Star Trek Beyond Continues The Rebooted Series' Hot Streak

I should get this out of the way a the start... By no means am I a Trekkie (or is it Trekker?  See, I have no idea).  I have never watched the original series, and have only seen a handful of the original movies.  That being said, I LOVED 2009's rebooted Star Trek.  I found it exhilarating and refreshing (Sure, it was basically J.J. Abrams tryout for The Force Awakens, but who cares?).  I also loved that it created an alternate timeline, which allowed the original series to co-exist with this one.  And, finally, I really like how the previous two films gave the late, great Leonard Nimoy one last chance to shine in the role that came to define him.

Now, on to Star Trek Beyond.   I have to admit that I was more than a little worried by the first trailer of this film.  It seemed like director Justin Lin (Fast 5, 6, & 7) was turning this franchise into The Fast & The Trekious.  However, the more I read about this, the more my fears subsided.  Co-writer Simon Pegg (Exceptional as always as Scottie) penned this film as an homage to the original vision of the Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry (although his decision to make Sulu's character gay surprisingly riled George Takei in a bit of mild controversy).  This one feels the most true to that original vision of the 3 new Trek films.

Beyond picks up in year 3 of the Enterprises vaunted 5 year mission to explore new worlds and cultures.  Boredom has set in (I really enjoyed the film's opening montage, which hilariously points out this boredom), and captain Kirk is coming to terms with his age (he's now one year older than his late father ever was).  However, the boredom doesn't last and the Enterprise is called to a Federation outpost in deep space to investigate a distress signal in the middle of a nebula.  Not-so-shockingly, the distress signal is a trap by the major bad dude in the film, Krall (menacingly played by the always superb Idris Elba), and the Enterprise is up to its elbows in major trouble.  Unlike other films in this series, this film mostly takes place in this one location.  I found this quite refreshing as it allowed the cast to shine.

Speaking of cast, the star of this film is the great Karl Urban as Dr. "Bones" McCoy.  He's been great in the other two films, but his added screen time in this one allows him to explore his character's neurosis to an hilarious level.  His interactions with the dead-panned Spock are truly special.  Speaking of Spock, there is a tear inducing moment in the film honoring Nimoy, which also adds to the depth and humanity of this Spock's character.

The action in this film is also top-notch without overshadowing the performances.  Justin Lin adds some of his signature Fast & Furious action sequences seamlessly in to the Trek universe without overshadowing the overall feel of this universe.  The call back to the song Sabotage from the first trailer (and first film) was my favorite action sequence of the entire film.  That being said, Beyond didn't break any new ground the way the first two films did.

Overall, this was a highly enjoyable summer action flick, and another solid entry into the Trek franchise.  It did not boldly go where no film has gone before, but that's OK. With a 4th film in this franchise already announced, I am excited to get back in the Enterprise for another exciting trip through the cosmos.  Live long and prosper!

3 out of 4 stars.