Owen Gleiberman stated in his review, "It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see why director Justin Lin was handed the reins of the “Star Trek” series from the outgoing J.J. Abrams." Justin Lin, the director of four "Fast and Furious" films, is a masterful at making ships fly through space, and "Star Trek Beyond" has a few of the most spectacular shots ever seen in the series. Gleiberman said it best when he said, "What’s more, if you had to find a theme in the “Fast and Furious” films — apart from their real theme, which is that speed and destruction rock — it would be this: A motley crew of multiculti ego-driven auto pilots works best when they make themselves into a team." However, this is not until halfway through the movie of "Star Trek Beyond" when Lin showcases a part that truly seems to get his blood pumping.
We're in the broken forest of an unknown planet, where the Enterprise has crash-landed after being split in two by a swarm of metal space "bees." The villainous bees are controlled by Krall, played by Idris Elba, who Gleiberman describes as, "a dictator with the face of a lizard and the voice of a warlord and an attitude to match." He gets energy by literally absorbing the life out of humans, and he's out to conviscate a rock that was on board the Enterprise, an ancient clicking material he wants for evil (but unspecific) reasons. The crew of the Enterprise, separated on the planet, is trying to regroup, and now, finally, they have enough of a plan to engage in an attack. Captain Kirk gives the distracting acts, riding a motorcycle around Krall's forest headquarters, his motorcycle facade literally cloned multiple times. Meanwhile, a savage alien named Jaylah, played by the hot Sofia Boutella, whose, as Gleiberman puts it, "black-etched-on-white face makes her look like Darth Maul by MAC Cosmetics," gets into a fist fight with Krall, beating him with Martial Art kicks.
The part has that Lin twist, that overabundance of activity that gets you excited. Gleiberman says, "And that’s a good thing — or, at least, it’s good up to a point — because “Star Trek Beyond,” for all the addictive intensity of its visual flourishes, is the most prosaic and, in many ways, the least adventurous of the Abrams-era “Star Trek” outings. It’s a sturdily built movie that gets the job done, and it’s got a likable retro vibe: The fact that Kirk and his crew spend a good part of the film stranded, without recourse, gives “Star Trek Beyond” a wide-eyed, slightly clunky analog stasis that takes us right back to the spirit of the TV series." Like the show, it lets us have some time with cast members who you now think of has good friends. However, to say that the movie fails to give us something new would be putting it lightly. It really does look like a two-part episode, without one "Oh, wow!" saying from anyone, which could be why, until the jaw-dropping climax, it's more serious than exciting.
To be fair, a "Star Trek" movie (the 13th movie) can't be expected to redo the formula each time. Glieberman said, "Abrams already did that once, and he did it brilliantly, casting the series with such an acute eye for the inner qualities of every “Trek” crew member that you almost feel as if each character should come with a little book entitled “The Zen of Scotty,” “The Zen of Bones,” etc. Yet the dimension of the original series that turned fans into lifelong cultists is that it pushed and poked boundaries; it kept spinning your head." That's what Abrams attempted to do in his two films, and the underrated "Star Trek Into Darkness," though it looked like a retelling with "Trek" mythology, casting Benedict Cumberbatch as a young Khan who didn't completely resolve as the Khan of legend, was still a movie that took you on a evil space ride.
Gleiberman stated, "“Star Trek Beyond” might have been more accurately entitled “Star Trek Contained.” It’s got a very familiar, old-fangled, no-mystery structure, and that’s because it’s basically the “Star Trek” version of an interplanetary action film, with a plot that doesn’t take you to many new frontiers. But there’s plenty of chance to hang out with a cast that audiences have — rightly — come to love." On the planet, the crew members land in different places because they've escaped the crashing Enterprise ship in separate space pods. It's fun to watch Spock and Bones bond through their hostility. Or Scotty try to create his smart persona around the forceful Jaylah, the alien dominating female who calls him "Montgomery Scotty." Or, as Gleiberman stated, "Anton Yelchin’s Chekov simply be, in every scene, his ardently antic Chekov self, which allows us to revel in what an inspired job the late young actor did of making Chekov’s face match his heavily accented words, his eyes popping in comic communion with his vowels." The late Yelchin, a great actor (he is honored in the closing credits with simple "For Anton"), shrewdly disappeared inside this role, and in that very act of disappearance he was not like more for himself.
Conveniently, this planet has the remains of an old Federation ship, the U.S.S. Franklin, which our protagonist crew can recharge. From there, the fight goes to Yorktown, a Federation station, which Gleiberman says, "That’s like a gyroscopic steel-and-glass city that resembles an amalgam of the aristocratic satellite in “Elysium,” the city of the future in “WALL-E,” and an Apple store. It’s a lurching, multi-planed vertiginous place, and Lin stages the protracted final battle there like a gladiatorial contest suspended in the air." It's a part you won't soon forget.
What is forgettable, maybe, is everything else about the movie, which doesn't do a lot to move forward the "Trek" story as keep it going in place. "Star Trek Beyond" starts with Kirk and Spock, each having a private objective breakdown: Kirk from the threats of being removed as Captain of the Enterprise, and Spock from the knowledge that he might want to leave the Enterprise to become a Vulcan ruler, now that Ambassador Spock has died - a tribute to the late Leonard Nimoy, whom, as Gleiberman says, "Quinto inspiringly echoes in the hint of warmth masked by his impish ultra-deadpan. You can rest assured that this team will become a team again, because that’s the message of the movie: that in space (or maybe anywhere), a crew of quirky oddballs beats a scaly megalomaniac every time. But that’s kind of a lesson that we already knew." "Star Trek Beyond" is a kind of entertaining fanbase, but one wishes that the next "Star Trek" movie will have everything in its power to boldly go where no "Star Trek" movie has gone before.
At the end of the movie, when it states this movie is dedicated to the memory of Nimoy and Yelchin, I applauded and had quite a few people join in. After the movie, I had the most surreal conversation with a family that I walked out of the theater with. The parents stated how the cast of this movie reminded them of the original cast from the 60s show and how well they imitated them. I told them I never saw the show, but they were surprised I knew the names of the cast, and they recommended it. We talked about how Yelchin died in a car accident, similar to how Paul Walker sadly died, and they had mentioned that (I believe) their son was in a car accident. He was in a five week coma, recovered, but sadly has his speech slowed down. However, they are thankful to God that he at least is alive, has his strength and is strong, even though he has trouble getting his thoughts together since they come out jumbled, but he is luckily back on his feet and is lucky to be alive.
You should see this movie. If you did not like how the first one restarted the series and the second one felt like a retelling of the Khan story, this one tells a new story. However, it's not a completely innovative story, it's a story that has been told in other movies as well. Still, the movie is not a complete waste of time and you will be engaged. My cousin dubbed this "Star Trek: The Fast and the Furious." Rightfully so since Lin directed this and four of the "Fast and Furious" movies. Go to the theater and see it, you'll enjoy it.
Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto have signed contracts to appear in a fourth "Star Trek" movie. Last month, Abrams confirmed they are planning a fourth movie and said that Chris Hemsworth would reprise his role as Kirk's father, George, the same role he played at the beginning of the first movie. Later in July, Paramount confirmed that Hemsworth along with most of the cast from this movie, producers Abrams and Lindsey Weber, and writers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay will come back. Abrams also stated that Anton Yelchin will not be recasted. My cousin stated that Abrams does not like "Star Trek," but is a huge "Star Wars" fan, like me. The sad part is that Abrams wants complete control of "Star Wars," including the movies, shows, merchandise, the works. Disney actually came to him about that, which is sad, because I feel like Abrams will keep retelling the same story from the Original Trilogy. If he does, I may not want to see the movies, and I won't like that.
Now we have ended "Star Trek Month." I want to thank everyone for their patience until I finally got around to reviewing the latest movie, as it was difficult to find a day to go see it. I have finally seen it, and I am happy. Stay tuned this Friday for the third installment in "Mad Max Month."
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