Friday, September 23, 2016

Star Trek: Beyond

Alright so I just got back from vacation in El Paso, Texas, and I gotta put this movie review up before I go and see another movie like... Tarzan??? Possibly. But I will try and stay up to date. Thanks for bearing with me guys.


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                  I actually really like what I pulled off up top. Kudos to me, right? Thanks to those who agreed. But anywho, this was a fun movie. Now, I was kind of disappointed that J.J. Abrams didn't direct this, but I always keep in mind he directed Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens, so I can forgive
him. But I'm still kinda sad.
                 The movie is about the five year journey that the Enterprise goes on, like in the original T.V. series with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy (may he rest in peace). We pick up on year three (that's "III" or "3" or "1+1+1" just in case you got a little confused XP) of their journey and Captain Kirk is attempting to make peace on a planet in front of an alien council. Well, they don't like it.
                  Kirk presents them a gift, which the council immediately rejects and starts flipping out about. "Where did you get that?!" they demand of him. "It was a gift to you," he responds, not realizing the significance of it. Obviously, we've got no idea either. It looks like one of those
Jaylah, who helps Scottie
hologram projectors from the
Star Wars: The Clone Wars T.V. Series (I loved that show).

                   So the council members jump down at Kirk and start attacking him, which means that diplomatic ties have failed. The Enterprise beams Kirk outta there and they leave the planet. On board, Kirk and Bones have a drink together in celebration for Kirk's birthday, which is the next day. Kirk asks Bones to keep the whole thing low-key, because he doesn't like others knowing about his birthday. Bones agrees.
                    The Enterprise's next stop is the newest and biggest Starfleet Space Station to date. It reminds me a lot of the bigger Death Star in The Force Awakens. There, they're going to get some rest, refuel, restock, and then be on their way.
                    Alright so fast forward a bit and the crew is crash landed on a strange planet in the middle of an uncharted Nebula, a little ways away from the giant Starfleet Space Station. The Enterprise is totally trashed, the majority of the crew is captured, and Bones is with an injured Spock while Kirk and Chekhov are together trying to find Bones and Spock and Scottie. Scottie meets a woman who leads him to an old Starfleet Space Craft, which she has made her home. 
                    What you need to know is that Bones, Spock, Kirk, Chekhov, and Scottie all reunite to save the crew of the Enterprise, and in the process stop a plot to basically wipe out the entire galaxy, usual space kind of stuff. It's a wild ride though, and I loved the visuals and CGI. 




Ratings:
Family Friendliness- 8/10 There's some minor blood, a whole lotta fighting, shooting, punching, kicking, action sorta stuff. It's more action-packed than story really, but the story is... there. I still think that J.J. Abrams would totally have rocked this one had he directed it. 
Story line- 6/10 Like I said, there isn't really that strong of a story. In fact, the story doesn't really show up until halfway into the movie, and by that time you've just lost all hope for a story when it slaps you in the face and you're forced to pay attention again. This wasn't like the previous two Star Treks where the story was there right in the beginning and you have to follow the entire time, leaving you satisfied at the end. But still... it's Chris Pine. He's a fun guy!
Story-Action Balance- 6/10 Personally, I love a movie where it's just action and things blowing up every now and then. But I was honestly expecting a pretty solid story from this third installment of the revamped Star Trek series. 
Miscellaneous- 8/10 It's not that much miscellaneous stuff, but I just wanted to throw in there that I really enjoyed the fact that there was a lot more character development, especially with Kirk and Spock. Their stories were virtually the same (I won't spoil anything) but it also delved deeper into Scottie, Bones, Zulu, Chekhov, and Uhura as a family of sorts. Also, since Leonard Nimoy's passing, they do pay homage to him in the film, which contributes to Spock's development further into the story. Kirk is still growing up a lot, and I like how they show his maturity grow as each film passes. I feel like he is becoming more and more of a man, and by the time the series ends, Kirk will be just as wise as William Shatner's Kirk... hopefully.
Overall- 7.5/10 The math actually checks out to 7/10 but I gave it a little bit of a boost because it's Star Trek. I absolutely love this series and I can't wait to see how J.J. Abrams picks up the story. Hopefully he does a better job than this director. I know he will, I mean, look at what he did with Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens! J.J. will rock it. 




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