Depending on whom you ask, you'll get different
answers to what the most influential piece of visual sci-fi entertainment is. Many
would say "2001: A Space Odyssey," a film that illustrated the
essence of the human spirit and how far we plan to go. Some would say the
"Star Wars" franchise, which captured the hearts and minds of several
generations and took us on an epic journey spanning decades. And some
would say "Blade Runner," a dark picture of what overpopulation, lack
of resources, a class divide, and artificial intelligence would do to our
society. But many would argue that the most important piece of science fiction
in the past century wasn't a movie or a book, but a few TV series. "Star
Trek" was a sci-fi series that first aired in 1966; the show took place a little over 200 years in the future and followed the adventures of the crew of the Starship
Enterprise. The show was a hit with critics and audiences, garnering many
awards and fans over its lifetime; but low viewership and high production costs
lead the show to be canceled after three seasons. "Star Trek" was a
milestone for TV; touching on complex themes and relationships most shows
wouldn't bother with, it even featured the first scripted interracial kiss on
TV. Despite being canceled, "Star Trek" was a phenomenon that would
eventually spawn several films, including "Star Trek 2: The Wrath of
Khan" which is generally called a sci-fi classic. Decades later it
spawned several spin-off series, including "Star Trek: The Next
Generation" which is often considered to be one of the best dramas to ever
air on TV. "Star Trek" was special; it was a series that boldly went
where no one had gone before. Now, almost 50 years later "Star Trek"
is still going strong; and once again is here to entertain and inspire another
generation of viewers.
After the events of
"Into Darkness," the crew of the Starship Enterprise is now three
years into their five year trip into deep space; their mission is to discover
new species and planets, and act as messengers of peace on behalf of the
Federation. But after three years the crew has become tired, and they miss life
outside the ship. While re-supplying on the Federation's newest and most
advanced base, a scientist on an unmarked ship comes to ask for help. She
claims that her ship was downed in an uncharted nebula, and that her crew needs
help. So the Enterprise heads out again to help, but after entering the nebula
they come upon an army that is not interested in diplomacy.
2009's "Star
Trek" is one of my favorite sci-fi films of the past decade; I thought it
was a great reboot to a beloved series, which paid respect to its predecessors
while appealing to a larger audience. The sequel, "Star Trek Into
Darkness," was also good but lacked that special something the first one
had. When I first saw it I loved it, but upon reflection it doesn't hold up as
well as it needed to. So going into "Star Trek Beyond," the series
itself needed it to be good to keep audience attention. Fortunately, I do think
this movie is a step up from "Into Darkness." One of my biggest
concerns with "Beyond" was the new director, Justin Lin. J.J. Abrams,
who directed the previous two movies, stepped away from the franchise to work
on "Star Wars;” so Lin, most well known for working on the "Fast
& Furious franchise, stepped in. To my own surprise Lin did a great job. He
stepped into the series and made this movie his own. He did a great job with
the action scenes, of which this movie had many, and got solid performances out
of the entire cast. What really helps would be Simon Pegg's script, well
written and filled with great banter; it does a good job injecting humor into
appropriate situations. I will say that there are some pacing issues with the
movie; it starts off rather slow, taking about 20 minutes for something
interesting to really happen, and there were times where very little is
happening then a whole bunch of stuff happens all at ones. It felt a little
disjointed at times, but it never stopped being entertaining. The story also
adds some new characters that I really enjoyed; Jayla, who helps the crew, and
Krall, who is the lead villain. Jayla is badass, and has many funny lines.
She's a great addition that I hope is brought back for future installments.
Krall, played by Idris Elba, is an intimidating and despicable villain. At
first he seemed like a rather generic baddie, but over time when you learn his
motives he becomes more engaging. So while I actually liked him as a bad guy, I
still can't help but feel that he is a step down for the franchise. The best
thing about "Into Darkness" was the villain, Khan. Played by Benedict
Cumberbatch, Khan was a better villain than Krall in just about every way. So
while Elba did nothing wrong as the character, the character itself just wasn't
as interesting as Khan was. Like the previous films, where the movie really
shines would be the technical aspects. The CGI is very impressive, and some of
the best we've seen this year. On top of that they incorporate some really cool
cinematography tricks that shine during the action sequences. And I have to give
props to the makeup department. There are some pretty amazing makeup jobs, and
great use of prosthetic that shows off all the different species in the
"Star Trek" universe. While there were some minor issues, what bugged
me the most about this movie was that there was a little too much Dues ex
Machina. For those who don't know, Dues ex Machina is a theater trope which
involves intervention, sometimes from a higher power, that miraculously solves
an impossible problem. This movie is filled with a lot of convenience, start to
finish. Even the premise of the movie, which has Krall looking for an artifact
on the Enterprise, is so convenient in regards to how the Enterprise came upon
that it actually bugged me. I understand a movie sometimes need for unbelievable
things to happen for the story to proceed, but "Beyond" has a little
too much at times. Despite my issues with this movie, I still thought it was
great. From the opening scene to the emotional moment post-credits, this movie
was a blast and one of the most enjoyable movies I've seen this year. While not
as good as 2009's "Star Trek," I do think this is an overall step up
from "Into Darkness." And above all else, it gives me hope for all
things "Star Trek" yet to come.
Pros: Several awesome actions sequences,
impressive outing from director Justin Lin, impressive
CGI, some very cool cinematography, solid performances from the whole
cast, intimidating villain, Jayla
is a great new character, incredibly
entertaining, does a good job
paying respect to source
material, well written and funny banter, great
use of makeup and prognostics, does
a good job interjecting humor.
Cons: Slow
start, villain feels like a step
down, some pacing issues, little too much Deus Ex Machina.
4/5 Stars
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