So before I even get started I want to say that it feels strange writing one of these for the last time. And at the same time I am pretty much certain this isn't actually the last time, just the last time for Star Trek. Babylon 5, Farscape and Buffy/Angel all come to mind as future shows to handle this way, but that is for the world after Irene and Eleanor arrive. Onto the matter at hand, I really liked Beyond, more than the first time I saw it honestly. And yes, part of that is I now get all the fairly subtle nods to ENT including the totally rad NX class USS Franklin that managed to look like the NX-1, but evolved into something more advanced. The structure of breaking the cast into pairs is genius since it gives all the characters a chance to shine like it Voyage Home. Even the fairly dumb motorcycle scene worked a lot better for me this time than when I saw it in theaters. Especially by the end they managed to make the cast really feel like a crew who have gotten to know each other unlike the first two movies that felt more like they were thrown together. I honestly really home they keep making these movies even though I also hope we go back to the Prime timeline for everything else.
We open with a great bit of Kirk trying to negotiate a treaty with tiny lizard men and getting into a hilarious brawl when things don't work out. He sends the MacGuffin off to storage before heading to Yorktown for a refit of the ship after spending three years in deep space. Their relaxation is interrupted by the arrival of an escape pod with a woman named Kalara who says her ship is crippled and stranded on a planet inside a super ominous uncharted nebula right next to Yorktown. Enterprise is of course the ship picked to go help her out but it is obviously a trap. They are attacked by a swarm of tiny ships that rip Enterprise to shreds and allow boarding parties to enter all over. After putting up a good fight the abandon ship in escape pods while Kirk and Chekov fly the saucer section down before also ditching. Most of the crew are captured except for Scotty who lands alone, Spock and McCoy who capture a small alien ship that crashes, and Kirk who along with Chekov and Kalara start making their way back to the saucer section.
Scotty runs into Jaylah who takes him to her hum on the USS Franklin. Spock is badly hurt but McCoy manages to stabilize him, but they are surrounded by enemy craft until Scotty beams them both to the Franklin. Chekov and Kirk get onto Enterprise with Kalara who turns on them as soon as Kirk tells her he is getting out the alien MacGuffin from the opening. They escape and are caught in one of Jaylah's traps. Krall shows up with the captured crew and threatens to kill Sulu until one of the crew gives him the MacGuffin and is killed for her help. Kirk comes up with a plan to rescue their crew by causing a distraction while Jaylah, Spock and McCoy beam the crew to the Franklin. We get a beam out rescue of Kirk and Jaylah is right out of Star Trek 2009 as Krall escapes to destroy Yorktown with his terror MacGuffin.
They barely get the Franklin flying but through some silliness the realize the only way to destroy the swarm ships is to turn on the volume on the Beastie Boys and cause a shock way that destroys all the swarm ships except for Krall's ship. It manages to get into Yorktown with pursuit by Spock and McCoy in a stolen alien ship and Franklin blasting in through the door like its no big deal. They stop Krall's ship but Uhura figures out Krall is actually the former captain of the Franklin, a disenchanted ex-MACO who feels abandoned by Starfleet. Krall makes his way to the air ducts but Kirk manages to vent him and the MacGuffin into space saving the day. Kirk doesn't accept promotion to admiral and Spock decides to stay in Starfleet. There is a really nice good bye toast to lost comrades before rolling credits.
Review: I really enjoyed this movie not just for the characters but also the adventure. Sure, it is another damn revenge plot, but we only really find that out in the last few minutes of the film which is a lot better than all the dwelling we got in the last two.
8 out of 10
No comments:
Post a Comment