Star Trek : Beyond
The thirteenth Star Trek film, and the third in the recent reboot sees the crew of the USS Enterprise stranded on a remote planet, having lost contact with the Federation and squaring up against a new, seemingly insurmountable foe.
Tonally different to JJ Abram's previous two instalments, thanks to director Justin Lin's (of Fast & Furious fame) frantic direction and Simon Pegg's (of Simon Pegg fame) jokey, but not always entirely funny, script. It doesn't feel like classic Star Trek per se ("Not as we know it, Jim"), but it zips along at such a frenetic pace, that you can't help but go along with it. The action scenes are well realised, especially the ship to ship space battles, with special mention for the first attack on the Enterprise which sets up the enemy as a force to be reckoned with.
Most of the cast do a good job of playing such well loved characters. Zachary Quinto's Spock is a suitable mix of logical yet curious, Karl Urban's McCoy is enjoyably cantankerous and Chris Pine seems to be slowly morphing into William Shatner with each film.
There are nice little nods to episodes and scenes from the original series and a touching tribute to Anton Yelchin (Chekov), who sadly passed away after filming was completed, although there are also a few errors that may irritate the science geeks among you.
As long as you can go along with the shift in tone into more action packed blockbuster territory, then Star Trek: Beyond is an enjoyable thrill ride set to warp speed.
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