Monday, July 25, 2016

Review of STAR TREK BEYOND: Inspiriting Impetus

July 24, 2016



The vastness of outer space really gave the Star Trek franchise a very long lifespan indeed, 50 years now and going strong. Aside from its origins on television in the 1960s, Star Trek is also a thriving film franchise, now on its thirteenth film already, and third installment in the current reboot series, starting with "Star Trek" in 2009 (MY REVIEW) and "Star Trek Into Darkness" in 2013 (MY REVIEW). 

While docked on the Starbase Yorktown for supplies and shore leave, the USS Enterprise and its crew respond to a desperate call for help in an uncharted nebula, taking them on the most deadly adventure of their career. A beelike swarm of small but destructive spacecraft to attack the fabled starship and force it to crash land on remote planet. The main perpetrator was an alien named Krall, who seemed to have deeper issues of vengeance he wanted to address than meets the eye. 

Stars Chris Pine (Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Zoe Saldana (Uhura), Karl Urban (Bones), John Cho (Sulu) and the late Anton Yelchin (Chekov) reprise their respective roles in the crew aboard the USS Enterprise. They have really settled in comfortably into their characters. They do not feel like they were doing any acting anymore, all like second skin already, especially in their interaction with each other. They are convincing as a team who knew their roles and who genuinely cared for one another. 

There are two new characters introduced in this installment. One was an antagonist, while the other would prove to be an ally. The intimidating Idris Elba played the vindictive Krall with formidable intensity, something he can do even by just standing still. Up-and-coming Algerian actress and hip-hop dancer Sofia Boutella gets a major featured role here as an alien warrior named Jaylah. Her martial arts skills were as graceful as they were deadly.

I liked the cool depiction of Starbase Yorktown with its ultramodern transport technology and antigravity features within a transparent glass sphere. The attack of the Bees was very scary to watch because it was just too relentless. It was painful to witness a beloved icon being blasted apart. However, many fight scenes were shot so closely, they can be difficult to watch. There were also moments when the CG was not too convincing, like there were scenes when Kirk's motorcycle (yes, he actually rode one!) was not touching the ground. 

Overall, this film is another entertaining episode in the Star Trek canon, though the story felt lighter than the first two. Really, the Beastie Boys as a deadly weapon?? Anyhow, the humorous interaction of Bones and Spock even in the face of danger was fun to watch, as well as Spock's version of romance with Uhura. There was a brief yet touching reference to the original TV cast. The closing credits contained a dedication to the memories of Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin. It would be interesting to see how the production would handle the character of Chekov with Yelchin's untimely passing. 8/10. 


10 comments:

  1. I cannot believe this is their 13th film! Its a shame with such great CGI technology they haven't used it to their full advantage.

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  2. I wouldn't consider myself a huge fan but I've watched all the movies and enjoyed them. I haven't watched the newest installment though but I've heard good things about it, and your review just made me more interested!

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  3. I'm so behind the when it comes to the Star Trek Saga. I like that they also offer a lot of insights too.

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  4. Ok. Don't kill me. But I confess. I haven't watched even 1 Star Trek movie or Harry Potter movie... 😐

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  5. I've watched a few Star Trek episodes of the TV series and the movie installments when I was a kid but I've never really followed the story. I've never paid attention to the storyline, the twists and plots of Star Trek.

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  6. I dont' want to see the attack of the bees either. Gives me shudders just thinking about it. ;)

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  7. I'm surprised you said Star Trek is good. Many of my friends were saying it's pretty lousy. I haven't watched the past installments, so I won't be able to say!

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  8. Star Trek movies series are quite smashing good. And I do enjoy the few ones have previously seen. Like to see how this recent one plays out considering your rating on it.

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  9. I'm embarrassed to admit that I've only watched the old Star Trek movies but have not progressed from there. Your review makes it sound so exciting. I'm actually curious to see Sofia Boutella do the Jaylah thing.

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  10. I have heard about Star Trek but not that much. I haven't watched any of its film, if I am not mistaken though. If chances are greater I have watched it, perhaps, I just didn't bother knowing its title. But nonetheless, I am getting intrigue of this film, huh.

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