Star Trek Beyond

This new Star Trek series has been an enjoyable ride thus far. 

I really dug the first one and its more action-heavy approach and I think that, as a kick off film, it was fantastic. The second, Into Darkness, gets such a bad rap that I don't think I'll ever understand. After a second viewing where I paid attention a little closer, it easily cemented its spot within my Top 10 films of that year. Sure, the whole "Khan" thing was blown out of proportion, but it was still a weighty crowd-pleaser with high stakes and some highly memorable scenes.

Exit J.J. Abrams for The Force Awakens and enter Justin Lin from some of the best Fast and Furious films and you have a switcharoo that I was neither bothered or terribly excited about. Lin is clearly a capable director who knows how to entertain a crowd.

But then that really unfortunate first trailer hit and the collective internet [somewhat] lost their minds. It was a poorly stitched together affair coupled with the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage". Not ever really being a Beastie Boys fan (*gasp* I know) it was a song that just did not go with the trailer or with Star Trek at all. Luckily since then we've had a string of decent/good trailers mixed with pretty stellar reviews so my hopes were slowly restored. 

So is this the best Star Trek yet? 

My answer is no, but it's still a lot of fun.*

"That's an odd looking ship..."

*The addendum to that statement is really just a link to my biggest issue with the film, and the single spot where I find Into Darkness much more superior than Beyond. While still an entertaining joy ride, Beyond lacks any stakes. I never felt as if our crew was in real danger and I was able to predict many of the plot's larger paint strokes. Given that Star Trek originates from a TV series, maybe the best terms to put it in would be the following: if the original Star Trek felt like a great pilot, Into Darkness was a thrilling season finale. That makes Beyond a filler episode, a good one, but a filler episode nonetheless. Because of that, I found it difficult to be as invested as I previously was in this series and that's a shame to the fun movie that lies underneath. 

Beyond picks up several years after Into Darkness as Kirk (Pine) and crew are 3 years into their 5 year expedition. Many crew members, including Kirk and Spock (Quinto) are looking at their next career moves and the space life is getting old. After flying to a new, impressive city in space, they get roped in to saving a stranded crew. One thing leads to another and they eventually reveal Krall (Elba) who wants to use an ancient powerful weapon to destroy this new city. Unfortunately, Krall is a villain that feels weaker than he should be and it certainly plays into the "filler" aspect of this episode. Elba does fine in the role and given how talented he is, it's clearly not his fault. I can't quite put a finger on it...the makeup, the character itself, the script...something is off with Krall and he doesn't feel all that dangerous or important. 

You can join my movie anytime, Jaylah!

Luckily we have our crew to keep us company most of the time though and they're fantastic, once again. I firmly believe that this Star Trek series has one of the best core casts right now and they don't disappoint here. Kirk has clearly matured and Pine plays a great leader. Karl Urban as Bones gets more to do here and that's welcomed since he's a funny, but important character. Quinto's Spock gets less to do here unfortunately, but I guess there had to be a trade-off somewhere. Simon Pegg's Scottie (he also co-wrote the film) plays an important part too, though I found his "jokes" to be a little less funny this go-round. My absolute favorite aspect of Beyond is newcomer, Jaylah, though. For starters, she's got some awesome character design that makes her instantly memorable. But Sofia Boutella also gives a strong female performance and Jaylah fits right in with this crew. She's got some fun action beats and I really hope she returns for the fourth film. 

The action in Beyond is fun, if not a tad bit generic, and it looks fantastic. While it may never reach the series' high point of Into Darkness' human-torpedo-across-space scene, there are a handful of fun, funny, and intense scenes. The special effects are stupendous too -- some of the best we've seen all year -- and especially during some of the grander-scale moments, my jaw was on the floor. Michael Giacchino is back for the original score and it remains a compelling rendition of the Star Trek theme, though I question their inclusion of real music in the "soundtrack". I don't want to spoil any surprises as I'm sure that a particular scene will be some people's favorite of the year, but I thought it was silly and ill-fitted, again removing any gravitas that the film had previously tried to build. Not to mention it reminded me of that bad first trailer...

Well those look like they may need some repairs ^^

Perhaps I'm being too harsh on Star Trek Beyond. I don't think that Lin and Pegg and crew ever intended for this to be anything more than a summertime blockbuster and a "next entry" for the franchise. But whereas other series seem to add weight to each and every episode (Mission Impossible comes to mind), Beyond falters because of its just-the-frosting approach. 

And personally, I like to have my cake and frosting and eat it too. 

CONS:

• In TV terminology, this is what we call a filler episode. It doesn't do much for the mythology or overall series, but is still a fun episode. It lacks weight to make it feel important
• Elba is a forgettable villain which is a shame given how talented he is. Something was off here and Krall comes across like a villain flavor-of-the-week
• Personally, I felt that the inclusion of real music was a bit silly, especially in one big scene. I'm most likely in the minority of that opinion though

PROS:

• The cast/crew of the Enterprise is still one of the best assembled. They interact well and each of their characters have evolved appropriately given this is the third film. I don't think there are any weak links, but I was happy to see Bones get more to say/do this time around
• Newcomer, Jaylah, is a stellar addition and I hope to see her in upcoming films
• Fun action scenes and instances of peril
• Awesome special effects 
• An enjoyable diversion that will please most all, even if you may not remember it by the time the next one comes around 

Rath's Review Score: 7.5/10