Star Trek Beyond

A had a few worries as this sequel approached. First, because Abrams was concurrently directing "The Force Awakens", he acted only as a producer for "Star Trek Beyond". Roberto Orci was likewise only acting as a producer (he co-wrote the first two films in the reboot series). I also had reservations about Abrams' replacement as director because I was afraid that Justin Lin would add too much action to the mixture, seeing as how he directed four films in the "Fast and the Furious" franchise. I liked the fact that Simon Pegg (Scotty) was co-writing this sequel but that made me apprehensive that the show would have too much comedy and lightheartedness. Funny enough, it appears that all the filmmakers kept each other in check because I was amazed at the balance between adventure and humor in the final product. While some things are different from its predecessors, "Star Trek Beyond" did not lose the spirit we have become accustomed to.

I picked the best way to experience this movie for the first time. I saw it as part of an IMAX marathon starting with the 2009 film, followed by "Into Darkness" and concluded by this latest installment. It was well worth the money. Seeing the former films with a huge audience on a very large screen did wonders in setting the stage for "Beyond". The approach that Simon Pegg and Doug Jung took was to create a story that could have been used for any science fiction movie and then apply the classic characters. They did have to write this movie fast when Orci was replaced as director by Lin. I love the inside joke they wrote for Kirk when he mentions that his life as become "episodic" (a nod the origins of this 50 year old franchise). I did wonder what happened to the character of Carol Marcus. I am a fan of continuity and it turns out that rather than give her a lack of screen time in the new story, Pegg and Jung simply decided not to include her. They could have killed her off but they left the door open for her to return if a future film needed that character. As with "Into Darkness", the crew finds themselves in a situation that seems impossible to survive. Once again, I was able to anticipate some of the story but I was kept guessing with other moments. An important plot device of this franchise is having the crew separated into different groups. This creates conflict, comedy and variety. Having Spock paired with McCoy was the best! The banter between them is sidesplitting. The method of destroying the enemy swarm was a lot of fun to watch but as we approach the climax, the battle evolves until it is a one-on-one fistfight. The same thing happened in the last movie but the filmmakers made enough changes to create originality. While the special effects were very good, the 3D conversion fell short in a few places. It was nice for the film to indirectly acknowledge the passing of actor Leonard Nimoy by mentioning the death of Ambassador Spock. It does make one sad but don't worry. Spock is not dead, just his future self is. It must be kind of weird to mourn the death of your future self. It wasn't just Nimoy that passed away since the last film however. As "Beyond" approached release, Anton Yelchin (Chekov) was killed in a tragic accident and it made seeing this film bittersweet. It feels the same as when Harold Ramis or Bernie Mac passed away. Apparently, the role will not be given to another actor but the team dynamic will be in a little bit of danger anyways. This is the fourth film I have seen in 2016 alone with Idris Elba. He is getting so much work that it is becoming funny. His performance in this movie was better at the end of the show for obvious reasons. Krall was a pretty good villain but I still favor Benedict Cumberbatch from "Into Darkness". Fun fact: other possible directors besides Roberto Orci that were considered to take Abrams' place include Edgar Wright and Star Trek actor/director Jonathan Frakes!

When "Star Trek Beyond" was nominated for Best Makeup at the Oscars, I was confident it would win. I was just as surprised as the rest of the world when it didn't. Usually when you change the director and writers for a third installment in a franchise, the movie falls short. Not this time thankfully for me. I was pleased to find a nice balance between adventure, comedy and drama in "Star Trek Beyond". Anyone who enjoyed the second film will equally enjoy this next movie. I am glad that a fourth film is in the works and my hope for the future of this franchise is far from lost.

4 Stars