J.J. Abrams reignited the Star Trek franchise in 2009 by starting over with a brand new timeline and while it brought in a legion of new fans – myself included – there were many that complained the spirit of the TV series was missing. With the release of Star Trek: Into Darkness in 2013, there came more complaints about the direction Abrams was taking the beloved characters in, not least because of Benedict Cumberbatch’s role as iconic villain Kahn. When Abrams left the Federation for a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, however, Fast and Furious veteran Justin Lin stepped in to direct Star Trek Beyond, the third film in the franchise and perhaps the most faithful adaptation of the source material yet.
Beyond picks up several years after the events of Into Darkness as we re-join the crew of the Enterprise during a mission to settle a long-running dispute between two different alien species. It’s an introduction which actually displays what the Federation is all about – something lacking from the first two films – and immediately sets the tone for everything else we are about to see thanks to well timed humour and scenes involving strange creatures on new worlds. From the opening moments, Simon Pegg’s script balances humour and adventure perfectly while paying respect to the original series in a way that fan’s only dreamed of, and though the first act may be somewhat slow, it allows great characterisation for all the film’s key players.
For all the complaints that have been made about Abrams two Star Trek films, there’s no denying that he assembled a fantastic cast to portray each of the characters. It’s a pleasure then to see them all return for this third outing and still sharing great chemistry onscreen, particularly Bones (Karl Urban) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) who spend much of the film in each other’s company and getting on each other’s nerves. Chris Pine is once again more than capable of filling William Shatner’s shoes as James T. Kirk, while Simon Pegg and the late Anton Yelchin provide many moments of humour throughout as Scottie and Chekov. If there’s any of the central characters that get short changed, it’s Zoe Saldana as Lieutenant Uhura who spends most of the film in captivity without any real moments to shine.
Thankfully, Beyond introduces a brand new female character into the franchise in the form of Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) who kicks enough ass during her time onscreen to make up for Uhura’s limited screen time. Jaylah arrives to save Scottie after the Enterprise has crash landed on a planet somewhere in the nebula and the two end up forming a bond that feels absolutely sincere, with Pegg and Boutella bouncing off each other brilliantly during a conversation revolving around music. Jaylah’s backstory may be somewhat clichéd yet Boutella portrays the character so well that it hardly even matters and should she return for the already-announced sequel, her presence would be more than welcome.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the film’s antagonist, Krall (Idris Elba). Elba has taken on so many roles lately that it’s hard to keep track of what he wasn’t in, and his appearance here is perhaps slightly unnecessary with Krall being reduced to a one-dimensional villain for the majority of the film. His motivations are slightly hazy throughout – it appears as if he just doesn’t want people to be friends – until a third act twist does provide his character with a bit more depth, but by the time it arrives it’s just too little too late. Though many complained about Cumberbatch in Into Darkness, he still had great onscreen presence but while Krall is menacing, he’s somewhat underwhelming.
Fortunately, he’s the only real weak link in a film which boasts fantastic characters and some stunning action set pieces. No stranger to the action genre, Justin Lin handles each explosive sequence with ease and proves that he’s the right man for the job. Sure, a scene involving the Enterprise being torn apart once again is a little repetitive given that we’ve seen its destruction several times now, but there are genuine stakes as it breaks up in the atmosphere of the nebula planet, and Lin ensures that the action remains coherent despite everything that is happening onscreen. He does lose his restraint at times during the hand-to-hand combat sequences which feature just a few too many cuts, but with Abrams being one of the best in the business at directing an action set piece Lin had a lot to live up to and he manages to deliver.
From the film’s trailers, Beyond looked as if it might fail to hit the mark and simply try and imitate Guardians of the Galaxy, so it’s a pleasant surprise to see Lin produce a fun action adventure film which handles many of its components excellently. Though Yorktown bares a striking resemblance to Xander, the only real comparisons to Guardians of the Galaxy that can be made are that both films are sci-fi adventures with a good amount of humour, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all. If the director returns for the upcoming fourth film in the series, count me in.
Great characters, fantastic action, and a script that pays respect to the original series. Star Trek Beyond is one of the summer’s best blockbusters that provides a fun experience for cinema goers and should appeal to fans both old and new.
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