Review: Star Trek Beyond: a merry-go-round in space

Usually, the third films in trilogies are as bombastic as the first two films’ build-up leads them to be. Star Trek Beyond conversely plays off like a mega-episode of the series that started it all. Rather than neatly tying up the trilogy’s overarching plot, Beyond stands alone as a separate story that calls back to its roots. And that’s okay.

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Set three years after the Enterprise was “awarded” a five-year exploration course in Star Trek Into Darkness, Beyond starts off with a fatigued crew heading for a much-needed respite in a Federation-owned artificial planet-slash-stopover named Yorktown. The film’s first few sequences has Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) seriously considering a “desk job” as Vice Admiral of Yorktown and Spock (Zachary Quinto) wanting to follow in Old Spock’s footsteps as a Vulcan ambassador after the latter’s death.

Before any promotions or career changes take place, the Enterprise crew is once again hurtled into a deep space adventure after a scientist arrives at Yorktown to request a rescue operation of her crew on an uncharted planet. Beyond’s action starts in earnest as the Enterprise suffers a surprise attack by the planet’s despot, Krall (Idris Elba), which leaves them stranded and separated in an alien world.

The crew’s separation saves Beyond from the same-old-same-old. Past films always showed Captain Kirk as the sole hero in the front lines with a supporting cast behind him. Beyond allows for strange pairings and unique scenarios we haven’t seen in Abram’s remakes. Kirk is billeted with Chekhov (Anton Yelchin), Spock and Bones are in a survival mission of their own, Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and Spock are stuck with Krall, and Scotty (Simon Pegg) partners up with another inhabitant of the planet, Jaylah (Sofia Boutella), who tries to help the crew off the planet.

While Beyond does shine the spotlight on the entire crew, it leaves more to be desired from the film’s other cast members. Jaylah never got as much character exposition she needed as the film’s femme fatale, despite the tiny background we got about her from passing conversations. Arguably, the film’s biggest crime is burying Idris Elba under all that makeup and monotonous monologue. Even if his inhuman personage can be canonically explained, it’s a shame to hide his talent to the point where he’s not even recognizable as a big star. Further, his short portrayal on film leaves his character minimally fleshed out. At the film’s close, he comes off another monster-of-the-week rather than a menacing villain.

Justin Lin takes the helm of director from J.J. Abrams. He takes a much more relaxed route (which thankfully replies less on blinding lens flare) in directing the crew. I may not agree with his wonky camerawork or hyperbolic angling, but his direction takes Beyond back to its roots right where it should belong. Perhaps to refresh our eyeballs from dark gritty design, Lin takes a more colorful palette than harkens back to The Next Generation. He’s also interspersed his take on the intergalactic series with scenes of light-hearted humor, including witty banter exchanged by Spock and Bones as they try to survive the harsh planet.

Beyond has also been peppered with inside jokes and callbacks to the past. The film includes a heartwarming tribute to the late Leonard Nimoy and the cast of the original series. As I said before, its visuals and color palette remind viewers of the series of before.

The film’s light-heartedness and nostalgic callbacks can both be encapsulated in one scene—absolute carnage set in “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys. Beyond features a scene that oversees the decimation of an alien fleet with that song playing in the background. And no, it’s not just a soundtrack deal. “Sabotage” is a plot device. Yes, there’s a canonical reason why “Sabotage” is playing. Goofy and amazing, the scene is a callback to Pine’s first foray in the captain’s seat. If there’s one reason why you should watch Star Trek Beyond, it’s this scene.

With that cherry-on-top Beastie Boys scene, Star Trek Beyond is a film that stands alone well. While it has its own share of scratches, Beyond whets our appetite for more nostalgic Star Trek films. With a fourth film already in the works (which curiously sees Chris Hemsworth, who plays Kirk’s dad, return), color us excited for more intergalactic adventures.