Justin Lin
Star Trek Beyond

If J.J. Abrams' two previous Star Trek films didn't appeal to the most die-hard fans of the franchise, this one should have all the ingredients to make them cry scandal, or almost. It really seems to me that Justin Lin wanted to reduce everything to just a simple action movie or a little more. From any point of view, we are witnessing a clear step back compared to Into Darkness: in the space battle sequences, in the weaving of relationships between characters, in the more or less technical explanation of the countless strategic ideas, in the beauty of the settings. In short, if someone found it a decent film, I think it's due to the very low expectations. Because Lin still knows what he's doing and delivers what he intended; but the ambitions are truly minimal.

The bulk of the story takes place on a hostile planet; the mechanics couldn’t be more classic and evident, adhering to all the predefined schemes of pure adventure. Then we add a bit of crude action, pretty straightforward fights made almost only of punches and kicks (but the weapons?), a bit of adrenaline with the motorcycle spinning frantically, a more than grandiose sequence with the Enterprise facing a swarm of ships small but deadly, and the game is set. Not that the other two episodes were devoid of somewhat thick action, but they also stood out for a certain accuracy in the processes, a precision that made the explanations much more understandable, a less ostentatious and more thoughtful rhythm. Maybe some will prefer the simple unpretentious entertainment of Justin Lin to Abrams’ greater ambition: it’s possible, Star Trek Beyond is certainly a film that knows how to function and hides its many rough details well from the less attentive audience. But I preferred the rigor and solidity of Abrams.

Having to constantly keep the rhythm high, the individual issues and relationships between characters become more schematic compared to the past (for example, I fondly remember the development of the friendship between Kirk and Spock in the first film). Mind you, Lin still manages to achieve the minimum goal: Does Kirk have to do this? Done. Does Spock need to have this dilemma? Agreed. Uhura follows this dynamic? Executed. The director and writers are particularly concrete in unraveling all the issues they promised to include. And everything works decently, there’s no doubt about it. But I repeat, with J. J. there was more taste, more depth; the feeling that the director was immersed in the world he was narrating. Here we have a skilled executor, who knows how to run the cogs of action, whether it is in space or not (the extensive section on the planet is no coincidence), whether it is Chris Pine or Vin Diesel. This lack of affection towards the language and dynamics of the franchise is evident in the space battles: too simple and poorly explained.

Otherwise, there are no big surprises or aces up the sleeve: aside from the bees, the enemies’ particularly captivating ships, the rest is all quite flat and already seen. Well-realized is the Yorktown space station, less so the character design of Krall. Here too, the choice to delve into the villain’s origins only towards the end is interesting, but it is just sketched because there is little time for explanations, as throughout the rest of the film. The impression is that a story was built based on stereotypes, on pre-packaged diegetic nodes, without worrying about giving a peculiar character and closer cohesion to the narrated matter. Star Trek Beyond is a cold product, a somewhat rough construction aimed at just entertaining a rather lazy and inattentive audience.

5.5/10