[Review] Star Trek Beyond: Lost in Space, Finding Yourself

Star Trek is science fiction, but Star Wars is not. This has been a debate for years.

In 2009, director J.J. Abrams rebooted Star Trek and created a critically acclaimed film. Then, in 2013, he directed the sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness, which also achieved good box office results. Some would say J.J. Abrams brought this classic series, dormant for years, back from the dead; but others would argue he destroyed the series, merely using Star Trek characters and settings to make a film akin to his beloved Star Wars, with Star Trek Into Darkness being nothing more than a rehashed replica. I have never watched the original Star Trek TV series. Before the 2009 Star Trek, I also hadn't seen any Star Trek films, so I didn't quite understand these arguments at the time. After watching Star Trek Beyond, I finally understood.

Less than ten minutes into Star Trek Beyond, I was already asking myself: What is this film doing? According to the "formula" of the first two installments, they should have started with a thrilling action sequence, then slowly introduced the villain... In this installment, after a brief humorous moment, it was immediately followed by Captain James Kirk's (Chris Pine) voice-over!? What were they doing?

At that time, Captain Kirk was in his third year of a five-year space mission. After several years "off-world," living a monotonous life day in and day out, he was starting to feel lost, beginning to forget the purpose and meaning of it all. And Spock (Zachary Quinto), upon hearing of "Old Spock's" death, also began to consider resigning, intending to follow "Old Spock's" dying wish. He might have been thinking: since they are the same person, are they destined to do the same things? Seeing this scene, besides recognizing it as a tribute to Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played "Old Spock" and passed away last year, I also began to understand the director's intention.

Then, the villain Krall appeared. Honestly, when I saw Idris Elba's villainous look in the trailer, I truly felt they completely wasted this excellent actor. However, as the plot developed, and after several surprising twists, the film finally alleviated my concerns: Krall is not a characterless, dispensable alien villain. Undeniably, there are some minor flaws in the script's setup of this character. However, Krall's setup precisely echoes the predicaments of Kirk and Spock: they were lost.

Krall himself was once a distinguished Starfleet officer, Balthazar Edison, but after the Federation's transformation, his role shifted from a constantly battling soldier to a peacemaker. After years of space missions, he seemingly still hadn't adjusted to this new identity and couldn't find meaning in continuing. Thus, after some incidents, he finally became completely lost, gradually transforming into the villain in the film. For Kirk, Krall is like a mirror; he is gradually losing himself. Fortunately, after enduring this attack, he finally found the meaning of continuing his journey: to go forward with his crew, his family. And Spock, after looking at "Old Spock's" photo (another scene paying tribute to Leonard Nimoy and the original series' 50th anniversary this year), also figured out what he truly wanted to do: perhaps "Old Spock's" dying wish was to rebuild his home planet, but what he cherished most throughout his life was the time spent with his crew. In the stages of life's growth, we may experience many identity changes; these are difficult and inevitable, but also a great opportunity for us to rediscover ourselves, understand what we truly desire, and find our future direction.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Star Trek series. In this highly competitive era, the series might want to keep pace with other blockbusters and superhero films, making some changes. Therefore, after watching the first two Star Trek films, some worried that the series would devolve into mere space adventure/opera with dazzling special effects, forgetting its roots as science fiction. Fortunately, this film finally found its roots. Besides genuinely incorporating scientific elements like mechanics and acoustics (these aren't the main points), and inserting pop culture elements (that classic music scene), it placed more emphasis on character development (the last time Anton Yelchin, who tragically passed away last month, portrayed Chekov, he finally had more screentime). Most importantly, it delivered its interpretation and reminder about technology and humanity: without faith or meaning in life, humans can truly lose themselves in the silent, boundless void of space. The same could happen to us on Earth.

However, my argument above merely states that Star Trek Beyond is more like Star Trek and more like a science fiction film than its two predecessors. This does not mean Star Trek Beyond is a better film. Compared to the first two directed by J.J. Abrams, the action sequences in Star Trek Beyond are less dynamic and precise in their filming and editing; and the pacing of the dramatic scenes and humorous moments is still lacking, making the film less exhilarating than the previous two works. However, J.J. Abrams has become the king of entertainment films after directing Star Wars: The Force Awakens, so such a comparison might not be entirely fair.

Moreover, Justin Lin also had no need to imitate his predecessor's style. This is also one of the reasons I appreciate this film and Justin Lin: he fully showcased his personal style. Having directed several installments of The Fast and The Furious, Justin Lin this time brought vehicle chase sequences into space, creating several tense space and alien planet pursuit scenes, proving that he can truly excel in this area. Besides the thrilling action sequences, I also really liked some of Justin Lin's camera work, especially when the Enterprise enters and exits Yorktown Station; he used a fixed camera angle to film the ship's advance, just like real spaceship documentary footage, making it look incredibly realistic!

Finally, although this isn't a Marvel movie and doesn't have post-credit scenes, I still encourage everyone to watch the closing credits sequence. This film is a tribute to Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin.