on STAR TREK BEYOND (2016, 122 minutes,
PG-13)
The Quick of It -
A franchise that has now produced three new
movies as a reboot comes under major scrutiny.
This is a challenge that requires some careful consideration. Being that this franchise comes from a long
line of source material, writers and directors must always feel that they are
walking on egg shells, or balancing on a thin wire with rabid dogs looking up,
hoping they fall.
STAR TREK BEYOND has to be a credit to Simon
Peggand Doug Jung's brilliance to continue along the Trekking path. Keeping this short, they reinvigorate the
'buddy triangle' between the three leads; Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. This was something even Karl Urban (Dr.
McCoy) knew needed to happen. So much
so, he was not on board to do another film since he felt Dr. McCoy was not
being utilized properly. The script and
director Justin Linn (of FAST AND THE FURIOUS fame) changed his mind and made a
great product.
The parts that make the whole demonstrate that
there are more stories to tell in the Star Trek universe. The settings go from interesting to
mind-blowing! The Starbase Yorktown was
'beyond' anything I have seen in a long time in space movies. Visually, the layout and cinematic shots
were incredible. This alone makes it worth the watch.
The story is simple
enough, with a nod to past storylines, safe character directions, and a
friendly twist at the end. But I did
not find this to make for bad storytelling. The Enterprise has been on an extended deep space mission and everyone is suffering from the mental stress. Also with other home issues (not to spoil things here), Kirk and Spock struggle with remaining on the Enterprise. Then following a distress call, the direction of the plot only puts them further into the unknown, and facing a new enemy.
My delay in making time for this film seems now
like a bad call. I could have missed
seeing it on the silver screen, and that would have been a shame. I am still thankful for JJ Abrams for making
this possible, and believe he has done better with Star Trek than with Star
Wars.
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