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After two successful entries of the rebooted Star Trek series, it's finally time to bring the adventures of the Enterprise to the final frontier. What will they find on the edge of space? The latest film finds the Enterprise crew in the middle of their five-year assignment—in the heart of a wicked-looking nebula, they'll come face-to-face with a menace that could wipe out the Federation for good.
Surprisingly, the film kicks off on a rather dour note—after an amusing opening scene, Kirk reflects on three years of mundane exploration. Once the set-up is out of the way, the film delivers ample amounts of action that just gets bigger and bigger. Grand space battles. Phaser-beam fights. Lots of running and gunning. In one epic finale, Kirk and the gang has to save a thriving space colony from certain destruction, overcoming swarms of ships before duking it out with the bad guy.
There are cool scenes in Star Trek: Beyond, but it's far from the end-all-be-all Trek adventure. Despite the action, the film drags between the major action swells. Part of the issue is that outside of JJ Abrams' hands, a certain something is missing. Color, spirit, and energy are dampened—Beyond is surprisingly dark in its lighting and mood, and slightly bland in its style and writing. Fortunately, the experience is funner in its second half than the first—some light comedy (thanks to McCoy, Scotty, and a lovable alien named Jaylah) and absurdity (a few unlikely stunts, and a certain scene with Beastie Boys music) makes this a fair (but not exceptional) blockbuster experience.
The story this film tells is an interesting one for the Enterprise records (and it's most welcome after the uninspired events of Into Darkness). By nature, it's a story that challenges the series' classic themes of exploration and utopic peace. In turn, these themes carry over to the character arcs, as Kirk finds his mojo again in the face of death. Characters are as strong as ever—they are familiar and mature at this point, and they feel more at home as the Enterprise crew than they did in the previous films. The villain adds an interesting dimension to things as well—I found the big twist predictable, but it is an interesting turn that keeps the action going and keeps enough brain cells firing. The film offers a few sentiments concerning certain characters and events before its closing, keeping it from being a total throwaway.
The film boasts plain photography and editing. Most scenes in the first half seem really dark and drab. However, there are some impressive standouts (including a great time-lapse shot of a spaceship being built). Acting is great: Chris Pine seems most mature as Captain Kirk, but still kicks plenty of butt and shows all the right attitude we know and love. Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, and Anton Yelchin still deliver great performances. Idris Elba is a decently-menacing villain, and I was fairly smitten by Sofia Boutellas' character. Writing is not bad--it's nowhere near as low-key as the last two movies, which I think makes the film more creditable as a Trek movie, but it also comes off as a little dry (even with the humor). This production uses decent-looking sets, props, and costumes—a lot of things match up with the Trek universe well, and Yorktown might be the most imaginative space station I've seen. Most special effects are great. The music score is lovely.
Star Trek: Beyond doesn't have the same punch as its predecessors, but it is an enjoyable film with an original, fairly thoughtful story. While the film won't leave as big of an impact, it has its fair share of fun.
3.5/5
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