Review of Star Trek Beyond (2016) by Dkminus — 22 Jul 2016

To begin with, just so you know where I'm coming from, I loved 2009's Star Trek. After seeing it, I was incredibly optimistic about the future of this franchise. Into Darkness nearly dashed that optimism. I've seen it a couple of times, and I just can't get into it. So, I was very reserved going into Star Trek Beyond. I'd seen only one of the trailers, and no other promotional material. I had no real expectations for it.

Star Trek Beyond is actually quite entertaining. The movie moves at a good pace, and I didn't feel like it got bogged down at any point. In fact, I wouldn't have minded if they slowed down and developed their new characters a bit. Krall never quite rises above "generic villain" status, and even Jayla, who plays well off the rest of the cast, isn't a very complex.

The returning cast are all very fun to watch. They have great on-screen chemistry, though they tend to blend together a bit. For most of the film, you could easily swap out one for another in a scene. They don't play as very unique individuals. Some of their individual arcs - where we see them struggle with who they are or what they want - are too briefly addressed to make an impact.

The action and effects were great. There were so many thrilling sequences. They didn't always make a ton of sense, but they were incredibly fun to watch. I will say, though, that there's one alien race which is entirely CG, and it's very jarring. Practical creature effects would have been better.

Overall, it was an enjoyable film. It didn't reach nearly the heights that it was capable of, but as summer blockbusters go, it was well worth seeing it in cinemas.