Star Trek Beyond

By far the best installment of the recent Star Trek’s added to the canon, Beyond finds the crew sent on a rescue mission into an uncharted nebula, only to be attacked and the Enterprise destroyed by a race set on attacking the Federation and undermining unity and harmony in the Universe. The set-up is reminiscent of classic Star Trek and it’s exciting to watch the first 40 minutes feeling as if you’ve discovered an old episode (with better production values) that you’ve somehow missed all these years. The main crew of actors does an impressive job staying true to the original format and it’s painful to watch the talented Anton Yelchin turn in his last role as Chekov. It’s worth noting that we see Shoreh Aghdashaloo turn in an excellent and restrained performance commanding a Federation outpost as Commodore Paris. I swear, I could watch this woman read the phone book and casting deserves congratulations for putting her in uniform instead of being investigated by one. However, far too much time is spent on the crash of the Enterprise, and director Jason Lin, as the Enterprise spins apart, has too many tight shots that are confusing and can elicit a moderate degree of motion sickness. (Lin, most famous for the Fast and Furious series, might do well to note shooting spaceships and race cars are not the same thing.) Once the Enterprise crashes, the film rights itself on its plot and proceeds ahead with the introduction of Sofia Boutella as the scene-stealing Jaylah, stranded with the crew on a hostile planet. Really can’t watch enough of this girl own this film. The film proceeds along in a fast-paced, will-we-make-it-or-won’t-we fashion, but a confusing and unnecessary plot twist at the end throws things off-kilter again. Star Trek Beyond ultimately overcomes all its flaws to be a solid addition to the series and a fun romp, but it does at times lose its gravity to send the audience spinning.