DIRECTOR: Justin Lin
LEAD CAST: John Cho, Simon Pegg.
Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba SCREENWRITER: Simon Pegg, Doug Jung PRODUCER: J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, Roberto
Orci EDITOR: Greg D'Auria, Dylan
Highsmith, Kelly Matsumoto, Steven Sprung MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Michael Giacchino GENRE: Science Fiction/Action CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen Windon DISTRIBUTOR: Paramount Pictures LOCATION: USA/China RUNNING TIME: 122 minutes
Technical assessment: 3
Moral assessment: 3
CINEMA rating: PG13
MTRCB rating: PG
The USS Enterprise
is on its third year in a five-year mission of exploring outer space when
Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) starts to doubt his purpose in the mission and is
feeling restless. Meanwhile, Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto) is reassessing
the role he plays in the survival of the Vulcan people. But all these issues
take a backseat temporarily when the Enterprise receives a call of distress
from somewhere to which they have to come to rescue. There, they are attacked
by a stronger force leaving the Enterprise damaged beyond repair. The entire
crew is separated and stranded on an unknown planet ruled by an evil warlord
who seems to have a deep-seated grudge against the Federation.
The third
installment of the newly revived Star Trek franchise, Star Trek Beyond could be considered as the most entertaining of
the three. Characters are fun to watch and most of their motivations are
clearly staged. However, in its entirety, the film suffers from a weak villain
Krall who’s not threatening enough, making the film quite predictable. Star Trek fanatics can easily track
down and recognize plans and pay-offs in the film as they effortlessly relate
events and decode jargons. Non-fans may be a bit alienated and find it hard to
catch-up, but with the solid structure of the story, they would easily feel the
characters as the film progresses, given the centrality of the theme and the
ample time devoted to character development. This particular installment has a
distinct style of its own that is not necessarily like the first two movies. The
CGI is also impressive, as well as the entire cast’s performance. As a
spectacle, the Star Trek Beyond
experience is still very much enjoyable.
Central to
this “ship-of-fools” sci-fi is camaraderie and the battle between good and evil
that goes beyond skin deep. Star Trek
Beyond celebrates unity in diversity—the crew, particularly, Capt. Kirk,
Commander Spock, Dr. Bones, Scotty, and the rest, are different from one another
with their own issues to grapple with, and yet, when it comes to achieving
their goal as a league, personal differences never get in the way. For teamwork
to succeed, several hands are not enough, instead, members of the team should
endeavor to put aside personal interests and work as one mind to achieve the
common good. Commander Spock’s optimism shines through in the story—left in the
midst of rubble, disconcerted Captain Kirk says, “We got no ship, no crew,
how're going to get out of this one?” But beyond the shadow of doubt, Commander
Spock responded with, “We will find hope in the impossible”. For the common good and for the sake of saving
the planet, characters of diverse interests come together in the film which
sets a good example to the young audiences. In the end, good triumphs over
evil. However, it cannot be denied that the film is not devoid of violence,
albeit bloodless, thus, parents should guide children aged 13 and below in viewing
such images.
