Spolier-Free Star Trek Beyond Highlights

I just saw Star Trek Beyond this past weekend, accompanied by my brother and sister. This was actually the first of the latest Star Trek installments that I have actually ventured to the theater to watch. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), but since I am no Trekkie, I do not purchase tickets automatically for any film outside of the Marvel Cinematic or Star Wars universes.

However, I can truly say that I enjoyed this movie a lot! It’s funny. Shortly after my siblings and I left the theater, we started debating which of the latest Star Trek movies was the best. Perhaps I am suffering from recency bias, but I proclaimed that “Beyond” was. Regardless of whether you agree, I think this movie cements the “J.J. Abrams-directed/produced Star Treks” as one of the best sci-fi trilogies of all time. High praise, yes, but it’s warranted, especially when you consider that each film has received 80% or greater scores on Rotten Tomatoes.

Here are some of the film’s highlights, without giving too much away:

• Humor. Chris Pine (Captain Kirk) and Karl Urban (Bones) have shown excellent comic chemistry on-screen throughout this trilogy. In Beyond, this trend continues, and then some!
• Music. I was put off by the first trailer for Star Trek Beyond. In particular, the loud music, which accompanied the kinetic action scenes in the previews, appeared to be more flash than substance. But after seeing the film, I was wrong. The musical selections and timing were spot on.
• Director. Like the musical selections, I was tepid on the selection of Justin Lin as the director given how well J.J. Abrams directed the previous two films. But also because he was best-known for his handling of the latter films in the Fast and the Furious franchise (which have been good by the way). How would an action director handle the geeky nuances of Star Trek? The answer is extremely well. Props to Justin Lin.
• Chekov. I am still shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Anton Yelchin, who has exquisitely portrayed Pavel Chekov in these films. As per usual, his depiction was spot on here. He will be sorely missed. May he rest in peace.
• Villain. Idris Elba’s depiction of the nemesis of the Federation was excellent. And like his fellow “Trek” villains before him, Eric Bana (Nero) in Star Trek and Benedict Cumberbatch (Khan) in Star Trek Into Darkness, he has “something” in common with them. I’ll leave it at that.
• Twist. Yes, there’s a twist. A nifty one at that. Did you expect any less?

I strongly recommend Star Trek Beyond! It is a great popcorn flick, with enough geeky nostalgia to satisfy even the most ardent Trekkie.