Star Trek Beyond

Perhaps the most elaborate script of the series, killed by the jockeying of the action races, where the routine waterfall of attractions is mostly spent sadly reminiscing about the times when two big destructive events were good enough and the rest was made up with fancy characters and casual humor. One witty line about stalking and a dozen fast and furious "copy & paste" shots for a hundred and twenty minutes. A clear aspirant for the Top 5 blockbuster shits of the year. (21.09.2016)

The third part of modern Star Trek movies differs from the previous two parts in that it puts much more emphasis on the starship crew and humor at the expense of the story itself, which is simplified to an absolute minimum. You can easily find the story boring, compared to the second installment, but you will be laughing from the beginning to the end. For example, Simon Pegg definitely enjoyed himself portraying the character. And rightly so because he contributed to the script. And it shows. You will laugh not only at him, but also at a number of other situations that make the Enterprise crew one of the best ones in today’s blockbusters. Which is definitely good. Thanks to that, the whole movie series came closer to the TV series itself, and I think that any Trekkie could certainly appreciate this. It’s not just about being a modern flashy digital movie, but also about the cool atmosphere during the whole film. And you get loads of it. (07.06.2017)

Probably the worst episode of the franchise for me. But if every worst episode of a franchise looked like this, I'd go to the movies every day. Unfortunately, the third Star Trek operates with a not very interesting story that doesn't really move the characters anywhere, their relationships don't get much space (although the actors are all pretty well established in their roles), and nothing much actually happens realistically. It's just a story about the Enterprise crew running into a nutcase who wants to destroy everything nice in the universe "again". The middle part, where there's more talking than shooting and fighting, is a bit of a bore, but the beginning and end make up for it easily. We all knew that Justin Lin could do action, but the opening, in which the Enterprise takes a nasty hit, is an incredibly gripping scene that, especially in IMAX, totally stands out. As does the explosive finale, which had me grinning like an idiot as a Beastie Boys fan. Too bad for the slightly off-kilter villain and the aching holes in logic, but it all kind of belongs in a summer blockbuster. So if you want a big, loud, snappy, spectacular and fun movie, the new Star Trek is perfect. (15.05.2017)

Ich bin vielleicht SOOO so nah dran, fünf Sterne zu vergeben, denn das Ganze ist nicht schlimmer als Into Darkness. Die Handlung ist hier zwar viel routinemäßiger und verwirrender, doch zeitgleich wirkt es um vieles entspannter. Ein einfacher Handlungsstrang, welcher mit seinem kammerähnlicher und witziger Einleitung eher an die Poetik der Serie erinnert, ein gut verwendeter Bösewicht, der Kirks Dilemma und das Motiv der Leere im Zusammenhang mit der Entdeckung des unendlichen Universums noch verstärkt, regelrecht knusprige Dialoge (die rührendsten Stellen befinden sich in den Gesprächen), solides Tempo, welches diesmal eher drehbuchbedingt ist, als durch Lins Regie, wo eine außerachsiche Kamera sowie hyper-kinetische Aufnahmen besorgt werden (in 3D ist es wirklich nicht einfach, sich da auszukennen). Ich hatte so meine Befürchtung vor einem No-Brainer, doch erhalten habe ich einen Vintage Star Trek. Ohne zu zögern melde ich mich gleich zur nächsten Mission mit dieser Crew! (08.08.2016)

As a space opera, it's more in the department of Mark Stone than "intended" Star Trek (only introductory ten minutes are in line with the latter one), the pace is furious as in the blockbuster movie and it's packed with action, but the action scenes are way too confusing, and so paradoxically the movie works best as a one-liner comedy, which is not taken seriously, not at all. And it helps a lot. (17.08.2016)

The dynamics of the crew are the main focus here, as the relationships between the characters (and the chemistry between the actors themselves) are the key to the whole story. While the first installment was about finding one's true self and the second deepened the relationships, this time the Enterprise embarks on an episodic space adventure, which unfortunately loses some steam after the intense action in the first encounter with Krall. Luckily, the dialogue does not fall far behind, and the change of gears in the story is quite beneficial, as Scotty and McCoy have more space than in the previous films, while Uhura surprisingly takes a backseat. Without a perfectly graded finish, I'm not sure, I'm not sure. The individual storylines sometimes struggle to come together, the antagonist doesn't have a chance to gain points until his (albeit expected) identity is revealed, and it is only when the dusty motorbike kicks into action that the true cosmic ride begins with all the promised thrills. A stronger 70%, which paradoxically works perfectly as a farewell to the current crew. (25.08.2016)

For many, the choice of director was a surprise and even a cause for mistrust, but if we leave aside the fans’ rage, it proves to be an absolutely logical step on the part of the producers that can even be seen as an understanding of the essence of the franchise. Whether it was a coincidence or an intentional creative gamble, the truth remains that the Fast & Furious franchise became a team blockbuster under the auspices of Justin Lin. That is what Star Trek is supposed to be at its core, but Abrams tragically failed to understand that aspect in his fanboy blindness and, especially in the second film, he focused only on two characters, while leaving the others to serve only as their seconds. Lin himself is by no means a guarantee of balance; after all, Fast & Furious 6 basically suffered from similar maladies. In the case of the third Star Trek, it is thus appropriate to praise the involvement of Simon Pegg in the screenwriting team, thus ensuring that a representative of one of those overlooked characters could have an interest in the focus falling on Kirk and Spock and, conversely, the other members of the crew coming to the fore. Abrams deserves recognition for setting up a clever reboot of the iconic franchise, but paradoxically, it was only with Lin that the new Star Trek achieved its ideal form as an agile sci-fi team film that brilliantly alternates suspense, action, conversational humor, the attraction of the interaction of contrasting characters and the epic nature of a science-fiction spectacular with trashy entertainment. The final form of the iconic entry in the captain’s log becomes both a confirmation and a promise for the future that the crew of the Enterprise has finally become a well-coordinated team and a self-sufficient entity that has ceased to explore the famous world of fan-focused allusions, but is rather finally heading out in its own direction across uncharted space. (16.12.2016)

I'm not setting off into the unknown next time. I have no problem with the characters, the lines are pretty funny too, but the biggest letdown is the action. It lacked any kind of suspense and was quite confusing at times. Only the soundtrack got full stars from me; otherwise this was boring. 2 stars (10.09.2016)

Hit them with MP3s! This year’s first full-blooded blockbuster that kept its promises and remained true to the story. For this anniversary episode, Simon Pegg came up with a story that pays homage to plots from the old series and spiced it up with a few nice (although rather predictable) twists and excellent ideas. The absence of Abrams is obvious. The fatefulness disappeared, but Justin Lin is much better at action scenes (even if an entrance on a motorbike is pretty weird) and provides a slightly different visual feeling. In terms of acting, this is a classic, but the unusual pairing up (Spock and McCoy) is very refreshing, cool lines are abundant. Idris makes a great villain, but you only get to like him toward the end. Sofia Boutella wasn’t as important as I had thought she would be, but Pegg just plain enjoys himself. I thought it good that they didn’t save the Earth, that they meddled in the past, and I liked the doubting sub-story line. I enjoyed it. (16.08.2016)

The latest Star Trek bears a striking resemblance to Star Wars on first impression: lots of worlds, strange creatures and smells, cityscapes and space ships. It's just that what is pure invention and creative joy in Star Wars is rather copied from somewhere in the new adventure of the Enteprise crew and set up to look fantastic to the eye, but not so glorious under the skin. The main plot is not even worth commenting on. Basically, there isn't any – unless you count the bad guy who wants to destroy the world, or in this case the universe. After a great opening action scene and a fantastic gala presentation of the combat base (visual effects artists rulez, camera wtf?) comes an exhausting half hour of hanging out on a semi-deserted planet in blackened filters with one cool painted girl kicking ass all around and still managing to listen to music. The ending returns to warp mode and puts up a solid battle, where it narrowly loses to its predecessors, it’s weaker. Less constricted, less dramatic and less dark, but endearingly mischievous with wonderfully layered characters and a healthy essence of humour. (23.08.2016)

Auf den ersten Blick kann man den Eindruck bekommen, dass den witzigsten neuen Star Trek (der auch die meiste Action hat) der sehr einfache Plot verdirbt. Wenn man aber bedenkt, wie sehr er den reizenden Plots aus der ursprünglichen Serie ähnelt, und wenn man es mit Kirks Gefühl "ich fühle mich wie in einer Serie“ in Verbindung bringt (was er am Anfang seinem Tagebuch anvertraut), ist es fast sicher, dass das alles eine Absicht der sich amüsierenden Autoren war. Star Trek Beyond geht es vor allem und die Figuren. Und dabei schneidet er gut ab. Kirk ist noch "kirkmäßiger“, wozu seine Retro-Frisur beiträgt. Spock und McCoy wurden endlich ein gutes Duo. Scotty, Chekov (um Anton Yelchin ist es schade), Uhura und Jaylah werden in der Geschichte gebraucht. Besonders in dem Teil, wo sie getrennt sind, sind alle interessant. Das, was mit Enterprise passiert, ist fast unheimlich. Alle Witze sind wirklich witzig, sie wirken nie krampfhaft (danke Simon Pegg, ich weiß, dass es hauptsächlich dein Verdienst ist). Die Tricks muss man gar nicht erst loben. Was ich aber wieder hervorheben möchte, ist die Musik von Michael Giacchino, der mein Lieblingskomponist der gegenwärtigen Generation ist. Der Film ist gelungen. (19.08.2016)

Perhaps it's becoming apparent that I'm not a connoisseur, let alone a fan of the Star Trek TV show, because Beyond is the first film of the recent trio of blockbusters to disappoint me slightly. And for the first two acts it had me rubbing my hands and enjoying how "Furious" Justin Lin manages to intersperse monumental visual effects sequences with episodic humour and the intimate interaction of all the likeable characters, who only benefit from their separation in the course of the plot. Unfortunately, we got the last forty minutes during which hardly anything happens, the action is no longer fun and the main villain's motivation turn out to be so boring and incomprehensible that it’s impossible to take him too seriously. And all topped off with a sort of Christmas party like in a cosmic version of Love Actually. In this year’s battle of the two STARs, Rogue One triumphed by a good two lengths; this admittedly refreshing but considerably more naive and unatmospheric fantasy has to hang head in shame. 70% P.S. Five percent up just for Zoe Saldana's tight suit and long legs, that woman never ceases to fascinate me in blue, green or brown, others should follow suit. (27.12.2016)

The third installment in the modern Star Trek series falls slightly short of its predecessors. Compared to the first one, it lacks the wow-effect (at least for me), while the second one had a somewhat more charismatic and demonic villain. That's not to say that Into the Unknown is a bad film, it's definitely not. It's not lacking a good dose of action, comic atmosphere (which was mainly provided by Spock and Bones), a touch of unconventional romance (Spock and Uhura), all wrapped up in such an appealing audiovisual execution, in which I was most impressed by the "bee swarm" and the appearance of Yorktown. In short, a sequel that, while not quite reaching the quality of the previous installments, still holds its own high within the current sci-fi output, and is definitely worth going to the cinema for. (25.08.2016)

Hmmm, I don't know, one minute I was having a good time, only to watch the heroic crew breathe in a vacuum, start the engines of a spaceship which were actually buried in some rubble, and other such nonsense. The new Star Trek just didn't do it for me. I'm nostalgic for the original cast who gave much better performances surrounded by a stage set made of polystyrene. I'm a fan of Simon Pegg, but I wasn't impressed with his script this time. (09.01.2017)

Of course I was looking forward to the next Star Trek. Unfortunately, disappointment followed, mainly because this is nothing more than just one episode of a series stretched out to two hours, with some great special effects sequences added to it. I was more captured by nostalgia, where from the photo of the old members, I was genuinely touched, as well as by every scene with Chekov. Unfortunately, the story didn't grab me that much. (22.08.2016)

I could never see the appeal of Star Trek until the arrival of J. J. Abrams who turned it into a blockbuster for the 21st century. However, after his leaving the director's chair, Star Trek’s biggest weaknesses - naivety and logical holes - began to reappear. In spite of the obvious attempt to cover up the mediocre script with bombastic action, I found most of the scenes so annoying that I was just shaking my head in disbelief at how empty and boring the movie is at its core. (23.11.2016)