Star Trek Beyond

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella, Joe Taslim, Lydia Wilson, Greg Grunberg, Shea Whigham (voice), Danny Pudi
Directed by: Justin Lin
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise encounter a mysterious villain (Idris Elba) in deep space.

Review:

Tim: Star Trek Beyond faced some big challenges right out of the gate. For the first time since the 2009 reboot, J.J. Abrams wasn't in the director's chair (he elected to go to a galaxy far far away). Justin Lin might have some talent as a director, but he represented a clear drop in quality. The first trailer seemed to completely miss the mark. It was hard to generate real excitement about this film, which is odd, since the last two were so good. I can say that this is actually a very good movie, so a lot of early fears were unwarranted. Unfortunately, this is obviously the least effective film of this rebooted trilogy. So, some of the fears proved to be true. This is a film that got the job done, but it didn't inspire intense anticipation for the next film.

I still struggled with this movie. On the one hand, it's an effective, exciting story. It introduces a new villain, it gets the crew of the Enterprise away from the Federation and on their own. It featured unexpected moments and intense battle scenes. In many ways, it delivered what we've come to expect from this new Star Trek. It's hard to know where to place the blame, since it's shared. Simon Pegg was excited to write the script and certainly had the very best intentions, but his script is somewhat weak. This is too forgettable of a story. The stakes feel too low (even when they aren't). It feels (like an early joke in the film) episodic. Why did we need to go to the theaters to see this film? We could have skipped this and caught up later and missed very little. This didn't feel like the event it needed to be. I remember waiting with bated breath for Star Trek Into Darkness. I kind of had to force myself to go see this in theaters. Audiences agreed, as this movie made $70 million less than the last film, domestically. Some of the blame rests with director Justin Lin. The film is good, but there are many missed opportunities. Lin delivers the material, he checks all the boxes. Unfortunately, he never elevates the material, he never makes a single moment of this film must-see. Abrams was sorely missed here.

Part of the issue is that the new characters just aren't very compelling. I've seen this movie twice and couldn't tell you Idris Elba's character's name. What was that white alien woman's name? How did she end up on that planet again? These characters and their stories are blunted. They aren't especially effective, so they aren't memorable. Even when we find out the big twist at the end, it's all too easy to shrug and just keep watching. I never sat up in my seat, I never felt an urge to widen my eyes. It was all good, but none of it was great.

If I'm being overly kind to this film (and I kind of think I am), it's because the cast is so likeable and it's so fun to be reunited with them. I loved seeing the continuing relationship between Kirk, Spock, and Bones. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Karl Urban are perfect in those roles and it's always fun seeing them together on screen. They obviously make up the heart of the franchise, so it was a pleasure seeing them again and getting an opportunity to watch their relationship grow. Zoe Saldana and Simon Pegg continue to be underutilized, but I get it- there's only so much screen time to go around. I do wish each had more to do. Anton Yelchin (it's hard for me to even write this- this franchise won't be the same without him) never had enough to do, but he's strong in the scenes he has. Simon Pegg made sure he had a few good moments as Scotty. Idris Elba was good in the role, but his villainous role wasn't very exciting.

Here's what worries me- for most of the Star Trek franchise, the films were somewhat underwhelming. The Wrath of Khan was very good, but the rest of the films paled in comparison. The reboot changed all that and made these movies exciting. A lot of goodwill was built up after the 2009 film. Into Darkness coasted a bit on that. Star Trek Beyond has kind of depleted that. I still like this franchise, but there's no more room for error. The next film has to hit a home run, or the pitchforks start to come out. That's somewhat frustrating, as this new trilogy hasn't given us a bad movie yet. Abrams raised the standard, though. The issue with this franchise is that we've now seen 13 movies and countless television episodes. Does this franchise have anything new to say? Or, are we going to continue to get stories that melt into all the others? I really believe this is a turning point for the franchise. If the rumors about the next film are true, they may have figured out the hook to reengage audiences. If not, doom and gloom, my friends.

Star Trek Beyond is a good movie- it's entertaining and true to the characters. Unfortunately, in 2016, good isn't good enough. This is the first film of the new trilogy that won't even get close to my top 10 films of the year. It might be a very good movie, but expectations were higher. I liked watching this movie twice, but I honestly have no desire to ever sit down and see it again- that's not a positive thing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness