Star Trek Beyond - 3 smiles

I'm a big fan of the original Star Trek TV series and I've seen all of the Star Trek movies, including the most recent re-boot. So, I have to say, even though I see some problems with "Star Trek Beyond," I have to give it a fairly high rating. Take that with a grain of salt if you're not a fan. Let me get the weaknesses out of the way first: Idris Elba, who plays the villain, Krall, is buried under too much latex, which makes it hard to understand him at times and doesn't allow for his always expressive face to, well, express. And the script, co-written by Simon Peg and Doug Jung, doesn't bother to explain a lot of things related to Krall (Elba), such as where he gets all of his followers when, at one point in the movie, he says that only three remained.  And if each ship in Krall's fleet is being flown by one of his followers, well.... his fleet has millions of planes (at least, that's what the CGI shows). The movie opens three years into The Enterprise's five-year mission with Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) wondering about who he is and what he's doing. While docking at Yorktown, a spaceport where alien cultures live in harmony, The Enterprise is sent on a rescue mission that turns into an ambush. An enemy horde, led by the fearsome Krall (Elba), blows the ship to pieces, leaving the crew separated and stranded on an alien planet. This set up allows for some playful pairings. Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Bones (a terrific Karl Urban) snipe at each other continuously. Kirk and Chekov (Anton Yelchin, who was killed in a tragic accident) set out to rescue the captured Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and Sulu (John Cho). And Scotty (Simon Peg) matches wits with Jaylah (a scene-stealing Sofia Boutella), an alien notorious for her attitude, black warpaint and combat skills. But Jaylah is a key character and, hopefully, one we'll see in the next installment.

A strength of the movie is the humor, which mostly revolves around Bones and Spock and Scotty. Guess the latter isn't so much of a surprise given that Simon Peg wrote the script, which also gives him a lot of screen time. Another strength is the cast now seems comfortable with their roles and we see a real camaraderie. Casting Chris Pine as James T. Kirk was a stroke of genius as it's his skill as an actor that holds the movie together. Justin Lin, former director of the Fast and Furious movies has delivered a mix of fast and furious action and old school Star Trek thoughtfulness. "Star Trek Beyond" is definitely a must-see and a must-see on a big screen. Don't wait for cable.