Synopsis – The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

My Take – I was never Trekkie! In fact, the earlier TV series and films never intrigued me even though I did end up watching most of the episodes of Star Trek: Generations. I never understood the loyalty and craze, until I witnessed the brilliant J.J. Abrams directed 2009 reboot, and understood the love for this long running franchise. Despite the subdued anthropological subtext, which is one of the primary differences between the Star Trek and Star Wars universes respectively, the stories of the rebooted trilogy will definitely keep you entertained thanks to its brilliant writing and a nostalgic feel. For long-time fans of the franchise that’s been around since the 1960s, you will agree that Abrams handles the settings and characters with care and respect. So considering how much I seriously enjoyed the first two in this new franchise, I was excited to check this one out on the big screen. Another reason for the excitement was having Simon Pegg as a writer. So does the third film live up to its hype? Of course it does! The third film in this reboot series is one roller coaster of a ride that boasts a narrative pace that moves at warp speed. While Abrams may have moved back to only producing, not directing, his footprint is still all over this movie, and that is no way a bad thing. This film is an excellent blend of relatively new ideas mixed with exactly what was so great about the first two, and I thought Justin Lin brought his expertise (Fast & Furious films) into this franchise and did a solid job directing. Director Justin Lin never lets the momentum slacken in, despite the formulaic Simon Pegg & Doug Jung screenplay that delivers a lot of the right stuff during its warp-drive running time of two hours and two minutes. A multitude of melodramatic moments with surprises and suspense galore ensue as Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise triumph over tragedy. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Simon Pegg, and the late Anton Yelchin must have had fun making the 13th “Star Trek” saga because they work so well together that it doesn’t matter what they’re doing.

Basically, the “Beyond” in the title refers to the uncharted territory that our indestructible heroes and heroine must negotiate before they can vanquish a megalomaniacal villain and preserve the status quo. Mind you, I didn’t fear that Kirk, Spock, Bones, Uhura, Sulu, Scotty, and Chekov would die and that their wicked adversaries would perish. What I liked the most about this film was the way everybody in the crew contributed to the ultimate success of their mission. The story follows the crew of the USS Enterprise, who is within it’s third year of the planned five year journey into deep space. The ship docks at a new space station Yorktown where Captain James Kirk (Chris Pine) is considering leaving the crew, not sure what the point of their exploration is. He’s looking to recommend Spock (Zachary Quinto) to take over, but is unaware that his Vulcan friend may want to leave as well. Before they can tell each other of their plans, Starfleet sends the Enterprise to an unexplored Nebula to retrieve an escape pod. Within this pod is a survivor Kalara who says that her ship is on an uncharted planet within the nebula. They are suddenly ambushed by a swarm of ships that tears the Enterprise apart. Some make it to the escape pods, but some are stuck on the ship as the alien ships commander Krall (Idris Elba) captures Sulu (Jon Chu), Uhura (Zoe Saldana) before the ship is destroyed. On the planet, Kirk and Chekov (Anton Yelchin) are separated from Spock and McCoy (Karl Urban). While Scotty (Simon Pegg) encounters a resourceful Amazon named Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) who knows a thing or two about survival. With no ship and no means to communicate with Starfleet, the surviving members must come stop Krall from processing his doomsday plan & save the rest of the crew. From its beginning the film shows us how good movies are made. In a genre that has been largely ignored by people who evaluate movies and decide what is an example of great cinema, this one propels itself to the top of the heap, science fiction or otherwise. The film has learned from the previous entries. It doesn’t have a boring moment, and it is built on a solid and entertaining script. The screenplay is fun, dramatic and comedic. Straight away, you can tell you’re watching a film written by someone as genuine and diverse as Pegg. Some of his efforts haven’t always been so rewarding, but I believe he has done a fantastic job with this and should definitely take control of the fourth instalment. He has a deep understanding of the characters and it shows. The story is great and kept me fully entertained throughout. This is honestly some of his best work yet. The film explores important themes and originates from the one line that we have associated with “Star Trek” for 50 years now – ‘to go where no man has gone before’. So who would’ve guessed that the series saving grace amounts to just being an action movie that strips all the convoluted pretense and tedious self-referencing in the process? That is probably the biggest secret to the film’s greatest success: executing a lean, small-scale, surprisingly character-driven piece of action movie devoid of any extra weight. The result is not only the most action-packed movie of the summer, but one that pays true to Gene Roddenberry‘s original vision of space exploration and monster-fighting. One of my favorite parts of the film was seeing other characters take on a larger role. Sulu, Uhura and Doctor Bones all have their own part of the story. Their relationships change with the other characters and form something new and interesting. Bones has to deal with Spock, Sulu and Uhura have to work together. I loved seeing them play a bigger role. None of the main cast were neglected or given the short shrift. One character has been altered.

Aside from generating controversy on the Internet about Mr. Sulu’s sexual proclivities, the rest of the Enterprise crew remains essentially the same, and you care as much about them as what occurs around them. Similarly, the giddy action unfolding in the film was sufficient to race your pulse, whiten your knuckles, and get caught up in this spectacular epic. Cinematographer Stephen F. Windon, production designer Tom Sanders and make-up designer Joel Harlow all deserve kudos for their outstanding work. Two settings—the Nebula and the Yorktown space colony—looked sensational by any science fiction movie’s standards. Justin Lin‘s approach to action is frenetic and highly engaging because he ensures that we have invested in the characters involved in the sequence. There is a certain old school style that he has also adopted that showcases more hand-to-hand combat, blasting music through space and keeping the action really intense even though incredulous on many occasions. The action may be the strength and weakness of this one. As villains rate, the reptile-faced Krall provides more than enough obstacles with which Kirk and his crew must contend, and Krall’s unhinged plan to wreak havoc is sufficiently audacious. Nevertheless, Krall isn’t half as memorable as the underrated Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Khan in director J.J. Abrams‘ superior sequel “Star Trek Into Darkness.” Kirk, unlike the previous two movies being impulsive and reckless, has turned into a captain that is rational, full of wit, and willing to take risk when it’s needed. Bones and Scotty are the ones that bring up all the fun in the film. Scotty had continued his clumsiness and not-so-funny jokes and constantly bringing up brilliant ideas. Bones, as usual, keeps all his complains and the classic “I am a doctor, not a …” which is always brilliant. I personally really enjoy the combination of Spock and Bones. Chris Pine portrays a matured James Kirk who has yet to find a mission to relate to for the rest of his life. Yet, he is always keen on embarking on an adventurous voyage, risking his life but with absolute certainty that he will emerge victorious in his cause. His dynamic with Spock delineates far more trust and respect for each other’s talents and skills. Zachary Quinto has always been the lucid, logical stronghold of the franchise who can clearly distinguish between right and wrong. Yet, we see Spock now evolving into a character challenged with decisions that remain in the grey area. Simon Pegg‘s Scotty is frustrated with Kirk’s decisions to push the ship beyond its capabilities but with Jaylah by his side, he finds renewed enthusiasm to innovate and fix things. Sofia‘s Jaylah on the other hand, adds a fun new character to the franchise that was rather male dominated except for Zoe Saldana‘s despondent Uhura. Karl Urban is in perpetual disbelief with Kirk’s adventurous ideas but he lends a helping hand to Spock in dire circumstances. It all makes him the most entertaining crewmember in the film. The late Anton Yelchin engages in more action sequences than ever before while he fixes the ship’s broken parts and greets the Captain on the bridge. His spontaneous wit and easy likable performance will be sorely missed. Finally, Idris Elba is in his recognizable self outside the prosthetic makeup for some time and he completely dominates the scene then, but there was perhaps too much of an expressionless Krall. On the whole, ‘Star Trek Beyond’ is a refreshing, emotional and a fun addition to its very successful franchise that keeps growing with its visuals, writing and heart.