Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek Beyond

Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana

Directed by Justin Lin

The Story:
As the USS Enterprise and her crew enters the third year of a five-year trek, fatigue is starting to set in, especially with the ship's captain, James Kirk (Chris Pine).  He starts yearning for something more, which comes in the form of a possible job at the Starbase Yorktown.  As the crew rests at the station, an escape pod lands at the station, and the survivor tells the story that their ship went down on an uncharted planet, and she needs a ship to travel an unstable nebula to reach it.

Kirk and the crew answer the call, but once they pass the nebula they find themselves in an ambush as an army of ships destroy the Enterprise, kidnaps most of the crew, and strands the rest on the mysterious planet.  The surviving crew meets Jaylah (Sofia Boutella), who was also stranded on the planet and wants revenge against Krall (Idris Elba), the evil leader of the colony who desires a weapon of mass destruction to go against the Federation.

The Synopsis:
Am I a true Trekkie?  Not by a long shot.  I watched some of "The Next Generation" on television but never got interested in it.  The first "Star Trek" movie I ever saw was the 2009 reboot, and I thought it was really well-done, and the same for "Into Darkness."  So for me, this isn't a review on a series that I've loved for years, have an obsession over, or even have intricate knowledge about the characters or anything involved in it.  This is purely based off the rebooted series franchise, and as far as that goes, "Beyond" is another enjoyable film filled with action, amazing effects, heart, drama and pure comedic gold.

For this installment, the crew of the Enterprise find themselves at the mercy of a merciless villain in Krall, brilliantly portrayed by Idris Elba, who seeks a weapon to defeat the Federation forever, but also has some ulterior motives that slowly come to light.  He's not your typical villain, as there's more to him than just the typical, and Elba plays it off with brilliance.  How he unifies his drones in taking out the Enterprise is a nod to The Art of War, and shows his tactile precision attack. 

Speaking of, that was one of the film's biggest effects pieces, and also one of the most poignant, as you feel for the crew - who has spent over three years on that ship - seeing it get obliterated.  It's a non-stop thrill ride as the ship spins, spirals and causes a roller-coaster ride for the viewer as wave after wave of a seemingly endless army invades the ship.  After exhausting all options, Kirk gives the order to "abandon ship," and its one of the many singular dramatic moments in the film, as he realizes he has to give up the ship he's loved for years. 

Some of my favorite television shows are animated comedies - "The Simpsons," "Bob's Burgers," "American Dad," "Family Guy," "Futurama," "Archer" and "South Park"  to be exact.  Each show has an ensemble cast, and in order to fully appreciate it, each character has to be as important as the last.  I have to be as excited to see an episode featuring Amy Wong as much as one that focuses on Bender.  If a show can't fully rely on each ensemble cast member to carry a show, it's a disappointing episode (such as pretty much any Meg-centered episode of "Family Guy" - she just can't hold her own in the spotlight).  What makes "Star Trek" so special is its focus on the crew as a family, and how it devotes time to giving each crew member their own moment to shine.

With "Beyond," this mantra is tested heavily as the crew is split apart, and odd pairings are placed together to see how they work together.  Kirk and the ship's navigator Chekov (Anton Yelchin) have to work through the wreckage of the Enterprise to try and contact anyone else left.  Communications officer Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and third officer Sulu (John Cho) work together while being imprisoned by Krall to try and release a distress signal.  Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg) works with alien warrior Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) to try and raise up a long-dead ship.  Any one of these pairings could've spelled destruction for the film if the chemistry wasn't there, and if you didn't really care about the characters.  However, director Justin Lin (who also beautifully crafted another ensemble piece - "Fast & Furious") was able to fulfill the old saying from Aristotle: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  Just like with any sports team (not that I really know about them), in order to gain a victory, everyone has to work together in synergy to achieve the goal.  "Beyond" does that perfectly, as you're drawn to each section of actors and the perils they face.

(Aside: this is clearly a Justin Lin film because there's a scene where the surviving crew members are coming up with a plan to rescue the others, and the shots, visuals and even dialogue are very reminiscent of Toretto and the "Fast and Furious" crew as they hatch a plan to steal a safe.)

I omitted one pairing because I wanted to give them special attention.  As the ship crashes, Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto) and chief medical officer Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban) steal one of the alien ships and crash lands on the planet.  Injured, Spock isn't 100%, and it's up to McCoy to keep him balanced.  Quinto and Urban's chemistry is red-hot, as the two play off each other in brilliantly comedic ways.  They harken back to old Abbott & Costello, Bob Hope & Bing Crosby, Jerry Lewis & Dean Martin, and the like.  Spock is completely unemotional, relying on intelligence and reason, while McCoy is a sarcastic hothead who goes off the handle at a moments' notice.  I would easily go see a movie with just these two on a solo adventure and would be entertained from start to finish.

The newest addition to the crew is the alien warrior Jaylah (who, as co-writer Simon Pegg stated, was designed after Jennifer Lawrence and her performance in "Winter's Bone," hence the name Jaylah - similar to "JLaw").  She is portrayed by Sofia Boutella, who is best known for her villainous role in the surprising hit "Kingsmen: The Secret Service," and she once again showcases her martial arts prowess here, as well as offering an innocence as well as a powerful force to be reckoned with. 

There was two moments in the film that truly took my breath away.  Remember, I'm not a Trekkie so I'm not as involved in the history of the franchise as some others, but I do have knowledge about the series.  The original Spock, Leonard Nimoy, passed away in 2015, and he served a huge role in the first reboot film as Spock from another universe who helps Quinto's Spock understand his heritage.  In "Beyond," word reaches Quinto's Spock that Nimoy's Spock had passed away, and there's a scene of him staring off into the vastness of space that brought a tear to my eye.  There was another fitting tribute for Nimoy at the end of the film where Spock finds an old picture, and without words it gave me goosebumps.  Justin Lin did a stellar job in giving Leonard Nimoy a fitting tribute that tied into the film as a whole and didn't make it seem like an aside.  There was also a special message at the end of the film: "In loving memory of Leonard Nimoy."

Unfortunately, Nimoy's passing isn't the only tragic event behind the film.  Anton Yelchin, who played Russian navigator Chekov, passed away after a freak accident before the film was released.  It was fitting that his final portrayal of Chekov gave him the most screen time out of the three films, and gave a semblance of sadness as you saw the raw talent he had, and how you'll never see him on screen again (thankfully there's still some other films he starred in before his untimely death still waiting to be released).  At the end of the film, after the message for Leonard Nimoy, there was two words:  "For Anton."  So simple, yet still got me choked up.

The Summary:

As far as the storyline goes, it's rather simplistic.  Bad guy wants weapon to destroy good guys.   Yet it's done in such a great way that you're drawn in from start to finish, and it's filled with amazing effects, story and acting, as well as offering great comedic moments as well as tear-inducing tributes. 

The Score: A