When the first trailer for Star Trek Beyond was released, it was divisive, to say the least. There were two viewpoints to the upcoming film at the time. Casual fans found the trailer fun and looked forward to where director Justin Lin would take the film. The Trekkies and hardcore loyal fans of the franchise were not happy, firstly with the Beastie Boys sound backdrop and that no real plot was shown in the trailer. They didn’t know how the film would turn out causing their doubt in Lin and whether he could continue the momentum J.J. Abrams started when he rebooted the franchise in 2009.
This is one film that falls under the category of trailers don’t tell everything as Star Trek Beyond is a fun, entertaining, and compelling summer blockbuster that goes from showing J.J. Abrams knack for lens flares to a true tribute to the original show and its adventure of the week storylines. It does an effective job of not only establishing new characters but adding interest to the already established crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
In Beyond, we take off on the Enterprise and see that the normal dynamic is shifted as characters that have not been paired together are forced to work together in order to survive. Despite the overload of CGI in the film, the real spectacle is the relationships of the characters, specifically Bones and Spock. The bickering and sly remarks between the two throughout the film was a joy to watch. Quinto and Urban do share a great chemistry and it is displayed throughout the film, which leads to not only a fondness of each other, but a gained mutual respect and it is seen through the performances of both men.
Idris Elba is great as always in his role of the villainous Krall, but while his performance is great, the character, despite being well developed with his motives known, feels more like a villain of the week than one that can be taken as a serious threat.
Jaylah, Star Trek Beyond‘s other new character, is the example of female heroines taking a rightful place in Hollywood. She is the epitome of a strong, intelligent, independent female who not only solves problems but can kick ass in the progress. Co-writer, Simon Pegg, explained at a Star Trek Beyond press conference on Thursday how his Jennifer Lawerence affection morphed into the character of Jaylah.
“We were trying to create this very independent character. But we didn’t have a name for it. So we just called it ‘Jennifer-Lawrence-In-Winter’s-Bone.’ That’s a long name. So it started getting tiring always saying, well Jennifer-Lawrence-In-Winter’s-Bone is fighting here. So then we started calling her J-Law. And then she became Jaylah.”
Not everything in this film is rainbows and butterflies. The overuse of CGI is quite evident and while it is inevitable that a film of this magnitude needs it, there are moments that practical effects could have hit better with the audience. In an era started with Mad Max: Fury Road, it would be nice if more films attempted to lessen the CGI and become more practical in their movie making. Along with that, the plot is linear, as the 3 acts go from point A to B to C with little to no mystery. Only in the climactic final act do we get an interesting reveal.
Star Trek Beyond despite its flaws is a fine installment in the rebooted franchise. The film will garner approval from its casual and hardcore fans and will be just the fill cinephiles need if you’re looking for an entertaining film this weekend.
Reel Talk gives Star Trek Beyond 3 reels
