Rating of
3/4
Boldly Going Beyond the Original Scope
Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/23/16
I was skeptical for a long time about this Star Trek entry simply because this one felt more rushed than the previous entries. Yet they managed to pull things together and craft an original story and while the focus this time may be more on action than the characters at times, this is classic Trek and certainly the most fun I've had with this rebooted series.
The film opens with Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) trying to negotiate a peace between two races - and failing, getting attacked by a swarm of pint-sized brawlers. He laments that the five-year mission the Enterprise is currently on (about halfway through at this point) is taking its toll. So much so that when the crew lands at the Federation's newest port of call, the space station Yorktown, Kirk is ready to put in his name in the hat for the Lt. Admiral position at the station. Just as the crew is settling in for so much needed R&R, a strange vessel approaches and the distresses alien on board says her science crew was taken hostage in a nearby uncharted nebula and needs help. The Enterprise is the only ship equipped for the mission and thus Kirk offers his support, but things are not as they seem and soon hey face overwhelming odds to merely survive.
The entire cast is back. Beside Pine, you have Zachary Quinto as the always logical Spock, Zoe Saldana as the strong Lieutenant Uhura, Karl Urban as the dour Dr. "Bones" McCoy, Simone Pegg as the genial Engineer Scotty, John Cho as the attentive Sulu and the late Anton Yelchin as the admirable Chekov. Joining our solid crew are Sofia Boutella as the kick-ass Jaylah, an alien who does what she must to survive and is as strong as she is gifted and Idris Elba playing a mostly unrecognizable villain in the destructive Krall, who holds a grudge against the "weak" Federation and wants to see war brought back to the pacifist galaxy.
The film has a great bit of action - both in space and on the ground. A lot of it is achieved by the dreaded shaky cam (apparently Justin Lin is a fan of Paul Greengrass) and can be distracting at times, but it is effective none-the-less. The characters are split up for a big chunk of the film, but at least it gives them a chance to shine. I especially like the pairing of a wounded Spock with the ever-pessimistic Bones - it makes for some hilarious and telling dialogue. Likewise, Pegg (who co-wrote the script) is also quite enjoyable as Scotty, who is the first to meet up with Jaylah. Also, thought they reuse "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys (which was featured in the first film) it has to be one of the most memorable uses of any song in any action movie - classical music indeed.
There are a few twists - some you will probably see coming, others you probably won't - but overall it is a solid story. They pay homage to the passing of Leonard Nimoy and do that very well (one has to wonder what they will do with Chekov as J.J. Abrams has gone on record saying the role will not be re-cast). They also reveal Sulu has a life partner (as a nod to the real-life George Takei, though he himself was apparently not the biggest fan of the decision). And while villains on Star Trek films are hit-or-miss, Krall ranks as one of the most violent and truly evil - even when you learn his story, it's hard to feel too much sympathy.
In the end, Star Trek is a great sci-fi action film that scratches the summer movie itch. It would have been better with a bit deeper character development but, as it stands, the reboot finally has found its original voice and I can't wait to see where they boldly go from here on out.
