Directed by Justin Lin
Written by Simon Pegg & Doug Jung, based on the television series “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella, Deep Roy, Greg Grunberg
Soundtrack: Michael Giacchino
If we’re all being honest here, the initial marketing for ‘Star Trek Beyond’ was, shall we say, worrisome.
Thankfully, someone was listening. and the marketing got better, unlike some other recent release in which every single last trailer was awful (hint: starts with a G). Even so, I didn’t exactly have high expectations for this movie going into it. All I really wanted was for the latest Star Trek installment to be better then the last one (NSFW), which was such a hot mess that even Skyline Chili would call it a hot mess.
Fortunately, I’m happy to report that ‘Star Trek Beyond’ is a fine picture, certainly better than its predecessor, and largely up to the standard of the original 2009 reboot. That’s not to say it’s perfect; frankly, it’s missing something I can’t quite put my finger on, but I’ll definitely watch it again in the future.
Firstly though, let’s talk about the negative. The biggest problem I have with this movie, shockingly, is the visuals. That’s not to say the effects aren’t what they should be; they’re more than adequate. No, I’m talking about the actual movement of the camera, particularly during action sequences. Oftentimes, it’s so close to the action that you can’t even make out what’s really happening (aka “Who’s punching who?”); while other times it is a reasonable distance away, but it’s still shaking so much that you just want to die. Honestly, I got more dizzy watching ‘Star Trek Beyond’ than I did watching ‘Hardcore Henry‘, a movie that takes place entirely in the first person. I mean, seriously, it’s been 40 years since the Steadicam entered the movie-making fray; why is Hollywood trying to kill us with this shaky-cam madness?
But, I digress.
By far the strongest aspect of ‘Beyond’ is the script (especially when compared to ‘Into Darkness’). I’d venture to say it’s the tightest script for a Star Trek movie in 25 years (although that motorcycle is still never properly explained). More importantly, however, is that of the three “new timeline” movies, ‘Star Trek Beyond’ unquestionably comes the closest to matching the tone of the original series, which, even as a casual fan of the franchise, is much appreciated. And yet, the movie has some of its own unique touches, which not everybody may like, but at least the movie’s not merely trying to hit you with as many recognizable Star Trek references as possible.
Other than that, the cast does what they’re there to do, and I actually liked Sofia Boutella as “Jaylah” in particular, although Idris Elba gets the Trooper Award for being buried under all that makeup and prostheses. Most importantly, I appreciated how the filmmakers handled the tributes to the late Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin; it’s literally a moment of silence within the end credits that says it all.
Is it the greatest movie of all time? No. Is it enough to cleanse your palate from the awfulness of ‘Into Darkness’? Yes, and that’s all it needs to be.
Rating: ★★★★☆
P.S.
Thanks again to Alamo Drafthouse and Mondo for the usual opening night accouterments and specials. The “Finagle’s Folly” cocktail was quite…green.
Who says you can’t like both?