Never let it be said that my quest to be a contrarian went nowhere.
After the interesting J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek and the masterful sequel, Into Darkness, I was ecstatic for more from the reboot of Gene Roddenberry’s beloved franchise. It’s one of the few reboots that made me interested to see what comes next, which is a testament to the writers, actors, and the production team. So, what is there to say about the third installment subtitled (or is it partially titled) Beyond?
If you’ve noticed the title, the film is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but you should watch it even if you want to wait for Netflix or Blu-Ray.
The Audacity Of Casting.
Ayy, it’s the dudes! I like those dudes.
One of the nicest things about Star Trek Beyond and its’ predecessors is that it manages to make science fiction fun to watch again. This is in no small part due to the cast. Chris Pine shines as Captain James T. Kirk, leading his team with a slightly less brash style than you’ve seen previously. Meanwhile, Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban have found their groove as Spock and Bones, respectively. The trinity that defines the saga makes this movie, but that’s not to say that the other crew members and aliens have escaped my notice.
Sofia Boutella of Kingsman fame does a good job as a new alien warrior named Jaylah. Although Jaylah was a bit thin in terms of characterization, she provides a proof of concept for a good female warrior that didn’t snap me out of the movie. It’s nice to see Zoe Saldana and Simon Pegg again as Uhura and Scotty. They do their jobs well, but I kind of wish that I saw a bit more of them. The same goes for Idris Elba. He’s a fine actor, but he deserved a more richly defined villain than what we got in Krall. You, dear reader, will get more on that later.
Lastly, this film is a decent send-off for the dearly departed Anton Yelchin. Chekov never really got a lot of screen time, so it’s nice to see him bond with Captain Kirk in this particular installment. I wish there was more that I could say, but Mister Yelchin did a damn good job. That’s all we could ever ask for.
The Problem With Plotting.
Yep, this is high-brow art alright. Really, really extraordinary!
If there is a problem with Star Trek Beyond, it’d have to be that the script gorges itself on flaws that are already endemic to the franchise. Beyond, like many episodes of The Original Series, hinges on exploring the unknown and seeing what’s out there. While that is fine on it’s own, I think that a big issue with the rebooted franchise is that Trekkies tend to pretend that their beloved Trek is high-brow art with life-changing ideas.
No, you’re not getting away with that. The video evidence is out there.
Part of the fun of Star Trek is that it’s an adventure show, first and foremost. Aside from that, it mixes the idea of a hopeful future with easily digestible concepts and a dollop of the dangerously cheesy dialogue. They update that here by using the Beastie Boys in an interesting way. It’s a head-slappingly goofy idea, but it makes sense when you consider clips like the one above. With that said, cheese does not excuse plot holes the size of Vulcan in a modern movie landscape.
Star Trek Beyond focuses on Kirk and the gang as they venture into an uncharted nebula to help an alien named Kalara with finding her ship, where they end up running afoul of Krall. As you might have guessed from the trailer, they are forced to go to ground and stop the villain’s nefarious deeds from there. However, there seems to be one mistake after another in the script to justify moving the plot along. To avoid spoilers, I’ll reference two particular plot points that caught my ire.
At one point, you’ll learn that Kirk hid a WMD part/MacGuffin, but he did it in the most bone-headed way possible. Instead of keeping it or leaving it with a trusted warrior that can withstand torture, he hid it with the first person to buckle under pressure because plot. The logic is rather dense because there are two choices with such a villain. You can either give him what he wants and get people killed or force him to search for it. The latter option would have bought time for a rescue and Krall would have had to find another way.
At a second point, we learn that the Federation has no cyber-security department, which allows our villains to gain access to everything from personal logs to technical readouts even though the equipment they use is extremely old. It is our first hint to where Krall and his swarm comes from, but the inevitable revelation of the identity of the villain made me wonder why the Federation could not detect a hacking or log-in attempt.
But enough about that, let’s move on!
Social Issues And Broken Things.
I hope we see Jaylah again. I like her!
Fortunately, Star Trek Beyond does a fair job of presenting what it wants to say without being stupid or overly preachy. Without giving anything away, the main theme is the idea of unity versus division. This is reflected in the crew of the Enterprise and the motives of the villain. I wish that they had explored the idea a little bit more because they had some wiggle room for it, but it’s okay as-is.
Much like the previous two films, Beyond also tackles the concept of terrorism in a futuristic landscape. However, I think it is a bit too oversimplified for the purposes of the movie. Although I kind of expected that from this franchise, it seems like they could have added some scenes to show what Krall went through and how he came to hate the idea of the Federation. It seems like he is a xenophobic person, but you could also look at him as being overly eager to protect Earth before he was driven mad.
On another note, I have to say that Simon Pegg and Dong Jung did a nice job with the nontroversy about Sulu’s sexual orientation. Personally, I can see why they did what they did with the character. I am happy to report that it was tastefully done and didn’t distract from the movie, much like how the romantic entanglements of the Enterprise crew were treated nicely in the Captain’s Log at the beginning. It’s just one example of how we can move beyond the tensions of the present and craft a better future. Nicely done!
Conclusion.
This crew just works.
I am not sure that Star Trek Beyond is worth repeat viewings, but it is a fun, goofy romp that fits right on that border between seeing it in theaters and waiting for the Blu-Ray. It follows the legacy of the franchise by being fun and goofy, but it also adds a few new ideas to the mix as Kirk and the gang boldly go where no one has gone before.
I just wonder if a TNG reboot is coming up soon. I’d be intrigued as long as they kept Wesley Crusher out of it.
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