Star Trek Beyond is the third film in the rebooted franchise, the first in the series not directed by J. J. Abrams, and the first to be written by noted Trek fan and co-star Simon Pegg. Abrams’ replacement is multiple Fast & Furious sequel director Justin Lin, and his eye for action combined with Pegg’s first non-comedy writing credit make for a breezy space fantasy action flick, if not the cerebral Trek of pre-Abrams fare.
Though some lament, “It’s not Star Trek!” this brand of space opera suits the series. Chris Pine has, for three films now, embodied the brash bravado of the Prime Directive-defying space-Cartman that was Shatner’s Capt. Kirk. Beyond, however, finds Kirk sullen, a year older than his father when he died in service to the Federation, questioning his life’s station having spent the past three years drifting along as captain of the Enterprise, presumably carrying out boring diplomatic missions with little to no flouting of the Prime Directive, like a grade-A chump. Purpose is swiftly restored when the Enterprise is charged with exploring an uncharted nebula and is attacked by an unknown enemy, leaving the crew and pieces of the Enterprise scattered and marooned on an undiscovered planet.
Their attackers, a swarm fleet led by the appropriately menacing Krall, want an artifact in Kirk’s possession to complete their sci-fi WMD and wreak havoc upon the Federation, against whom Krall appears to hold a particular grudge. It’s simplistic and straightforward stuff, but Pegg’s script and Lin’s direction make the crew’s regrouping and their efforts to sabotage Krall’s scheme brisk and exciting.
It’s no surprise that Scotty’s (Pegg) storyline is a standout. He is saved from indigenous raiders by the space ninja Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) who is also stranded on the strange planet. Jaylah is determined to fix an old junker of a starship and enlists Scotty’s engineering expertise, and their entertaining exchanges set up what must be the cheekiest use of music in film since Guardians of the Galaxy. Equally enjoyable are Bones and Spock, who manage to safely land an escape pod, though not without injury. Together they make a delightfully curmudgeonly couple as they search for survivors and attempt to free Uhura, Sulu and others from Krall’s capture.
Krall’s initial attack on the Enterprise is an exhilarating and emotional exemplar of a spectacular action sequence, and it sets a high standard for films of this ilk. As a result, Beyond actually suffers slightly from the standard set by this early scene. Once Krall’s motivations are made clear, the stakes shift and Star Trek Beyond has the potential to outdo itself, but where the film would have benefited from a drama-building, character-driven second act, it fills this space with serviceable, though superfluous, action beats. Such is the lot of the big-budget summer blockbuster, but as they go, Star Trek Beyond goes above and . . .
