Star Trek Beyond Review
Jul. 30th, 2016 10:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
benevolentspectreSo as you can see from my title, I went and saw Star Trek Beyond, and boy do I have some opinions. And having no one to share the opinions with means I'm going to type them all out here on dreamwidth, never to know if anyone else has ever read them or not. This will contain spoilers, so I'll put in a cut. I would also like to mention that the following is entirely my own opinion and is not a professional review (it is serious, but I'm not, like, being paid for this or anything. It's just for my own entertainment).
First thing's first: Rating compared to the other two Star Trek reboot films. Personally, I would rate this movie at #2, narrowly beaten by Star Trek Into Darkness. My rating here is arbitrary, because it's not based even slightly on cinematography and instead entirely on what I like to see in a movie. I thought Into Darkness had a more compelling storyline and a more touching ending. It's also not fair for me to leave out that I am a huge Spirk shipper (thanks to being a huge fan of TOS), and Into Darkness was a gold mine of Spirk goodness. Beyond had its moments too, don't get me wrong. And a lack of shipping moments doesn't really change my opinion of a movie, but it's worth mentioning. I'm sure there is some inherent bias in my rating due to do that, so it's only fair.
Anyway! Back to Beyond specifically. I want to make mention that I thought the characterization and character interactions were incredible. The Enterprise crew has been together for over three years at the point the story is being told, and it's apparent with how comfortable our main players are with each other. There's a banter that, while present in previous movies, is a lot smoother now and it's obvious in both words and actions how much everyone on the Enterprise cares for their crewmates. It's a great and realistic dynamic, and I really do hope a fourth reboot movie is made if only to see even more growth in these characters.
Not gonna lie: I got unnaturally excited when it was revealed Spock and Uhura had broken up at the beginning of the film. I knew they'd get back together by the end of course, but I really don't like that relationship. And no, it's not because I'm a diehard Spirk fan--It's because the relationship honestly doesn't make any sense to me. Uhura would've been amazing with Sulu or Scotty (basing this on TOS interactions, really, considering Uhura doesn't really directly interact with anyone outside of Kirk or Spock until Beyond--Though there were some nice Uhura+Sulu moments in this one. Irrelevant, since Sulu is taken (and technically so is Uhura, I guess), but you know.).
I thought the storyline was super interesting. I'm pretty damn good at predicting what'll happen in movies, but this one kept me guessing on what exactly was going down. I mean, I knew the crew of the Franklin would become important eventually or they wouldn't have shown that video on the ship with such focus so early on, but I hadn't expected survivors, so that was cool. I was, though, kind of confused about the weapon? I think it was somewhat supposed to be shrouded in mystery, but one thing the writers do with the reboot that irritates me a bit is handwaves things a lot. And idk, it's been awhile since I've watched TOS so I can't comfortably claim that the same thing doesn't happen there, but I would like more of an explanation on things than just "it happens." Just because we're exploring alien worlds and have unbelievably advanced technology doesn't mean everything that needs to happen can just happen.
Why was Edison able to survive? What about the planet he landed on allowed that? Why did the rest of his crew perish? What exactly was that weapon, how did Edison even find out about it, how did he get the other piece that he didn't steal from Kirk, etc etc. Basically everything about the super weapon brought up another question. What the hell sort of technology allowed Kirk to appear in fifty places at once (/shadow clones *coughcough* No but seriously that's all I could think of during that part was freaking Naruto and his shadow clones I'm such trash)? I know Scotty's a genius, but the stuff he was doing was just a little too impossible at points. I mean, again, I know it's a sci-fi movie, so suspension of disbelief is necessary, but this movie was asking just a bit too much of my logical mind.
Everyone important to the plot was shown to be unquestionably competent at their respective jobs, which--while it seems obvious--I still appreciate.
SPOCK+BONES MOMENTS, OH MY GOD. They made this movie. I would watch an entire movie about Spock and Bones stranded on an alien planet alone and trying to escape. Nothing beats their banter, man, seriously. And I would like to say at this point that one thing I will never fault in this reboot is the casting. Spot on.
Jayla (Jaela? Jala? Too lazy to look up the spelling) was a gem, and I'm kind of sorry they sent her to the academy rather than just giving her a spot on the Enterprise crew. I mean, couldn't Scotty use another apprentice? Come on, guys. Here's to hoping she shows up again if they make another movie.
The few Spirk moments that did happen were squee-worthy indeed. They're making me want to go finish watching TOS (Yes, I'm a bad fan and only watched through season 2. I'll finish it eventually, gosh darn it), since at least there there's no senseless SpockxUhura in TOS.
(Sidenote: I know I sound like a whiny fangirl, but I promise you I don't dislike the SpockxUhura ship because I love Spirk. I have many reasons, but this isn't the time nor place to get into it.)
Kirk's genius was really shown in this movie, and it was so subtle how it was done. Everyone's devotion and loyalty to their captain was so touching. I just love the relationships and dynamics the main crew shares, okay? I almost think I preferred the overall dynamic between them in this reboot movie than in TOS, and that's really saying something.
A complaint--and while it may seem silly, it's actually a big thing for me--is that there were parts of the movie that I had a hard time watching. Now, I know a bouncy camera and dramatically dark scenes are typical of any action/sci-fi movie, but I can still dislike them. I found myself wishing the theater was pitch black during certain scenes, because the screen was too dim for me to properly see what was happening. I lost track of what was going on during literally every fight scene. Like, I entirely missed that Bones and Spock escaped the Enterprise in an enemy ship near the beginning of the movie. I spent the movie--all the way up to when they had to go into an enemy ship again near the end--thinking they had left in an escape pod and wondering why the enemy didn't capture them when they captured the rest of the crew.
(In hindsight, I probably should've wondered why the ship they came out of looked different than the pods everyone else used, but I thought at the time that it was just a different type of escape pod.)
Also, there were loud parts. Loud things give me headaches, but this is a recurring problem with literally every movie ever, so I can't complain too much about this one specifically. I just always feel the need to mention it because it's such a bother.
Overall, I'd rate this movie 8.5/10. It'd be higher, but I had to deduct for the wonky camera during the fight scenes. I would totally recommend fans of the franchise see the movie, and I would hope that even people who haven't seen the two prequels could jump in with this one and enjoy it. Can't say for sure, since I, you know, have seen the prequels.
First thing's first: Rating compared to the other two Star Trek reboot films. Personally, I would rate this movie at #2, narrowly beaten by Star Trek Into Darkness. My rating here is arbitrary, because it's not based even slightly on cinematography and instead entirely on what I like to see in a movie. I thought Into Darkness had a more compelling storyline and a more touching ending. It's also not fair for me to leave out that I am a huge Spirk shipper (thanks to being a huge fan of TOS), and Into Darkness was a gold mine of Spirk goodness. Beyond had its moments too, don't get me wrong. And a lack of shipping moments doesn't really change my opinion of a movie, but it's worth mentioning. I'm sure there is some inherent bias in my rating due to do that, so it's only fair.
Anyway! Back to Beyond specifically. I want to make mention that I thought the characterization and character interactions were incredible. The Enterprise crew has been together for over three years at the point the story is being told, and it's apparent with how comfortable our main players are with each other. There's a banter that, while present in previous movies, is a lot smoother now and it's obvious in both words and actions how much everyone on the Enterprise cares for their crewmates. It's a great and realistic dynamic, and I really do hope a fourth reboot movie is made if only to see even more growth in these characters.
Not gonna lie: I got unnaturally excited when it was revealed Spock and Uhura had broken up at the beginning of the film. I knew they'd get back together by the end of course, but I really don't like that relationship. And no, it's not because I'm a diehard Spirk fan--It's because the relationship honestly doesn't make any sense to me. Uhura would've been amazing with Sulu or Scotty (basing this on TOS interactions, really, considering Uhura doesn't really directly interact with anyone outside of Kirk or Spock until Beyond--Though there were some nice Uhura+Sulu moments in this one. Irrelevant, since Sulu is taken (and technically so is Uhura, I guess), but you know.).
I thought the storyline was super interesting. I'm pretty damn good at predicting what'll happen in movies, but this one kept me guessing on what exactly was going down. I mean, I knew the crew of the Franklin would become important eventually or they wouldn't have shown that video on the ship with such focus so early on, but I hadn't expected survivors, so that was cool. I was, though, kind of confused about the weapon? I think it was somewhat supposed to be shrouded in mystery, but one thing the writers do with the reboot that irritates me a bit is handwaves things a lot. And idk, it's been awhile since I've watched TOS so I can't comfortably claim that the same thing doesn't happen there, but I would like more of an explanation on things than just "it happens." Just because we're exploring alien worlds and have unbelievably advanced technology doesn't mean everything that needs to happen can just happen.
Why was Edison able to survive? What about the planet he landed on allowed that? Why did the rest of his crew perish? What exactly was that weapon, how did Edison even find out about it, how did he get the other piece that he didn't steal from Kirk, etc etc. Basically everything about the super weapon brought up another question. What the hell sort of technology allowed Kirk to appear in fifty places at once (/shadow clones *coughcough* No but seriously that's all I could think of during that part was freaking Naruto and his shadow clones I'm such trash)? I know Scotty's a genius, but the stuff he was doing was just a little too impossible at points. I mean, again, I know it's a sci-fi movie, so suspension of disbelief is necessary, but this movie was asking just a bit too much of my logical mind.
Everyone important to the plot was shown to be unquestionably competent at their respective jobs, which--while it seems obvious--I still appreciate.
SPOCK+BONES MOMENTS, OH MY GOD. They made this movie. I would watch an entire movie about Spock and Bones stranded on an alien planet alone and trying to escape. Nothing beats their banter, man, seriously. And I would like to say at this point that one thing I will never fault in this reboot is the casting. Spot on.
Jayla (Jaela? Jala? Too lazy to look up the spelling) was a gem, and I'm kind of sorry they sent her to the academy rather than just giving her a spot on the Enterprise crew. I mean, couldn't Scotty use another apprentice? Come on, guys. Here's to hoping she shows up again if they make another movie.
The few Spirk moments that did happen were squee-worthy indeed. They're making me want to go finish watching TOS (Yes, I'm a bad fan and only watched through season 2. I'll finish it eventually, gosh darn it), since at least there there's no senseless SpockxUhura in TOS.
(Sidenote: I know I sound like a whiny fangirl, but I promise you I don't dislike the SpockxUhura ship because I love Spirk. I have many reasons, but this isn't the time nor place to get into it.)
Kirk's genius was really shown in this movie, and it was so subtle how it was done. Everyone's devotion and loyalty to their captain was so touching. I just love the relationships and dynamics the main crew shares, okay? I almost think I preferred the overall dynamic between them in this reboot movie than in TOS, and that's really saying something.
A complaint--and while it may seem silly, it's actually a big thing for me--is that there were parts of the movie that I had a hard time watching. Now, I know a bouncy camera and dramatically dark scenes are typical of any action/sci-fi movie, but I can still dislike them. I found myself wishing the theater was pitch black during certain scenes, because the screen was too dim for me to properly see what was happening. I lost track of what was going on during literally every fight scene. Like, I entirely missed that Bones and Spock escaped the Enterprise in an enemy ship near the beginning of the movie. I spent the movie--all the way up to when they had to go into an enemy ship again near the end--thinking they had left in an escape pod and wondering why the enemy didn't capture them when they captured the rest of the crew.
(In hindsight, I probably should've wondered why the ship they came out of looked different than the pods everyone else used, but I thought at the time that it was just a different type of escape pod.)
Also, there were loud parts. Loud things give me headaches, but this is a recurring problem with literally every movie ever, so I can't complain too much about this one specifically. I just always feel the need to mention it because it's such a bother.
Overall, I'd rate this movie 8.5/10. It'd be higher, but I had to deduct for the wonky camera during the fight scenes. I would totally recommend fans of the franchise see the movie, and I would hope that even people who haven't seen the two prequels could jump in with this one and enjoy it. Can't say for sure, since I, you know, have seen the prequels.
