It’s not an accidental day: Star Trek The Original Series debuted on CBS in September 1966 (interestingly when William Shatner was the age Chris Pine is now). Kirk and his crew spend much of “Star Trek Beyond” working to join forces because that goal, the goal of solidarity, is the true 50-year mission of “Star Trek”, and this film takes that to heart.
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If you are looking for some blockbuster action on the big screen this week, look no further than Star Trek Beyond.
After J.J. Abrams left to helm that other “Star” franchise, “Fast & Furious” director Justin Lin took over the controls.
A dark cloud seems to have been hanging over “Star Trek Beyond” since its earliest development stages.
“It’s a pretty remarkable milestone for any entertainment franchise to last for half a century”, Zachary Quinto, who plays the half-Vulcan Mr. Spock in the rebooted films, observes.
Before the dynamic duo can decide whether or not to part ways, the USS Enterprise is sent to an unknown planet to rescue a downed Starfleet ship.
The joke may be a nod to the original 1960s TV series, but it also sets a tone for “Star Trek Beyond”, which feels more like an episode than either of Pine’s first two stints in the iconic captain’s chair. They’re an entertaining enough bunch meandering around, and screenwriters Doug Jung and Pegg (who, as the writer of “Spaced”, knows plenty about the intersection of comedy and science fiction) have injected some humor to the proceedings. But the best pairing is that of Spock and McCoy (Karl Urban), two men who have always been portrayed as enjoyably opposite sides of a coin. As the Enterprise nears its destination, a devastating attack forces it to break apart and crash onto a starkly lovely (and conveniently human-friendly M-Class) uncharted planet.
The review for Star Trek Beyond have been mostly leaning to positive. Once the evil Krall (Idris Elba, threatening even under loads of prosthetics) and his crew board the ship, Kirk, Spock and their entire team become fully aware that they are massively outgunned and outnumbered. His reboot struck the ideal tone of high energy intrigue using a modern format while respectfully paying homage to the original creation.
“… and then here we are in 2016 and I’ve written an odd-numbered Star Trek movie, and I’m happy to say that Tim is wrong”. The character is an alien warrior called Jaylah. Just like me, Gunner had never seen any of the Star Trek series.
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Star Trek Beyond has a few pacing problems and one ending too many, but it’s still a really satisfying adventure that comes closest to recapturing the spirit of the original series – and is perhaps the first film in the rebooted series that truly stands on its own. But to Abrams, “there’s something about his having died that makes it impossible”, yet that exact same standard hasn’t been applied to bringing Hemsworth’s George Kirk back from the dead.
