Star Trek Beyond (Sol)

(Originally posted 27th July 2016)

In many ways, Star Trek Beyond is exactly what I asked for in our Star Trek episode. Unlike the previous two efforts, it really feels very much like a feature-length episode of the original series (albeit produced with a massive budget). That said, if this had been an episode of the original series, it certainly wouldn't be remembered as one of the classics.

In fact, whilst the new film does a far better (though still far from perfect) job of staying true to the franchise than the Abrams films, it's also far less entertaining as a bit of mindless, popcorn entertainment. Despite it getting lots right, I feel like it might, ultimately, be the weakest of the three "reboot" films so far. It's something of a one step forward, one step back, ultimately shifting two inches to the side situation.

It's worthy for doing one of the best jobs of any Star Trek film to date of, not only including, but making good use of each of the crew - something that's probably partly down to Simon Pegg writing himself a bigger role. It's also worth noting that the cast are, once again, pretty wonderful in their roles (with a handful of exceptions) - as has been the case since the 2009 reboot. Sofia Boutella as Jaylah is a welcome addition who I hope shows up in future instalments.

Overall, the film comes and goes. It's a welcome addition to the Star Trek canon, though it hardly reinvents the wheel.

7/10

Related episodes:
"Star Trek Into Darkness"
"Review of the Year 2016"