It's time to dust off your Spock ears, iron your blue, red or yellow uniform, and set your Phasers to stun, because the third installment of the current Star Trek film series has hit cinemas.
I was quite busy over this weekend just gone, and by busy I mean quite badly ill, so I didn't manage to do an awful lot other than consume copious amounts of water and pray that whatever demon was inhabiting my stomach would decide to leave. I did however manage to catch one of the first screenings of the latest Star Trek film on Friday evening. So I thought I would take this chance just to share a few quick thoughts about the film as it was one of the most important films of the year, considering not only the hype but also the fact it's celebrating the 50th anniversary of Star Trek.
I admit this post is a little rushed, and that is purely because I have spent most of this weekend in bed, feeling as though my stomach was about to give birth to one of the creatures in Alien, so to make some sort of sense of it I've formed a colour system. I've compiled a list of thoughts I had after seeing the film and I've expanded on each of them, but to make it easier to understand I have created something of a traffic light system. So, the ones listed in red are the elements I didn't particularly like, the ones listed in orange/ amber are the elements I found questionable but I'm willing to overlook them, and finally those listed in green are the elements that I liked. I thought it best to put them in that order, not only because it corresponds with actual traffic lights and thus satisfies my compulsive need for order, but also because it deals with the negatives first so I have more time to focus on the positives, because at the end of the day I did enjoy this film. I wouldn't hail it as a masterpiece, and it is nowhere near as good as the first two films of the reboot series, but there is still a lot to admire and enjoy.
Rushed exposition - I know in films there is never really an easy way to allude the audience to the appropriate knowledge needed to understand the film fully, but parts of this film felt not only rushed, but also rather lazy. The back story of this film's villain is delivered in such a clunky way, it felt as though they were struggling for ideas. However the most annoying piece of exposition came at the very beginning of the film in which the captain's log acts in something of a "previously on Star Trek..." fashion, skimming over important details and listing events that I actually would have preferred to see on screen, either in more films or in a montage. I'm glad we still learned the details we needed to, but it wasn't delivered in the most fulfilling way.
Focus on action - This is something I expected of this film, just purely because J.J. Abrams has left the director's chair and has been replaced by Justin Lin, famed for his recent contributions of the Fast & Furious franchise. Now Justin Lin is something of an action director and doesn't really handle substance well, which is a problem after J.J. Abrams started this film series with two films that had the perfect balance. Don't get me wrong, this is absolutely the best film I have ever seen Justin Lin direct, but there were times when I found that the action sequences dragged on for too long and became quite tedious. It got to the point where I actually wanted certain sequences to end because I was bored of them and wanted to return to the plot. In some ways Justin Lin has failed as his own trade, because he is widely renowned as an action director, and yet he didn't manage to present any action sequences that were better than those we saw in the first two films.
Frequently predictable - When I go to see a new film, particularly one in a science fiction franchise that means a lot to me, I want it to offer something original. I want to experience something new, something unique that is a surprise. So I'm disheartened to say that there were multiple elements of this film that were predictable, too many plot details or moments that I could see way before they appeared on screen, which did take away some of the magic. I don't want to give away any plot details or spoilers, but I will say that in particular there is the use of a Beastie Boys song that was borderline infuriating because it was so obvious it was going to be used.
Obscure pacing - This was one of the key issues I found in Star Trek Beyond because the balance between action and substance is a little dissatisfying. The first third of the film moves at a clunky pace, so it feels like we're just plodding along with exposition and some rather pointless character development that doesn't actually result in anything significant. Admittedly the second and third acts of the film pick the pace up and are more consistent, but there was still too much rushing and dragging (sorry for the Whiplash reference) which did become irritating.
Less of J.J's visual style - This is the old case of not missing something until it's taken away from you, and it's going to sound odd because we've all complained about this at some point, but I did kind of miss the lens flares. I know some people really had a problem with them in the first two films, and I admit they are overused to the extreme, but I guess I could have done with a few thrown in for good measure, just to make the Enterprise look a little more shiny. No big deal though.
Music composition - Again, this isn't really a big deal, but I didn't find the score for this film to be as good as the previous two. I remember when I saw the first two films how the music really crept up on me, particularly with the first film I remember getting goosebumps as the music played at the very beginning. With this film it felt out of place at times and was inappropriately timed, but also felt as though it was just there for the sake of it. Certain sequences have musical accompaniment but don't necessarily need it, so the music is thrown in without improving upon silence.
It didn't necessarily feel like a film - This sounds a little broad, granted, but bear with me. I am not alone in saying this, but honestly this felt more like an episode of a television show, as opposed to a film. I think it was mainly the story line and the production design that made this feel like it belonged on television. The plot itself and the trajectory of the narrative was simple enough that it felt like something you'd see in the original series because it was basic and cliched enough to fill an hour slot on a t.v. schedule. Furthermore the minimalist set design evokes memories of the alien planets present in the original series, so it would not have looked out of place on the small screen on a Saturday evening. I wouldn't necessarily say this is a negative point, it was more just a thought I had during and indeed after the screening.
Screenplay - One of my main concerns for this film was the screenplay, because the trailers were so focused on the action, it seemed as though this film was about to waste the writing talents of Simon Pegg. Thankfully however, the screenplay for this film is genuinely fantastic. Not only is there a lot of humour and witty dialogue between characters, but it also suits the characters perfectly. If there is one thing this film absolutely manages to achieve, it's paying homage to the original series and honouring the source material. Simon Pegg is such a big fan of the series, and I think it shows clearly in his work for this film as he has managed to co-write a screenplay that fits perfectly into the Star Trek universe. It has the right balance of humour and sincerity to make this so much more than just an action flick.
Character development - I think this was one of my favourite elements of this film, because if you push aside the spectacle and the excitement, Star Trek was always about the people, and the relationships they have with each other. In the previous two films we saw a lot of Kirk and Spock, which was brilliant, but in this film we see a lot of more the relationship between Bones and Spock, which was actually rather refreshing. Thus far we hadn't seen an awful lot of Bones, so it was good to see him getting some proper screen time and to see him interacting with other characters because it allows us to learn more about him and to sympathise with him.
Screen time for more characters - As I said before, the first two films were primarily focused on Kirk and Spock, so I was pleased to see that this film is very comprehensive. Even since the first film we've all firmly accepted that the new cast is brilliant, but it wasn't until this film we get to see more of them. Already I've mentioned the increase in screen time for Bones, but I was also very pleased to see more of Simon Pegg as Scotty and more of Anton Yelchin as Chekov. It was of particular importance that we see more of Chekov after the recent news of Yelchin's passing. He was a very talented young actor, and it was a pleasure to see him have a more active role on his last voyage as a member of the Enterprise.
Less sexualisation - This is arguably one of the most important elements of this film. It's not difficult to see that this film has taken a step back to focus on what the original series always strived for: equality. In this film there were no unnecessary shots of the cast in their underwear, nor were there any scenes of Kirk picking up women or in bed with female aliens. It seems as though they've allowed the character of Kirk to mature out of his pubescent phase and return to the character we once knew in the original series. Incidentally I've just started to watch the original series and I came across the episode entitled Charlie X in which we see Kirk teaching the young character of Charlie how to respect women and to treat them as they want to be treated. That is the Kirk we all want to see on screen, and I think we saw more of that in this film than we did in the previous two films.
A strong female character - I cannot stress how important this was to me. I am loving the fact that at the moment more and more films are depicting bad-ass, intelligent women who are more than the match for the male leads. It happened in Star Wars Episode VII, it happened in Captain America: Civil War, and now it happened in this film too with the character of Jaylah, played brilliantly by Sofia Boutella. In the midst of all of the men fighting and hatching plans, it was wonderful to see a strong female character who could fight and defend herself, and whom was also a technological wizard who is extremely intelligent. More writers need to realise that these are the characters we want to see, and I am so glad that this film introduced this character to us. Unequivocally one of the best elements of this film.
I think I could best summarise by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film and there is an awful lot to like, however the previous two films are still marginally better. This felt like more of a popcorn flick combined with a t.v. episode, whereas the previous two films felt like big and unabashed science fiction epics that were more suited to the big screen. I had my doubts, and to an extent I was correct, but this film was absolutely ten times better than I feared it would be. Some would argue it was one film too many, but I would completely disagree, it is a worthy addition to the franchise and has kept the opportunities open for another installment. While this film attempted to deliver more action, I think it was far more successful at developing the characters and respecting the original series, to deliver a proper crowd-pleaser than is a real advocate for equality.
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