#351: STAR TREK BEYOND

2016

Directed by Justin Lin

Sci-Fi, Action.

The biggest talking point about the 3rd entry into the rebooted Star Trek film franchise is that JJ Abrams, who directed the first two films, left the directors chair (though stayed on as producer) in order to make Star Wars: The Force Awakens. His critical success of steering Star Wars back on track simply wouldn't have happened without his wonderful contributions to the Star Trek series, and the man is pretty much now the master of two of the biggest Sci-Fi franchises ever!

So how does Star Trek Beyond fare in the hands of Fast & Furious director Justin Lin? Well pretty well actually, especially considering the F&F films are utter trash! The look and feel of Star Trek Beyond really isn't that far from the previous two films. The visuals in particular look amazing, and all the characters are just as great as ever. They even carry on the tradition of using the music of The Beastie Boys, and this time the song "Sabotage" actually ends up saving the crew from a sticky situation, how awesome is that?

Star Trek Beyond isn't without its problems though. Whilst there is nothing really that wrong with the visuals (I missed the lens flare) or the characters, it just feels like another mission. The plot is quite formulaic, the characters meet up, get attacked by bad guys, get separated, then they have to unite and overcome the villains. The new villain is quite good, but certainly cannot compare to Eggs Benedict Cumberbatch's astonishing performance as Khan in the previous film. Rarely does the plot of this film seem deep or challenging. Other than having to fight the main villain, the characters don't go through too much of a heavy experience and it doesn't really have any of the dramatic weight as that wonderful scene with Spock and Kirk in the radiation chamber from Into Darkness. 

If you enjoyed the first two films in the reboot series, you'll probably enjoy Star Trek Beyond too, but it just kind of feels like an extra mission for the characters to undertake, and never really feels as bold or as exciting as the previous two films. Still, with the awful first trailer and the loss of Mr. Abrams at the helm, I certainly expected worse... 7/10.