Review 206: Star Trek Beyond (2016)

I am definitely a Star Wars fan first, but J.J. Abrams brought me into the Star Trek universe. I enjoyed the first film and Star Trek Into Darkness when I saw them. However, I really loved Star Trek Beyond. It is actually a fairly perfect summer movie full of action, character, and emotion. I give Star Trek Beyond the Must See rating.

Star Trek Beyond really steps up the action element

The USS Enterprise is pulled on a rescue mission into the furthest reaches of uncharted space. The ship is soon under attack and the crew finds themselves stranded on an unknown planet.

I’ve only seen Justin Lin’s The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, but he really impressed me with Star Trek Beyond. From the beginning of the film to the end I was engrossed and enjoying every aspect of the film. There are a few moments that involve music that some might find cheesy, but I really thought they worked. The story is written by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung with others and it feels like they nailed it. The character interactions all work. The plot is straightforward and slightly unoriginal but solid. The story really hits a lot of emotions that a crew would likely experience given the circumstances.

The Star Trek films have been my favorite showcase for Chris Pine. The returning cast of Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, and Anton Yelchin (so sad) are excellent again. They all seem to really have come into their respective roles. Newcomers Sofia Boutella as Jaylah and Idris Elba as Krall bring a lot to the table. My favorite characters of this film were easily Jaylah and Bones.

I really was pulled in for the first time out of the three Bad Robot films. There were several moments where I thought the film could sour, but they always turned towards excitement and adventure. If you’re like me and more of a Star Wars fan than Star Trek this film may bring you closer to the latter. Star Wars is still greater than Star Trek, but I’m definitely becoming a fan of Captain James Tiberius Kirk, Spock, and all the rest.