Growing up I watched a lot of the original Star Trek television series. My dad was a huge fan so it was constantly on our television. I always enjoyed the adventures of Kirk, Spock, Scotty and Sulu. I remember the episode where they drank tranya. I loved the fury little tribbles. As I got older, though, I never kept up on the newer series like The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. Since my dad never watched them, I didn't watch them. We had all the movies recorded on VHS tapes, but I only remember watching The Voyage Home. I liked that it took place at an aquarium and dealt with a humpback whale. I had a thing for aquariums growing up, hence while I also watched Jaws 4 a lot, but thats for another time and place.
In 2009, when J.J. Abrams decided to reboot the film franchise with the original characters I was pretty excited and boy did that movie deliver. In 2013, J.J. Abrams came back to direct another Star Trek movie, Star Trek Into Darkness. Most people were negative about that movie, but I enjoyed it. Now in 2016, we get yet another Star Trek movie, Star Trek Beyond, but this time with Justin Lin directing. Justin Lin was able to rejuvenate The Fast and the Furious franchise, so I was interested to see how he would handle this one. Unfortunately after seeing the first couple of trailers I wasn't one hundred percent sold on this new movie. Would Justin Lin be able to deliver a quality movie or would it be a disappointment like all the other sequels that have been released so far this summer?
Star Trek Beyond takes place with the crew of the USS Enterprise in the middle of their five-year mission. They come across an escape pod with a sole survivor that tells them that her ship is stranded and she needs help. Captain Kirk, played once again by Chris Pine, decides to help, but along the way disaster strikes. It is is up to Kirk and his crew to find out what is going on and help those that are in need.
I thought Star Trek Beyond was a lot of fun. Just like he did with The Fast and the Furious franchise, Justin Lin brings these great action set pieces that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The action flowed smoothly from character to character which is important when you have a movie with this many important characters. The visuals were bright and eye catching and never felt like it was created on a computer or that a green screen was used. I also liked that the action wasn't just people shooting blasters at each other and space dog fights, there was some solid hand to hand combat. The star of the hand to hand combat was Sofia Boutella, who plays Jaylah. Sofia was previously seen kicking ass in Kingsman. I look forward to seeing whatever action movie she stars in in the future.
Another great aspect of Star Trek Beyond is the chemistry between the actors. These actors act like they have been stuck on the Enterprise for two plus years. The banter between them is hilarious, especially between Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock, and Karl Urban, who plays McCoy "Bones". Karl was probably the funniest person in this movie. His character was constantly getting dragged into doing things he didn't want to do and his reactions were priceless every time. It was also fun to watch any of the crew members interact with Spock. You could tell they were tired with how literal he is. You could sense he got under their skin just a little but they were finally comfortable enough to tell Spock how it should be.
I feel like I can't talk about Star Trek Beyond without bringing up Anton Yelchin. Just over a month ago Anton passed away and this is the first film released since his death. It was pretty heartbreaking seeing Anton on the big screen after such a tragic event. But it was also a joy just to see him on the big screen one more time. You can see why he was considered one of the best actors on the rise. His performance was fantastic. It seemed like he had a lot of fun playing Checkov. He ended up having a lot more screen time than I thought he would have and I'm glad, we as an audience, got to spend that time with him.
For me the only disappointing thing about this movie was the villain, Krall, played by Idris Elba. His character fell into the Bane from The Dark Knight Rises trap. For the first half the film I struggled to understand what he was saying. I also didn't feel that he was that menacing. There are a few times he tries to be menacing but never comes across that way and just seems pointless. Also his motives aren't that clear until much later into the movie.
Star Trek Beyond is a great summer blockbuster. The action was spectacular. I was on the edge of my seat and loved how it was choreographed. The visuals were stunning and the hand to hand combat was intense, much better than the hand to hand combat from the original TV series. The chemistry between the cast was fantastic. I loved watching the way they interacted with each other. It felt like they were a family. The summer of 2016 has had some major disappointments when it comes to blockbusters, I'm glad to say that you must see Star Trek Beyond in theaters, you will enjoy the wild ride.
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