Star Trek Beyond- Movie Review

This weekend, the third installment of the relaunched Star Trek series hits theaters with hopes to dazzle and appease the diehard fans that have followed the franchise for galaxies. Being I'm a sucker for a great sci-fi flick, I had decent expectations when entering my viewing of Star Trek Beyond. I'd say most of my expectations were met and that I thoroughly enjoyed this space adventure.

It goes without saying that the cast for this series has been top notch. Chris Pine as Captain Kirk is a casting that just makes too much sense. He's a fantastic leading man and portrays a true leader in a great fashion. I also enjoyed Zachary Quinto (portraying Spock) and all of the returning characters. This crew is a great one and the passing of Anton Yelchin (who portrayed Chekov) is truly a huge loss to a great team of actors. He was great and my heart aches for his family. I also have to mention Idris Elba played a very decent villain in this film. I won't give too much away, but his character Krall has a solid backstory and is a menacing character. I also loved Sofia Boutella's portrayal of Jaylah. When another Star Trek comes out, I'm very hopeful she'll return with the crew.

I also have to acknowledge how fun this movie truly was. The action set pieces were top notch and superbly done. This film jam packs itself with a ton of action but also provided breathing room to develop some seriously fantastic characters. This film really takes the time to dive into characters and situations going in their lives. Both Kirk and Spock are going through rough patches and the movie allows time for both to really explore life and their options. The excellent writing also really developed Krall and when his motivation was revealed, it was heartfelt and really almost tragic. With great character moments, also came some great comedic bits. Simon Pegg co-wrote this installment and it was pretty funny at times. His comedic flare really aided a lot of the characters. 

Now, this movie is something awesome. My issue here is that the film didn't feel necessary at all. It was a fun time at the movies but it really didn't do a ton to elongate this saga. I honestly don't know where the crew will go from here. That being said, I'm all for more of these films being made because they are a ton of fun and really offer an excellent time at the movies. 

This weekend is a great weekend for film because two excellent movies have hit theaters (see my review of Lights Out). You simply cannot go wrong.

Rating: A-