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"Star Trek Beyond" is as close as the new cinematic reboots have gotten to
emulating the spirit of the original Gene Roddenberry-created series and
subsequent big-screen movies. This will be welcome news for long-time fans and
purists including myself, who may have thought 2013's "Star Trek Into Darkness"
lost a little of their spirit, trading larger universal questions and
philosophical musings for whiz-bang action sequences. The new blood behind the
cameras and page likely have something to do with this return to the vintage
feel of classic "Star Trek"—albeit still with plenty of daring stunts, chases
and all-around thrills. Taking over for previous helmer J.J. Abrams and
screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, director Justin Lin (2013's "Fast
and Furious 3-6") and scribes Simon Pegg (2013's "Worlds' End") and Doug Jung
have concocted a slightly more contained story that takes its characters away
from the Enterprise bridge and traps them in uncharted territory from which they
must work together to escape. One's initial impulse to claim "Star Trek Beyond"
is a slighter sequel proves unfounded as its deeper existential themes reveal
themselves.
Three years into the USS Enterprise's five-year mission, fatigue has set in for
the crew as both Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Commander Spock (Zachary
Quinto) are experiencing early midlife crises. Celebrating his birthday with a
heavy heart, Kirk isn't sure he has earned
his position in Starfleet and cannot help but consider how he has passed the age
of his father when he was killed. For Spock, word that the elder Ambassador
Spock (the late Leonard Nimoy, glimpsed in photos) has passed away leads him to
contemplate the inevitability of his own death while putting his cooled romance
with Lieutenant Uhura (Zoë Saldana) to the test. Kirk and Spock's respective
inner conflicts must be placed on the backburner when a mission to rescue an
imperiled crew stranded on a nearby planet reveals itself to be a trap, the
Enterprise ambushed by a squad of drone soldiers led by alien warlord Krall (Idris
Elba). Krall is in search of a powerful, potentially deadly artifact in their
possession, and he will do whatever necessary to obtain it.
Authentically picking up with an understandably tired USS Enterprise crew and
very quickly placing them in mortal danger, "Star Trek Beyond" gets off to a
bold start following a prologue involving Kirk's appearance in front of an alien
council lorded over by what could best be described as warthogs. Introspective
moments of soul-searching putting Kirk and Spock's roles on the Starship
Enterprise into question segue into an enormously gripping set-piece in which
their spacecraft is attacked and ultimately crash-lands on an unknown planet.
Screenwriters Pegg and Jung handily juggle the ensemble, giving their supporting
players significantly more to do as the characters are separated into smaller
clusters—an injured Spock and Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy (Karl Urban 2012's “Dredd”),
Kirk with Ensign Pavlov Chekov (Anton Yelchin), and engineer Montgomery 'Scotty'
Scott (Simon Pegg) with lonesome alien scavenger Jaylah (Sofia Boutella)—while
seeking to rescue the captured Uhura and Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu (John Cho). All
the while, they must protect the mysterious alien artifact, fearful of the
catastrophic powers it may hold if Krall gets a hold of it.
Watching these actors interact outside of the Starship bridge is one of the
central pleasures of the film, the lot of them by now entirely comfortable
within their seminal roles. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are once again the
anchors as unlikely friends and colleagues Captain James
T. Kirk, passionate and quick-tempered, and Commander Spock, driven by logic and
reason. Pine is ideally cast as Kirk, his hotshot ways gradually being replaced
by a newfound maturity which has come with age and experience. The joy of seeing
Quinto as Spock is in the layers he has brought to the part, both in the love he
has for Uhura and the rare instances where outward emotions betray his typically
straight-faced façade. Zoë Saldana (2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy") is
sympathetic and strong-willed as Uhura, her relationship with Spock given less
screen time but nonetheless developing in interesting and winning ways.
Karl Urban is perfection as the forthright, often amusingly frustrated McCoy,
while Simon Pegg isn't far behind as Scott, his burgeoning friendship with
Jaylah an endearing and unexpected dynamic. As Jaylah, Sofia Boutella (2015's "Kingsman:
The Secret Service") doesn't let her
newbie status get in the way of an
instantly likable performance of sneakily comedic vitality. Frequently the most
underserved of the central cast, John Cho and the late Anton Yelchin
additionally receive a number of well-earned moments in the spotlight as Sulu
and Chekov. The discovery that Sulu is in a committed same-sex relationship and
has a young daughter is treated less as a revelation calling attention to itself
and more as a natural extension in
learning about who he is. With the wounds of his loss still tender for those who
loved him and appreciated his work as an actor, it is impossible to see Yelchin
on screen and not think about his untimely June 2016 death. Nevertheless, it is
a testament to his talent that he fills each frame with a charisma and disarming
purity of performance. He will be missed. The usually reliable Idris Elba
(2012's "Prometheus") is the weak link among the cast as villain Krall. For the
bulk of the picture, it is difficult to figure out where the heavy prosthetics
make-up ends and the actor begins. After he sheds much of this in time for the
third act, Elba chooses to go over-the-top when a more subtle, measured,
simmering portrayal would have been far more interesting and chilling.
"Star Trek Beyond" works, first and foremost, as a crowd-pleasing
science-fiction adventure, but it is equally notable as a thoughtful rumination
on embracing one's larger purpose and coming to terms with the temporariness of
life. Director Lin and writers Pegg and Jung have created a fitting installment
that acts as a throwback to the legacy of the series and as a pop-infused
entertainment bursting with all the excitement, visual grandeur and character
moments one has come to expect from the J.J. Abrams era. The conception and
ultimate realization of the Yorktown Starbase is a particularly dazzling
achievement in imagination and special effects, the home of much of the crew's
families like a dizzying, futuristic M.C. Escher painting come to life. "Star
Trek Beyond" has a mind and a soul and, by now, a collection of actors who fit
into their roles as seamlessly as their elder counterparts. For fans of these
newer pictures, this is another satisfying, rock-solid entry. As for those who
have longed for a little of the old-school magic from decades' past, they have
finally gotten their wish. Joyous, rousing and unabashedly focused on the idea
and critical need for unity, Star Trek Beyond doesn’t just course correct after
the bumpy Into Darkness, but also defines itself as the first of the new Trek
that firmly grasps what makes the old so special and how to play that against
the more modernized take.
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