Film Review: Star Trek Beyond

 

The third instalment of the modern-day Star Trek film series, directed by Justin Lin, has hit cinemas, and with Simon Pegg having written the screenplay with Doug Jung, there’s a bit more British appeal to this one. However, Pegg isn’t the only one from across the pond, as Idris Elba takes up the role of the villain, Krall. That’s another British villain, following Benedict Cumberbatch who played Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness. Maybe they’re trying to tell us something..?

However, the Brits aren’t the only cast members to rave about. With Chris Pine reprising his role as Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto returning as Spock and Karl Urban as Leonard McCoy for a third time, the cast is one of the most impressive – and this is just to name a few. We also see a new side to an otherwise fairly quiet character so far, Hikaru Sulu, with his male partner and their child. Unfortunately there was a significant actor missing from this popular sci-fi movie; Leonard Nimoy, as he passed away before filming began. The film was, however, dedicated to his memory, as well as Anton Yelchin - who played Pavel Chekov - who sadly died earlier this year.

In a film world full of ever-improving effects and CGI, the sci-fi genre seems to have more and more pressure to look the most realistic and yet at the same time the most out of this world. This trilogy has so far just become more impressive to look at with each instalment, and this one has to be the most mesmerising one yet. From the incredible battle scenes, to the awesome new planets, it’s impossible to take your eyes off the screen. Although the film is wonderfully attractive to look at in 2D, it’s also one of those films that actually benefits from 3D.

 

The amazing make-up on some of the main characters, and the extras, makes the universe look so diverse and fun, that sometimes you may even want to be an alien yourself. From the black and white face of the newest character to join Starfleet, Jaylah, to the ever-changing, terrifying face of Krall, it’s a wonder as to how people keep coming up with so many different types of aliens.

Comparing Star Trek Beyond to the previous two instalments, it seems slower at times, with less action and more storylines running throughout. As the USS Enterprise crashes into a lone planet, all the members on board get split up, and therefore we have different bonds being created – such as Spock and Leonard McCoy, who are known to have had a fair few disagreements in the past. We also see more of Pavel Chekov as he and Captain Kirk find themselves on their own looking for other crew members, and Montgomery Scott, as he lands on his own, and becomes friends with Jaylah. However, with the increased screen-time for these characters, comes less screen-time for characters such as Nyota Uhura. If you’re going to see this film expecting it to be action-packed, full of fighting, and explosions similarly to the first and second films, you may be disappointed. However, the multiple story-lines running throughout work perfectly as a set up for a fourth chapter.

The sad and unexpected loss of some characters opens up the possibility of new characters, which could be very exciting, especially if they follow in the footsteps of Jaylah, with her humour and fighting ability that makes her fit in perfectly. A new ship also adds to the anticipation of what’s to come next, and seen as they’ve nailed the villain once again, it'll be fun to see what baddy they stir up next.

Star Trek Beyond is on general release now.