It is also one of the most thrilling entries thanks to director Justin Lin. We have plenty of great action set pieces and those poor Red Shirts still don’t get a lucky break. We also get thrilling space battles that are unlike anything I have seen before, and I have seen a lot of sci-fi.
(SPOILER ALERT for those who haven’t seen the trailer) For example we have seen the destruction of the Enterprise numerous times before but it has never looked this good or been so visceral and impactful (END OF SPOILERS).
However, Lin’s soon-to-be trademark twisty camera shots did leave me a bit nauseous at some points, and the tight framing of certain fights lessen the impact of some hits. But these are my only nagging criticisms of the cinematography and this is definitely a film best seen on a big screen. And yes, it doesn’t have as much lens flare as its Abrams directed predecessors.
Credit will be continually due to the people who cast the crew of the Enterprise as they got the actors spot on, not necessarily in looks but with the chemistry between each other. This film truly utilises this and one of the highlights are the scenes involving Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Doctor McCoy (Karl Urban). However, each character has his or her moment and the marooned Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) is a great newcomer to the Kelvin universe (as this rebooted timeline is officially known).
At first I thought Krall was a standard villain in the vein of an African warlord, but there is depth in the character that adds a lot to the developing storyline, which I won’t reveal in this review and Elba is more than the standard British villain in an American action film.
The passing of Leonard Nimoy is handled brilliantly in this movie, as the death of Spock prime is not only mentioned; it is an integral character arc for Commander Spock (Quinto) as he questions his own mortality. It is handled elegantly and I have absolute faith that they will handle the tragic death of Anton Yelchin (Chekov) in the next instalment with heart and respect.
Speaking of which, Paramount is so confident with this film that they have put a fourth entry in this rebooted franchise into development, which will feature time travel and James T Kirk meeting his father George (Chris Hemsworth).
(SPOILER ALERT for those who didn’t see Star Trek (2009)) I wonder if George Kirk will find out that he dies in Nero’s attack which will hopefully add an extra layer of depth to the opening scene of Star Trek, which had people in tears when I saw it in the cinema. With Pixar’s Up (2009) being released that same summer, it was an emotional time for blockbusters (END OF SPOILERS).
Unlike most of its predecessors, this entry feels like a well-crafted and self-contained episode and is better than Star Trek Into Kahn, I mean Into Darkness (2013). I wonder where they will take the franchise for future instalments? I for one would love to see Kirk face the Borg
Overall Verdict: One of the best Star Trek films which, thanks to a great script, is highly entertaining, hilarious and a thrill ride that fans old and new will love.
Reviewer: George Elcombe
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