And I’ve talked to him (Shatner) about it. If Kirk had lived there’d be an answer. Instead, they invited select people to a marathon and I managed to secure an invite.
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It’s both a sly nod to Star Trek’s television origins, and a meta commentary on the film itself: It’s the third entry into latest Trek reboot, but it’s also the one that comes closest to feeling like an original Star Trek episode.
For a series supposedly about the future, “Star Trek” remains firmly rooted in the franchise’s long-lived and very prosperous past.
There’s only one thing we really want from a summer movie, and that’s fun.
Because the movie is pretty much an all-out action flick, I’m not going to waste a lot of words describing the plot.
Near the beginning of “Star Trek Beyond”, Captain Kirk complains about life on the Starship Enterprise having grown “episodic”. He joined Mission Impossible with director J.J. Abrams and then started on with Star Trek in 2009. It takes Kirk, Spock and crew into a nebula at the edge of explored space where they encounter a race seeking a device – which Kirk just “happens” to have – that will allow them to destroy humanity. The reptilian aliens attack in waves of small ships that can slice a spaceship into pieces. Besides, it also results in the terrific central idea of the film: The crew, who generally spends a great deal of their screen time together on the bridge is splintered off into separate groups down on that planet, trying hard to get back into one family unit so they can do battle with Krall. Screenwriters Doug Jung and Simon Pegg, who plays Scotty, know the rules of engagement. Pegg’s previous writing includes the wonderfully amusing Shawn of the Dead.
“Star Trek” doesn’t engage the intellect quite as fervently as Roddenberry’s series or Abrams’ movies did. The unusual pairings – Dr. “Bones’ McCoy (Karl Urban) with Spock, Uhura (Zoe Saldana) with Sulu (John Cho), Kirk with Chekov (Anton Yelchin – a talented young actor who we tragically lost recently), and Scotty (Simon Pegg) with a savvy warrior alien named Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) – make for some interesting dynamics”. Now, producer JJ Abrams has spoken up to talk about how he’s excited for the film in part because it’s his “favorite Star Trek story that we’ve had”.
Justin Lin delivers an entertaining Star Trek flick that goes beyond expectations.
Parent’s guide: PG-13 (intense sci-fi action, violence, adult themes). It’s playing at The Carmike 12, Regal’s Columbia Center 8, the Fairchild Cinemas 12 and Queensgate 12 and at Walla Walla Grand Cinemas.
4 stars to 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it’s your type of movie.
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2 stars to 1 star: Don’t bother.
