Star Trek Beyond -- new on dvd

Written by two lifetime Trekfen, Star Trek Beyond is thrill-a-minute stuff. The film is about fun, and as the proverbial "fun summer movie" succeeds on all counts. Only deadly serious Trekfen would have a quibble, and even then would have to admit, Beyond is big fun -- the kind of escapism which is highly likely to engage a wider audience, put bums on seats in movie houses around the world, and expand the already impressive Star Trek audience.

The film is designed as an action thriller, so the greater part of the screen time is devoted to high-speed, high-pressure ... action. Chases, crashes, shootouts, punch-ups -- you name it, it's in every "reel," mostly played tongue in cheek, so one can roll with the punches and not be overwhelmed by the potentially gruesome. (Hollywood at its best or worst, depending on your point of view ... they do it so well.)

But among the non-stop action are some fine scenes focused on the characters we've come to love across the decades. Some of the most poignant are virtually throwaways, such as a little scene that would never have made it past Gene Roddenberry's blue pencil: Sulu joins his family on vacation, and whaddaya know? There's his daughter, Demora -- still a child -- and hey, his life partner is a guy. Gene Roddenberry wouldn't have allowed this, but -- dang, it's about time official-universe Trek joined the rest of us out here in the real 'verse, where folks are just folks, and we come in all kinds.

Justin Lin's direction is high-powered, spinning off an extremely good script by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung (who appears briefly as Sulu's other half, Ben), which, admittedly, does take a few liberties here and there. Long-time Trekfen could pick a bone or two ... but I'm not going to, because the overall effect is fine -- also, the company behind this franchise had the presence of mind to hive off into a whole new timeline with the first movie, which answers several quibbles right off the bat.

I must hand it to the actors: Chris Pine has William Shatner down utterly pat, and Karl Urban is as perfect in the shoes of DeForest Kelley as is Zachary Quinto in the footsteps of Leonard Nimoy. Simon Pegg is a whole new Scotty, but the new character does work. One grows to like him surprisingly quickly; I believe James Doohan would have approved.

The passing of Leonard Nimoy is marked in the movie, with the death of Ambassador Spock; and Anton Yelchin is honored in one of the disk's added features. The part of Chekov, by necessity, must be recast for the fourth film -- yes, an "untitled Star Trek sequel" has been announced. (I just wish they'd make them a bit faster, because the actors are already visibly aging ... just me being greedy. There's a limit to how long you can make these movies before the inevitable wheelchair and "ear trumpet" gags begin.)

It's quite superfluous to mention the CG work, because great effects so ubiquitous, it's more notable when the standard falls and a move has noticeably cheap or rotten effects. But one enormous surprise for me was discovering that the incredible backgrounds for the space city of Yorktown were not (or not entirely) CG. The movie was filmed in Dubai: that really is what Dubai looks like. A tiny bit of dressing, and the city slides into the C24th. Note to self: go there on vacation...

Cinematography is also of the usual high standard -- in fact, for me at least, the camera work in this episode is preferable, since, with the exception of the action sequences which are filmed with the usual windmilling, whirling, jiggling camera which knocks my middle ear sideways and splits my vision (!), the director uses a stable camera platform ... for which I'm enormously grateful. Means I can get through a major new movie without getting a massive headache. Always a plus.

Star Trek Beyond is highly recommended as a keeper on DVD. I don't see movies in the theaters anymore -- can't rationalize the $50 price tag for a couple to see one movie, one time, when you can buy the disk for $19.99 and own it. This one is an excellent addition to your SF action thriller shelf.