Whereas the first film in the Star Trek reboot (simply titled Star Trek) was all about forming the group that would become a family, and the second (Star Trek: Into Darkness) galvanised them in the face of a new threat, both of those were ultimately Earth bound. Star Trek: Beyond is the first time we witness them on a five-year mission, a chance to see the Starship Enterprise having the kind of adventure you would associate with the original series, out in the far-flung reaches of the galaxy. It is there that they encounter, not surprisingly, a new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.
The usual stars as in place, from Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto to Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban and John Cho. Idris Elba is cast as the bad guy, Krall, a hostile alien responsible for destroying the Enterprise. After being in the director’s chair for the first two instalments, J.J. Abrams steps aside, and he and his team selected director Justin Lin, a veteran of the Fast & Furious franchise, to bring Beyond to life. The story was written by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung.
One of the bigger plot points that dramatically changes the course of events is the destruction of the Enterprise, which leaves the crew stranded on an unexplored and dangerous alien planet called Altamid. The crew is separated and thrown in different directions, forced to try to survive and reconnect. The writers thereby paired characters who had previously shared little screen time, to see what made each of them tick. For example, a newly introspective Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) finds himself stranded with youthful optimist Chekov (Anton Yelchin).
When it came to finding a dramatic and comedic foil for the pragmatic half-Vulcan Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto), the writers paired him with the ever cantankerous Doctor “Bones” McCoy (Karl Urban). As Kirk’s two closest friends, Spock and Bones reliably fail to see eye to eye when making decisions. With the real life passing of Leonard Nimoy, filmmakers wanted to memorialise the death of “Spock Prime” and show the impact of his loss on the younger Spock and that they have done.
In addition to losing the Enterprise, the end of Spock and Uhura’s (Zoe Saldana) relationship provides the film with an additional metaphoric casualty. Scotty (Simon Pegg) finds himself depending on Jaylah (franchise newcomer Sofia Boutella) a strong willed, technologically adept alien ally, after she saves his life on the surface of Altamid.
The make-up and costume departments worked in tandem to create 53 unique alien races for the film (not including Jaylah and Krall), more than any previous Star Trek outing, and in fact more than the first two in the reboot combined. A small army of make-up artists, sculptors, painters, mold technicians and silicone experts worked around the clock, seven days a week in workshops in Burbank, Vancouver and Dubai.
Star Trek Beyond is a most enjoyable, adrenaline-packed ride into the unknown. Notwithstanding the full-on action and effects, it is really the humour that elevates the film to greater heights. That is apparent from the opening sequence and is liberally peppered throughout the screenplay. Importantly, we get to see a side of Spock that we haven’t seen before. Bones, too, is given more room to move and that’s a good thing.
Jaylah is a feisty and worthwhile additional to the cast, while there is more to Krall that first meets the eye. His disenchantment with the Federation stems from his past. Saddest of all for me though was seeing Anton Yelchin in full voice and doing such and excellent job, as usual. Of course, he tragically passed away only last month at the age of 27 in a freak accident in which he was pinned against his own car when it rolled backwards. Fortunately, there are a few others movies to follow that he completed and others in post production that will still feature Yelchin, but I couldn’t help thinking of the man’s potential snuffed out far too young while I was sitting there watching Star Trek Beyond.
The film is big and bold and loud. I was particularly conscious of the violence and hand-to-hand combat scenes, but also of the fun elements. Star Trek aficionados will not be disappointed as the franchise continues to prosper. Star Trek Beyond scores a 7 to 7½ out of 10.
Director: Justin Lin
Cast: Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, John Cho, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella
Release Date: 21 July, 2016
Rating: M
Alex First
David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television
