Star Trek Beyond

Set three years into the Enterprise’s five year mission (which would put it somewhere around the end of the final season of The Original Series if you want to consider those kind of things), the crew are preparing to take some shore leave at the Yorktown station. Kirk (Chris Pine) is feeling a bit weary after three years in the Captain’s seat, and is considering whether he really wants the job anymore, whilst Spock (Zachary Quinto) receives some news that makes him realise his own mortality, and question his importance to the Vulcan race. When an escape pod drifts from the nearby nebula, issuing out a distress call, it results in the Enterprise being sent on a rescue mission beyond the nebula. However, the ship is ambushed and the crew find themselves separated on a harsh planet, hunted by an alien menace named Krall (Idris Elba) and his hive-like troopers.

As with the previous film, Star Trek Beyond is a visual treat, even more so this time around thanks to some majestic sights such as the ‘snowglobelike’ Yorktown station, the dangerous nebula, and the destruction rained down on Enterprise in the ambush. These moments ensure the film gets off to a striking start, and the climax of the film also delivers with spectacle which any mention of will surely spoil the gleeful surprise, so I won’t dwell on it. But the core essence of the film is the characterisations. Into Darkness suffered by not giving us much in the way of the relationships between the Enterprise crew. Yes, we got Kirk and Spock, but hadn’t we already seen much of that in the previous film? The rest of the cast seemed a little short-changed second time around, but in Beyond it seems all of them get something to do, and each of them grow in their own little way. None more so than Spock and McCoy (Karl Urban). A relationship which formed a key element of the classic series, the disagreements, bickering, and loving jibes haven’t really been touched on too much so far, but here, due to the pair being separated from the others, we get to see their fondness for each other, and how close the two actually are played out, whilst they put up their usual facade of annoyance. Meanwhile, Scotty (Simon Pegg) gets to play with the new addition to the cast, Jaylah (Sofia Boutella), an alien scavenger who would make a great regular addition to the crew if she sticks around for future films, whilst the rest involve themselves in other aspects of the story, building their characters, and being key to the crew’s survival as they fight against Krall. The cast feel at home in their roles now, and the result is the same warm feeling that watching the episodes of the original series, or the movies that followed. Wit and banter carry the film along with a smile.

Overall the film has the plotline of a classic styled episode, only with the budget to really make it spectacular to watch. An absolute joy to sit through, it leaves you wanting more in a very positive way. Small nods to the original series are scattered throughout, some buried quite deep in throwaway lines of dialogue, but never feeling forced or obstructive to the enjoyment of more casual fans. There is also a few touching tributes to Leonard Nimoy within, the actor having passed away prior to the film going into production, and the passing of the torch feels complete as a result. In addition, the sad passing of Anton Yelchin in recent months sees an acknowledgement in the credits – all his role in the film having already been completed, Chekov is a fully rounded character by the finale of the film, and his presence will certainly be missed in future outings. The fact this film is such a joy to watch is a fitting tribute to both these great actors, and their memory lives on as the franchise heads towards another fifty years.

Star Trek Beyond is everything the second film should have been, a bold new adventure for the crew, influenced by classic episodes, but not driven by them. New villains, new locations, boldly going where no-one has gone before.