Review of Star Trek Beyond (2016) by Ahnehnois — 21 Jul 2016

I was as much a skeptic as anyone, but the switch to Justin Lin as director has produced the most enjoyable of the rebooted Star Trek movies. Granted, it still isn't high art, but if you go in for a popcorn movie and take anything else you get out of it as a bonus, you'll be happy.

More interestingly, it may also be the Star Trek-iest of the new movies. Beyond the references to the original cast and the series they inhabited, the script also bears obvious similarities to elements of Generations and First Contact and even Insurrection. The pace of editing has dropped out of warp enough to have some shots of what old-school fans would call "spaceship porn", and Michael Giacchino, while he's no Jerry Goldsmith, clearly is attempting to channel him with some of the action cues.

The plot is apt enough, and conveys a sense of exploration and general goodwill (rather than one feeling like Starfleet is a miltary organization). I liked it on some levels, but felt it needed some more rewrites. It has its moments, but the villain and his conflict never really has enough weight or meaning, and some of the dialogue was rather utilitarian and in need of a dose of poetry.

The action, however, isn't in need of much else at all. It's as pretty and modern as JJ Abrams Trek was, but more intelligible, engaging, and with less lens flares. The inherent drawbacks one now expects from the reboots; the kitsch of the original series and a certain sense of cheapness that comes with excessive CGI, and it lacks the seriousness and weight that a few of the best bits of Star Trek carry. But honestly, this movie is as good as or better than many of its cinematic predecessors, and for a film that was picked by some to damage the franchise, I don't think it will.