Film review: Star Trek Beyond (4 out of 5)

Let's face it, along with the weather, the blockbusters during this summer haven't been much to shout about.

There was a lot of expectation but the sun failed to shine and the movies haven’t been memorable either.

That is until now. The sun has returned and Star Trek Beyond has also come up with the goods.

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It’s two hours of old-style Trek, with good humour, lots of action, and a villain with a decent back story.

As the film starts, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and the gang are well into their mission ‘to boldly go...’ but they are reduced to acting as intermediaries for warring planets, trying to keep the Federation at peace.

So, faced with a juicy-sounding rescue mission, they are only too keen to zoom off through an unstable nebula to a remote planet.

However, all is not as it seems and they are soon involved in a dastardly plot to attack the Federation and are faced with an extremely unpleasant weapon, wielded by an equally unpleasant adversary.

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Idris Elba plays their latest arch-enemy Krall, full of menace and evil intent.

While much of this movie works, I wasn’t too keen on Sofia Boutella’s role as Jaylah which either could have been built up far more or ditched completely.

The whole Leonard Nimoy/Zachary Quinto Spock angle is a bit confusing and distracting as well.

However, at least at least the writers (including our own Simon Pegg) returned to the Kirk/Spock/Bones dynamic, which was at the heart of the original series.

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I enjoyed 2013 Star Trek Into Darkness (OK, so I was in a minority), but this latest in the franchise has a lot more going for it.

Director Justin Lin (well known for leading the Fast and Furious franchise) knows how to pace a movie and is a master at keeping your attention.

It’s a great no-nonsense action movie.

And, quite rightly, there are tributes in the end credits to both the late Leonard Nimoy and to Anton Yelchin (who plays Checkov), who tragically died recently.

Film details: Star Trek Beyond (12A) 120mins

Director: Justin Lin

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban

Screening courtesy of Horsham Capitol