Star Trek Beyond (2016)
The third of the new movies is the worst of them. It is yet another revenge plot, but with just the absolute bare minimum of backstory for the villain, that also comes way too late to be meaningful. Yet another threat against the entire Federation and plenty of dead Starfleet crew, but without any emotional weight. The movie tries to start by giving a bit of background to their five year mission and what is has done to the crew so far, but it is not given enough time and we just jump straight into CGI destruction hell. Seeing the Enterprise destroyed yet again lacks any impact because we haven’t developed any sort of attachment to that ship, and despite all the CGI effects, the saucer crash from Generations more than 20 years earlier still looks better.
With a few exceptions, like Bones commenting on Spocks “tracking device” gift, this movie also mostly lacks the camaraderie and banter between the main crew. While I did enjoy seeing the crew scattered and fighting for survival on a remote planet and it was sort of amusing using Beastie Boys to crush the robot swarm, this movie cements that the Star Trek universe is just used for an excuse for Marvel-like action destruction plot that has left behind the utopian feel of the rest of the franchise.
I know I sound like a grumpy old man saying that everything was better in the old days, but I completely stand by it. All the Star Trek movies have always been somewhat subpar to the best episodes from the TV series, but I would rank this the lowest of them all.
Rating: 2