Abrams may have gone from Trek, but his biggest legacy was in casting these roles perfectly, and there’s a joy to be gleaned from watching them interact. Pegg’s Scotty is a little more involved here, but it’s not like Pegg has suddenly written himself a hero’s role. Even though the movie’s structure allows new director Justin Lin to split the Enterprise’s crew into different mini-factions and place the emphasis on resourcefulness and teamwork as they try to figure out a way off the rock they’re stranded upon, there’s still not a huge amount for Zoe Saldana’s Uhura, John Cho’s Sulu (who is revealed to be gay in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it way) and the late Anton Yelchin’s Chekov to do. In an ensemble movie, heavy emphasis on some characters may mean others are somewhat underserved, and that does happen here. There’s a moment during a third-act action scene that should, by any rights, be utterly ridiculous (it may yet prove divisive, but we loved it you’ll know it when you see it), yet Pine sells it with nothing more than a gleam in his eye and a slight smirk. Stranded on a barren planet, can Captain. Once again, the actor strikes the perfect blend of swaggering action hero, thoughtfulness and occasional Shatnerism. Star Trek Beyond Review After answering a distress call in deep space, the Starship Enterprise is drawn into a trap by the mysterious Krall (Idris Elba). Pine is the stand-out here, though, as Kirk wrestles throughout with the ghost of his father, and a monumental career decision. Quinto is also excellent in these scenes, which allow him to further showcase Spock’s humanity without compromising the character’s emotional core. Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldaa. But here, he’s given so much more to do, as Bones and an injured Spock become a virtual double act, a space-age Abbott and Costello, bantering and bickering with each other as they face what seems to be near-certain death. After an alien seeking revenge on Starfleet destroys the Enterprise and maroons its crew on a lost planet, Capt. Indeed, Urban has talked about his reluctance to return for this instalment, and given how McCoy was reduced to virtual cameo status in Into Darkness, you couldn’t have blamed him if he had walked. That trio were the beating heart of the original iteration of Star Trek, but in terms of scenes together, they’ve been largely lacking in this new, younger, sexier guise. But the key tweak here is a welcome one namely, a new focus on Chris Pine’s Kirk, Zachary Quinto’s Spock, and Karl Urban’s Bones. That kind of fan service can, of course, be dangerous, and Beyond is not without its flaws. It’s a movie that, in almost every word of the script, responds to the fans’ criticisms and says, “We listened.”
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