Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Star Trek Beyond
STARRING: Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Zachary Quinto
DIRECTOR: Justin Lin
Genre: Science-Fiction
Rating: PG-15
122 mins
I must admit, despite being a huge sci-fi fan, I wouldn’t class myself as a Trekkie. I remember watching a few of the Patrick Stewart-era episodes when I was growing up in the Nineties, but whenever I wanted a piece of intergalactic action I’d throw on one of the Star Wars films for the thousandth time instead.
As I’ve got older and delved deeper into the genre’s archives, I’ve tried to watch the Original Series (William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy et al) but it’s a little too dated and camp to be taken seriously now.
Therefore, I’m grateful for the cinematic reboot of the franchise for being my introduction to the world. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two Star Trek movies (a bone of contention among traditionalists, who tend to view them negatively) and Beyond is definitely the best yet.
It’s a good job too, as it had a huge weight on its shoulders regarding both mainstream audiences and diehard fans. Not only does it have to satisfy both parties after the previous movies proved so divisive, but it’s also being released amid the franchise’s 50th anniversary celebration.
Events kick off three years into the USS Enterprise’s legendary five-year mission, and Captain James Kirk (Pine) is having some sort of mid-life crisis, questioning how he fell into this life in the first place. He joined Starfleet to live up to his father’s memory, but now as Kirk is about to celebrate the birthday that will actually make him older than his old man ever lived to be, he’s tired of the monotonous captain duties and is considering putting space travel behind him forever.
Meanwhile, Spock (Quinto) is also grappling with something of an existential crisis, as sad news comes from New Vulcan that compels him to return to his people and help rebuild their race. This development also causes a rift in Spock’s relationship with Uhura (Zoe Saldana).
While the movie seems to be heading down a very personal avenue with all this emotional setup, it actually turns into a straight-forward yarn after the first act. In fact, almost all of these issues are put on hold until the ending wrap-up when a much bigger problem arises: the Enterprise is ambushed by a thousand small projectile-like spacecraft. The crew must abandon their doomed vessel, and most are taken prisoner on the uncharted planet below by a mysterious alien race led by Krall (Idris Elba). This villain has a bone to pick with the Federation and is cooking up a deadly plan that will make them wish they’d never pushed into the final frontier in the first place.
The ambush scene is truly superb, with absolute mayhem and destruction filling the screen in equal measure. The visuals are inventive and the action is thrilling, which is a given considering directorial duties have passed to Justin Lin, he of the Fast & Furious franchise. Even the run-of-the-mill stuff here betters anything from the recent Independence Day: Resurgence.
What makes Beyond stand out is odd character pairings, which takes full advantage of the ‘stranded on a planet’ plot device. It allows warmth and humour to meander through the film to break up the tension and drama.
The same negatives as the previous films still crop up here, which is disappointing. Krall is a decent villain when he’s moralising, often acting as a dark reflection of Kirk, but he never gets enough backstory to establish why he’s like he is. His plan is also a bit daft and far-fetched too.
Furthermore, the crew never feels truly in danger. They face trials and tribulations as always, but you never actually fear for their safety or believe for one moment that they’ll fail to make it through. The supporting characters get a bit short-changed as it is compared to the big hitters on the bridge, so at least stick a red shirt on some of them and send them to their doom!
Regardless, as the saying goes: ‘third time lucky’. At least, it should be, as Beyond is terrific; a fun and exciting entry in the series that balances subtle fan service while also feeling fresh and modern. If the diehard Trekkies who trawl around the world going to conventions dressed as Klingons don’t like this one and deem it an insult to the franchise, then they’ll never be satisfied as it can’t get much better.
There’s also a touching moment once the final shot fades to black, first with an ‘In memory of Leonard Nimoy’ banner to commemorate the original Spock actor who passed away last year.
Then, even more emotionally, a ‘For Anton’ dedication appears for the Russian actor Anton Yelchin, who plays Chekov in the movie, after his death last month in a freak accident in his driveway. Although his death came too late to actually affect the Chekov character and the events of the film (in all honestly, his part is fairly background), his scenes carry a little more emotional weight because of what the audience knows.
Showing in: Novo Cinemas, Cineco, Seef II, Saar, Wadi Al Sail, Dana Cineplex
Rating: 4/5
