Star Trek Beyond

Justin Lin’s Star Trek Beyond is the third addition in the J. J. Abrams-produced film franchise reboot of the classic science fiction television series and related films, Star Trek, the previous two films having also been directed by Abrams. The film is dedicated to late Star Trek stars Leonard Nimoy, who famously portrayed Spock in the original series (sometimes known as Spock Prime in the reboot), and Anton Yelchin, who plays the newer version of Pavel Chekov in the trilogy.

The story follows the crew of the Starship Enterprise during their five-year mission through uncharted space as they are attacked by Krall, a warmonger with a grudge against the Federation, and stranded on an unknown planet. The main characters are divided into Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) helped by Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin), an injured Spock (Zachary Quinto) with Doctor Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban), Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and Hikaru Sulu (Jon Cho) taken captive, and Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg) as he meets with Jaylah (Sofia Boutella), who is also stranded on the planet – they must find a way off the planet and stop Krall from using a deadly weapon. The performances from the cast are quite good. The characters look their parts and have distinct personalities. The moods of the characters and how the actors convey these moods are simple but far from one-note.

The makeup on the human characters is subtle but has the effect of making them look tired, supposedly from their prolonged time in space. Alien character design is fantastic. One can barely tell it is Idris Elba playing as the villain under all that makeup. Set design is well crafted. Some in the past have disliked the sleek iPod-looking design of the Enterprise’s bridge; though the bridge is the same design here, it and the corridors have a feel closer to that of, say, The Next Generation. Starbase Yorktown has a great design like a city in an artificial see-through hollow moon, though its exterior shield has the typical science fiction-y hexagons. Other sets like ruined starships have dark technological backgrounds while the small buildings on Krall’s planet have somewhat hive-like, organic or smooth shaped backgrounds. Computer-generated imagery used here is beautiful, especially those used to create astronomical objects and warp effects.

Cinematography unfortunately has its hits and its misses. Sometimes the camera movements are well used and integrated with the special effects, and those are easily the most memorable. Vertical tracking shots utilising cranes are nicely used on certain sets with two or more levels. Action scenes are energetic, entertaining and sometimes tense, though certain ones have a combination of excessively shaky camera, close proximity and fast editing that make what is happening hard to see. In terms of visual style, the most laughed-at part of Abrams’ directing is his use of lens flares, but Lin’s film doesn’t put so much emphasis on them. There is an issue with audio in some parts - when a character moves off-screen or behind the camera and continues talking, their voice goes far too quiet and unnatural. This perhaps suggests live audio recording and/or a neglect to reproduce dialogue in a studio at a later date, or an error in sound mixing.

The story is inventive in its elements of survival and mystery. It attempts to keep you guessing and there is foreshadowing, though more towards things that are featured in the film rather than the plot itself. There is quite a good twist at the beginning of the third act. The story introduces Jaylah as a tough fighter and gives her humanising qualities in the form of musical tastes. The film has a number of humorous moments to keep its audience interested, playing on the personalities of the characters and their emotional reactions. Technobabble can go right over the audience’s head, specifically in one scene where the script downright bombards them with it. Kudos to the cast for saying those lines as naturally as they did. It must have taken a good deal of tongue-tied outtakes before getting them right.

The villain of the story, while threatening and sometimes terrifying, has questionable motivations. Krall’s plan is more logical than that of Nero in the 2009 film (which isn’t saying much), if only because Krall’s rationality is affected by his psychology. However, it is that same quality that leads one to think his motivations are merely the result of his mental state rather than cultural differences or relatable motivation. He’s still a credible threat to the heroes and the audience can sympathise with him to an extent given what is revealed about him; perhaps the reason one might think he isn’t a particularly strong character is because in one’s mind one may compare him to the cold but greatly sympathetic performance of Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan from Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). The moral of the story that could surround the villain is not necessarily apparent, as it is not made a theme.

Star Trek Beyond, in terms of camera and sound, has its number of flaws, though it also has impressive shots here and there and the musical score is powerful, sometimes melodic. The visual style is colourful, the physical design is well made, and the film is overall attractive to look at. The actors’ performances and moments of humour make the film very enjoyable and pleasing. The characters are all well represented, including, despite negative criticism on the part of this review, the villain, who is an arguably redeemable character, and the story is creative. Not perfect in terms of technique, but it is an appreciable effort and an enjoyable flick.