Run time: 122 mins       Certificate: 12A
Director: Justin Lin
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban.
Release Date: July 22, 2016.

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Boldly going where many have gone before.

Its a relief that with the new Star Trek crews third outing they seem to have finally found their place in the universe. The light adventurous tone matches the charm of the original series while the characters, still as perfectly cast as ever, are given some of their best interplay yet. Unfortunately its taken until the third entry for the franchise to find this balance, and in many ways Beyond feels like the first entry in a series where the story takes a back seat in order to set up the characters and spirit of what’s to come in future installments. Nothing ground breaking then, but with it Star Trek is definitely in the right place for moving forward, especially after the divisive Into Darkness.

Those who were apprehensive about Justin Lin directing a Star Trek film will soon be won over in the opening moments alone. Kirk’s monologue on his doubts regarding their 5 year mission is frankly one of the better moments the reboot series has offered, just one of Simon Peggs and Doug Jungs’ scripts finer moments that stand out amongst the otherwise light affair. Accompanied by swooping views of the Enterprise Lin manages to capture a wonderfully sombre tone amidst the wonder without imbuing any unnecessary darkness or grit, an early indication that Lin and his team get what makes Star Trek special. What follows is a decidedly run of the mill affair that, after the jaw dropping destruction of the Enterprise, all too happily falls back on generic plot beats. While the story may offer little in the way of Star Treks trademark intellectual elements to engage with, its simplicity does pave the way for Lin to handle both the cast and the pace with impunity.

From the moment the crew crash lands Lin takes every opportunity to play with their comfort zones through splitting them up. The most mismatched of these pairings has to be Bones and Spock and is all the more enjoyable for it, yet as effective as the approach is it does see some of the crew end up in far less engaging scenarios such as Sulu and Uhura’s relatively static prisoner scenes. Surprisingly for a director of Lin’s pedigree the action often comes up short, with some of the more physical encounters in particular falling victim to some choppy camera cuts. When its on a grander set though he shines as usual, with sequences from chaotic space battles to Kirk’s motorbike escapades touting an effortless sense of scale without ever breaking the flow of the scene. Some aspects, such as the love it or hate it Beastie Boys scene or the overly familiar finale may give audiences pause, but for the most part you’ll be enjoying the ride too much to notice. As expected all of this is bolstered by some exemplar effects, with the reliance on practical sets helping no end in selling the alien planet the bulk of the film inhabits.

The returning cast all slip back into their roles like a second skin, except for the strange omission of Into Darkness’ Alice Eve who’s disappearance is never explained, and are given ample chance to flesh out their respective roles. Chris Pine is an admirable Kirk once again, bringing the same bravado typical of his 60’s counterpart whilst also getting to grips with some of his characters personal troubles this time round. Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban have some great interplay as Spock and Bones respectively, offering one of the more entertaining through lines of the film as they predictably clash. Urban in particular is clearly having a good time here and offers some of the best laughs in the film. Pegg, Saldana, Cho all hit their mark once more, even though the latter two are given little to do this time round. Its also a shame that this will be the late Anton Yelchins last turn as Chekov as he brings his trademark enthusiasm and energy in his handful of entertaining scenes alongside Pine.

The new faces are all welcome additions, even if they too struggle to make an impact in the fairly crowded screenplay. Sofia Boutella’s Jaylah is a delight to watch and excels in her action scenes though her character never develops beyond her cliché origin, unfortunate given she’s enjoys a lions share of the screen time alongside Pegg. Idris Elbas villainous Krall suffers a similar fate, as an interesting reveal comes far too late in the game for his character’s arch to be truly realised. He’s a formidable opponent for the crew as is, but its hard to shake the feeling that there was a far better villain waiting to be fleshed out before being cut short by the films roller coaster pace.

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Verdict

Star Trek Beyond is a quintessential Star Trek experience, like an extended episode put to the big screen with a dream budget. It may come slightly too late, being the third film in the franchise, and at the cost of an interesting plot, but there’s no doubt Justin Lin had the right vision for getting the series back on track. An enjoyable ride that captures the spirit of the originals then, just don’t expect to think about it all that much after the fact.

Hits

+ Justin Lin captures the spirit of Star Trek
+ Chris Pine excels as Kirk, especially in his monologue
+ Jaw dropping destruction of the Enterprise
+ Perfectly cast crew…

Misses

– …though some are given little material
– Passable but run of the mill plot
– Elba’s reveal comes too late to play out

Overall Rating