Star Trek Beyond |
  • USA / Hong Kong / China • 2016 • 122m •   • Directed by: Justin Lin. • Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella, Joe Taslim, Lydia Wilson, Deep Roy, Melissa Roxburgh. • Music by: Michael Giacchino.      After stopping off at Starbase Yorktown, a remote outpost on the fringes of Federation space, the USS Enterprise, halfway into their five-year mission, is destroyed by an unstoppable wave of unknown aliens. With the crew stranded on an unknown planet and with no apparent means of rescue, they find themselves fighting against a ruthless enemy with a well-earned hatred of the Federation and everything it stands for. Only a rebellious alien warrior can help them reunite and leave the planet to stop this deadly menace from beginning a possible galactic war.
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Review:
Thankfully, producer Abrams and newcomer director Justin Lin may very well have finally silenced the naysayers of this rebooted Trek with the newest installment, "Star Trek Beyond." Boasting the same delightfully exhilarating action and suspense that the previous two films excelled at, and combining it with a slower narrative more focused on delivering a carefully crafted and thoughtful sci-fi plot, "Beyond" is the best of both worlds. It feels like a classic "Star Trek" story told in the modern age. And it is arguably one of the best of the entire media franchise... right up there with classics like "Wrath of Khan" and "The Undiscovered Country."
When the Enterprise is torn to pieces by a massive swarm of thousands of small ships, it crash-lands on a planet within an uncharted nebula. The villainous Krall (Idris Elba) is to blame, as he is seeking an ancient relic being kept on the Enterprise after a failed diplomatic mission. With the crew scattered over the planet's surface and several taken captive by the dreaded Krall, Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Scotty (Simon Pegg) and the rest of the remaining crew must band together with a new alien ally called Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) in order to save their mates and stop a devious plan to wipe out the federation.
The cast is just as good as they ever have been. Pine makes for a fantastic younger-riff on Kirk, and his struggles with surpassing the age at which his father have died add some nice depth. Karl Urban is a joy as bones as always, and he has some nice business in the film that helps flesh him out more than I felt the previous films had. Pegg is perfect as Scotty. Nothing more can be said. Zachary Quinto continues to nail the young Spock. Zoe Saldana is as good as ever as Uhura. John Cho does a great job as Sulu and to be honest, I liked the idea of re-imagining his character in the way the film controversially did. It didn't alter who he was, and was merely just another aspect of the Sulu character. The late Anton Yelchin is also very good in his final stint as Chekov, and his loss is a true shame. He will be sorely missed. Newcomers Idris Elba and Sofia Boutella are fantastic additions. Especially Boutella, who is just adorable and ferocious as the newest ally to the Enterprise.
The script, co-written by star Simon Pegg, is a really good effort that expertly blends modern effects-driven action with old-fashioned storytelling. It's not particularly complex, but it has enough themes of moving on after tragedy, dealing with one's age, struggling to find your purpose, and notes of vengeance to keep you emotionally invested in the story and the characters. It's definitely the most mature of the three films in the rebooted franchise, and also has the most deliberation when it comes to pacing and structuring. It thankfully eschews the mile-a-minute twists and turns of "Into Darkness" (which did add an irritating level of convolution, even if I did enjoy it over all) and instead takes it time, making sure to let each and every scene have a purpose.
Justin Lin- best known for his work on the "Fast & Furious" franchise, is handed the reigns here, and he excels at delivering both the quiet moments of contemplative character development and the eye-popping thrills. I will admit, I was apprehensive when he was announced to take over for J.J. Abrams, as while I enjoyed his recent string of action films, they were far from complex. Thankfully, his roots in work like the low-budget "Better Luck Tomorrow" and comedy-dramas like the beloved cult- series "Community" shine through with his subtle and expert handling of the themes and development. He has a great eye for composition and movement and beautifully orchestrates each and every scene with near-perfect guidance. And thank god he toned down the lens flares! Add to that the absolutely gorgeous music of composer Michael Giacchino and the stunning and crisp cinematography of Stephen F. Windon, and you've got a recipe for success.
I really struggle to think of a single fault in the film. While I could complain that some of the characters (particularly Spock and Chekov) feel a little short-changed in terms of focus, I didn't mind too much because it's really not "their" film. It's about a crew- a family- struggling to overcome insurmountable odds, with some really good themes to tie it all together. And I think it's extremely well-done.
I give "Star Trek Beyond" an excellent 9 out of 10. Not only the best of the rebooted trilogy- but just one of the best of all the films.
Review by MaximumMadness from the Internet Movie Database.
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Jul 16 2016, 12:00
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