Beyond Expectations
Star Trek series continues it’s solid run three movies in
By Bigoa Machar
With former director and king of lens flares J.J. Abrams switching to a producing role for the third installment of the Star Trek series, many began to question if Beyond could keep up with its two predecessors. With director Justin Lin, best known for directing Fast 5 and Fast 6, trying his hand at something other than the fast-paced car racing movie, Star Trek Beyond continues the upward trend of the movie series, delivering another solid viewing experience.
Star Trek Beyond picks up right where Star Trek: Into Darkness left off, with the SS Enterprise in the middle of its five year journey across the Galaxy. Captain James T. Kirk, played by Chris Pine, and his crew find another crew that was just attacked by a group of strange aliens. With Kirk and his squad ready to help, those aboard the Enterprise are swarmed by the same group of aliens, forcing them to make a crash landing on a barren planet. With the Enterprise crew trapped and stranded, it’s up to the captain to use his smarts and bravery to get his crew off the planet.
Beyond was the most unique movie of the three, with more focus on a lighter tone and more quick humor around the characters. Actor Simon Pegg, best known for starring in Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, tried his hand writing for the first time in the series, and it definitely showed. The dialogue was much more fluent and witty this time around, a true Pegg signature.
The only downside to the movie was it’s formulaic recipe. Beyond felt more like a really long episode of the regular Star Trek TV series. Some parts of the movie were extremely predictable and clichéd, taking away from the suspense in some scenes. There was also a noticeable difference in the directing styles between Lin and Abrams. With more experience in sci-fi, the Abrams films did look a little more polished than this one, but I was still impressed with Lin’s ability to create specific scenes and shots throughout the movie.
All in all, Star Trek Beyond was a fantastic movie experience. The movie’s fast paced nature was complimented well by the quick delivery of the humour and dialogue. It’s a summer sci-fi blockbuster that I would recommend to both fans of the genre and to Trekkies alike.
