emlogomain.jpg

Main
Facebook
Tumblr
News/ Updates
DVD Reviews
DVD Reviews 2016
Blu-ray Reviews
Blu-ray Reviews 2016
Movie Reviews
Movie Reviews 2016
TV
Interviews
Blu-ray Review: BATMAN V SUPERMAN Ultimate Edition
Blu-ray Review- STAR TREK 2: THE WRATH OF KHAN
Blu-ray Review: HARDCORE HENRY
DVD Review: CRIMINAL
Movie Review: STAR TREK BEYOND
PHOTOGRAPHY

STAR TREK BEYOND

movie review by David Blackwell

 

122 minutes, Rated PG-13

STUDIO: Paramount Pictures/ Skydance Productions/ Bad Robot/ Perfect Storm Entertainment/ Sneaky Shark/ Huahua Media/ Alibaba Group

Theatrical RELEASE DATE: 7-22-2016

Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and the crew of the Enterprise are three years into their five year mission.  Kirk is questioning his role of being the Captain of the enterprise and may accept a Vice Admiral position while Spock (Zachary Quinto) gets news about Ambassador Spock.   Their decisions are put on hold at Yorktown Starbase when they go on a rescue mission to a planet beyond a rocky nebula into unexplored space.  The Enterprise is attacked and the crew finds themselves separated and stranded on the planet.   The alien Krall (Idris Elba) wants an artifact that Kirk had tried to use as a gesture of piece between two alien races.  Kirk must find his crew and get off the planet.

 

STAR TREK BEYOND is a very enjoyable Star Trek movie which is the closet in spirit to the original movies and series with this movie being as good as the first one in the reboot series (which takes base in an alternate timeline).   The character work (the banter between McCoy (Karl Urban) and Spock is priceless) and humor is spot on along with references to various things in the star Trek Universe.   It isn’t the Star Trek movie that I would have imagined (or written), but it is a familiar and safe way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek.  I hope they boldy go where no one has gone before with the fourth movie or have a movie touch on the big conflict between Kirk and the Klingons like in some of the original Star Trek movies.   However, I do think they could get away from the stakes of the Federation in danger and focus more on the personal stakes of the crew being in danger.   Simon Pegg did some great writing with co-writer Doug Jung while Justin Lin did some very capable directing of this latest Star Trek movie.  I just think they could still scale it back to make an enjoyable adventure.  I know the STAR TREK movie are making more money than ever, but I do think Paramount is too worried about controlling the direction of the franchise due to the massive budgets the new STAR TREK movies get.  I just hope the next STAR TREK movie can push the franchise while serving both new and old fans, but maybe Paramount need to allow the writers to take risks instead of worrying about how much money the next one will make.

 

This review is ©7-25-2016 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com

 

Like Enterline Media on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/enterlinemediaweb and follow on tumblr at http://enterlinemedia.tumblr.com