Star Trek Beyond, the 13th entry in the Trek film series, brings the 50-year-old franchise back to its roots in splendid fashion.
And not a moment too soon.
The rebooted film series, which launched from the gate with J.J. Abrams’ spectacular Star Trek (2009), found itself in danger of alienating long-time fans with its middling 2nd entry Star Trek Into Darkness. Into Darkness was a spirited action film, but lacked that essential, optimistic Trek spirit. That and it shamelessly recycled iconic characters and scenes from earlier films, further emphasizing the filmmakers’ lack of new ideas.
This time around, Justin Lin takes the directing reigns from Abrams. A veteran of the Fast and the Furious series and a self-professed Trekker (or is it Trekkie?), Lin’s effort emphasizes all the key attributes of Trek: adventure, intriguing ideas and beloved characters. He combines these essential ingredients with his action-oriented sensibilities, and the result is an exciting, more-than-welcome return to form, even though it doesn’t have anything new to add to the table.
Beyond finds the Enterprise crew a little more than halfway into their 5-year mission. It’s Captain Kirk’s birthday and he’s a year older now than his father ever lived to be. This puts Kirk in a reflective mood. While recording his obligatory Captain’s Log, he ponders his reasoning for joining Starfleet in the first place, wondering if he’s lived up to the legacy left by his old man. He can’t help but feel the strain of spending so many days floating around the galaxy. “The farther out we go,” he relates, “the more I find myself wondering what it is we are trying to accomplish.”
Kirk’s first officer Spock is also experiencing his own existential crisis of sorts. Someone close to the half-human, half-Vulcan has passed away and Spock is considering whether or not his priorities are in the right place. Should he continue serving on board the Enterprise, or does his destiny lie elsewhere? It’s a thoughtful opening which finds Trek back in the philosophizing mode it’s so well known for. Screenwriters Simon Pegg and Doug Jung do an excellent job peppering these moments throughout Beyond, ensuring that the heart of Trek is always firmly at the core of the proceedings.
Of course, since this is a summer blockbuster, it doesn’t take too long for the action to kick off. After an all-too-brief shore leave, the Enterprise is tasked with performing a rescue mission. As they are exploring the location, the ship is attacked and destroyed, its crew jettisoned to the planet below. Once on the planet, Kirk must recover his crew and figure out the mystery as to why they were attacked. This action sequence is one of the film’s most exhilarating and overflows with great character moments. It’s to Lin’s credit that even though I’ve seen the Enterprise blown up countless times, I’ve never felt so moved by the incident. The moment is often used in Trek films as a gimmick or as the backdrop for a rousing action climax. Here it has emotional weight and the moment is surprisingly affecting.
The strong ensemble cast remains this rebooted series’ greatest asset. Chris Pine finally gets the opportunity to exhibit the intelligence and thoughtfulness that has made Captain Kirk so beloved over the years. He finally feels like a leader, as opposed to a rebellious punk kid. As Spock, Zachary Quinto continues to expertly channel the spirit of Leonard Nimoy. He and Karl Urban’s McCoy get ample opportunity to play off each other, and their squabbling and more subdued exchanges make for some of Beyond’s funniest, most heartfelt moments. The rest of the supporting cast, which includes Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho and the late Anton Yelchin, continues to shine even if they aren’t given much to do. New castmate Sofia Boutella gives a fiercely effective performance as Jaylah, an ass-kicking warrior who helps the marooned crew get back on their feet.
There are a ton of instances where we get to see the Enterprise crew interact and work together to overcome numerous obstacles and it’s in these scenes that Lin and co. really demonstrate they understand that what makes Star Trek work is the chemistry between these characters. More than any other entry in this rebooted series, Beyond feels like a big-budget episode of the Original Series, and that’s both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness.
On the one hand it’s refreshing to have a big-budget blockbuster that doesn’t focus on the END OF THE WORLD. At the same time, Beyond can’t help feeling slightly…well…slight. The stakes just aren’t quite as high as they were in Star Trek ’09 or even Into Darkness and the film can’t fully shake its more throwaway nature. It plays things a bit too safe.
Perhaps one of the biggest demonstrations of this major lack of risk-taking is the primary antagonist Krall. Following this summer’s trend of casting phenomenal actors in anonymous, makeup-laden villain roles, (Oscar Isaac in X-Men, anyone?) Idris Elba plays the part with terrifying zest. It’s a shame the character itself isn’t more interesting. Krall’s motivations are generic and half-baked. To be frank, he isn’t all that different from the Federation-hating baddies Kirk and co. have faced the last two times around. Elba is capable of so much more, and I wish he’d been given the opportunity to deliver.
But where Star Trek Beyond truly succeeds is in its recognition that Star Trek has always worked best when it focuses on ideas and characters, both of which were lacking in Into Darkness. Sure, the action-heavy mentality of the rebooted series is ever-present, and Lin continues to prove himself a more-than-capable action director here, but there’s a stronger emphasis on the characters and their relationships with one another that elevates this entry above the rest of the pack. Beyond might not be as memorable as other entries in the series, but it more than makes up for its shortcomings with charm and solid thrills. It serves as a thoughtful, heartfelt reminder of what has kept Star Trek enduring for the past five decades, and hopefully many decades to come.
FINAL RATING: 4/5
