This year marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Star Trek movie and television franchise, and to celebrate such a momentous milestone, this movie will go above and beyond your expectations (and yes, pun very much intended).
Fast and Furious director Justin Lin gives us Star Trek Beyond, the newest instalment of the aptly named Star Trek re-imaginings of Gene Roddenberry’s original universe, and boy does he know what Trekkies want.
I have to be honest, I was a tad hesitant of the film due to its extremely lacklustre press attention and the publicity it was getting. Also, the fact that someone known for just the Fast and Furious franchise, alongside some other mediocre, forgettable action movies had the bridge. With that being said, this is guaranteed to be the best Star Trek film to date.
Chris Pine returns as the handsome, daring Captain James T. Kirk, who’s put his motorcycle keys away and returned to the big chair as Captain of the U.S.S Enterprise.
Kirk is joined by Dr. “Bones” McCoy, played by Karl Urban, Spock, played again with a deep level of emotion beneath his calculating exterior by Zachary Quinto, and the rest of the crew as they continue to face the ever-constant dangers of Deep Space.
The threats go from bad to worse when the crew crash lands on a foreign planet overrun by Krall, played by the brooding Idris Elba, and the very survival of both the Enterprise and Star Fleet is threatened.
Appealing to both Trekkies and newcomers to the series, Star Trek Beyond feels like a high-octane, amped-up version of the original show that we all love.
While Lin is used to directing movies that have an extremely high budget for special effects and may even rely on an overload of explosion scenes, his take on Star Trek is refreshing and exciting, yet surprisingly authentic to the original. Lin not only creates amazing action scenes and futuristic jaw-dropping worlds, but his raw and unique take on the relationship dynamics of the Star Trek crew brings everyone back to the franchise we know and love.
Star Trek Beyond is not only an interesting sci-fi flick, but also revisits many of the original themes of the Star Trek show, such as the definition of humanity and the thin line between surviving and living, without feeling like it’s just rehashing old plot lines for easy money.
Lin strikes a beautiful balance between humour, action, and humanity that goes far beyond what the audience is expecting. Whether you are a diehard fan or not, this film is well worth the ride.
