Review of Star Trek Beyond (2016) by Bradley W — 18 Sep 2016

The director is fresh off a run of Fast & Furious movies, the trailer plays Beastie Boys music while Captain Kirk is riding on a motorcycle, and they added to the cast the chick who kicked butt in Kingsman. What is this Star Trek Beyond, some kind of mindless action blockbuster? Absolutely, and in the best possible way! If you like your Star Trek movies deep and philosophical, then back away because Star Trek Beyond is like a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart of the franchise. I might be over-stating that a little, because there is a plot, it just isn't super original and the movie doesn't take much time to explain it either. However, as someone who goes to Star Trek movies strictly looking for a fun time at the cinema, I think I got what I was expecting. I might have enjoyed the story more in the J.J. Abrams films, but this one still kept the entertainment value cranked up to 10. Now let's get into a little more detail on what I liked, and some of the stuff I disliked (because it wasn't perfect.).

The cast has really settled into their roles. Everyone just feels right as their character, and they have established themselves with unique qualities that set them apart from just being carbon copies of the original TV show cast. I particularly love Karl Urban who makes Bones so amazingly charming despite his surly demeanor. The widely discussed choice to make Sulu a gay character didn't really play a part in the film, to the point where it almost felt cheapened and tacked on. It's like saying "we have a black character in our movie" and then having him walk on just to be seen in the background of one scene. Anton Yelchin gets some serious screen time, including one-on-one with Chris Pine which felt good. They even manage to sort of honor his passing, even though all the filming was done when he died, simply by using some clever editing. They also recognized Leonard Nimoy's passing, to the point where it was a significant plot element in the film.

The 2 major new characters were both great. I loved Sofia Boutella as Jaylah. She was a tough woman who kicked some butt, and she also had a strong motivation. I loved her interactions with the crew (and her stilted English.) This is one character that I hope they will bring back, because she blended well with everyone else in the cast. Also, let's face it, she looks awesome in her alien makeup. Idris Elba is absolutely menacing as Krall, although a lot of that is because of the job done by the makeup and prosthetics. I was a little frustrated with how much his facial expressions where concealed by the bulky alien appearance, but his line delivery keeps the performance strong (and he gets a brief chance to expand the performance at the end.) One last thing about the cast, I would like to make a formal request of J.J. Abrams: "Dear Mr. Abrams, Please stop shoving Greg Grunberg cameos into everything you produce. The dude stands out like a sore thumb and completely takes me out of every film he appears in. I love all that you do, but your allegiance to this friend of yours has gone far enough.".

Now let's talk about special effects and action because there was a lot of both. The ground-level combat was acceptable, although it didn't exactly thrill me in any way. The motorcycle moment from the trailer made sense in the film, but it wasn't as exciting after it went on for more than 5 minutes. The magic is what takes place in space and on the star-ships. I was almost giddy with excitement during the space battles, because they were tense and looked amazing from start to finish. There is one moment in the climax when I was basically glowing from excitement and wanted to stand up and cheer. It served as a great culmination of something set up earlier in this film, and a callback to the first film in this reboot series as well. There's one thing I don't think anyone will be able to deny after watching Star Trek Beyond, Justin Lin certainly knows how to choreograph and film action sequences. The look of everything was so stellar that it seems to be custom-made for 3-D (and I hope to go back to the theater and try that soon.).

The downside to all of this is that the story presentation is weak. While the type of mission they are on might be reminiscent of an episode from the original series, it falls a little short when it comes to any deep philosophical meaning. Also, many of the action sequences are lacking in character stakes. Even when someone appears to be sacrificing themselves you never fully believe they are in real danger. I also thought they made some weird editing choices in the movie. There was one sequence where I genuinely thought "did I miss something?" While the scenes that were omitted didn't make the story fall apart (because I've seen movies before and could fill in the blanks easily enough) it was noticeable. I appreciated that Justin Lin wanted to keep this movie as a high-octane thrill ride, but I think some of these establishing scenes are essential to keep the audience grounded in the story you're telling. It doesn't really matter, though, because somehow my analytical brain was able to shutdown through most of this movie and I had a blast. Star Trek Beyond is definitely not a perfect film, but it's one that I'm anxious to go back and watch again (which has been rare this summer.).