Star Trek Beyond [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD] [SteelBook] [Only @ Best Buy] [2016]

Having never been a Star Trek fan it is difficult to gauge where the new series of films lands when it comes to understanding how much it draws on what made the original series and other features so endearing and loved by so many. With Star Trek Beyond, the third film in the re-booted series and the first not directed by J.J. Abrams, it finally feels like (to an outsider, at least) that this new set of films has found its footing. While I have thoroughly enjoyed the previous two Abrams films they have very much been in the vein of attempting to re-establish the brand and telling the origin of what became the legendary crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise on the Gene Roddenberry series that ran for eighty episodes beginning in 1966. This was all necessary, of course, though Into Darkness certainly could have come more into its own rather than once again feeling like an assembling of parts, but as an introduction to this world and these characters the 2009 version is almost flawless save for some third act story elements that cause the film to trip at the finish line. In saying that this third film has found its footing is to say that it finally feels these characters know who they are and are more assured in their roles (both in the actors playing them and the characters themselves). Much of this has come from being almost three years into a five year mission thus giving us our first glimpse of this newly assembled band of actors in these iconic roles in the midst of actually exploring uncharted areas of the galaxy. It seems, at least from my non-seasoned perspective, that Star Trek Beyond is the film Star Trek fans have likely been waiting on since the credits rolled on that 2009 re-introduction. Written by Simon Pegg and his writing partner Doug Jung (who has at the same time both a minor and major role in the film) and directed by Justin Lin (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift all the way through Fast & Furious 6) Star Trek Beyond is full throttle entertainment from beginning to end, packing in a contained and straightforward action narrative into an evenly paced two hours with interesting character dynamics abounding and even some slight philosophical meanderings to wonder about in the process. In essence, Star Trek Beyond does an exemplary job of compiling every facet a movie such as this should contain and executes them without question or hesitation-the only downfall to this being there isn't anything necessarily unexpected about what we receive. It's hard to fault a film for accomplishing the job it sets out to do and Beyond fills its sci-fi action/adventure quota with ease, but this lack of anything fresh or unique to make it stand apart or on its own is also what keeps it from being anything more than your solid summer blockbuster.

My review is on the steelbook product itself and not the film! The movie was pretty good and if I was rating the movie alone I would give it 3.5 stars. The steelbook on the other hand has all kinds of problems. As a steelbook collector, I was expecting something much better for a Star Trek movie. The artwork on the covers is great and it looked really promising when I preordered. The inside is a plain star field...kind of lazy in my opinion, but not a deal breaker. The minute I unsealed it I knew there were problems. The first thing I noticed were the fingerprints, all over the front. The cover is a gloss finish so fingerprints, scratches, and dents are very noticeable. They couldn't be bother to wear gloves? I also noticed fingerprints on the inside of the case. Again, fingerprints aren't a big deal, but the whole thing reeked of laziness! My real complaint about this steelbook is the condition these steels were in. Now I understand that I'm more picky than the average buyer, as I'm a maticulous collector. However, even after letting the factory defects and quality slide, the damage through poor handling (from the shop to the stores) was appalling. In the end, I ended up exchanging it 5 TIMES to find a copy that was acceptable (remember this is forgiving factory defects). Every copy I came across had dings, scuffs, paint damage, and spine slashes. I think much of the damage was caused by the poor shipping, so hopefully the quality is better in other areas. The people responsible for handling this product from the shop to the shelf did not know what they were doing and need to respect the fact that many people don't buy these steelbooks just for the media. It's collectable packaging...Why would anyone spend extra money for damaged packaging? I've purchased many steelbooks from Best Buy, some lines better than others, but this line is really bad! If steelbook damage bothers you at all, be very careful when buying this and do yourself a favor and don't wait to get home before you open it! What were they thinking!?!

STAR TREK BEYOND's thesis is that "there is strength in unity", one of the central tenets of the vaunted "Roddenberry vision" upon which the entire franchise was built. The film asks whether that vision is still believable 50 years later, or if we find it too naive given the darkness of our own real world. Not surprisingly, the film argues that those values do still matter. I don't know about everyone else, but I certainly needed to have that belief validated throughout 2016, as tumultuous and as increasingly disturbing a year as it turned out to be. It's fashionable among fans to decry the reboot series of movies as "pandering to the masses" and "not 'real' Star Trek" because they're so action-oriented. I've been a card-carryin' Trekker for a quarter century now, and I don't buy that. The original series did all kinds of "pandering" to the action-thirsty TV audiences of the late 60's (a fact poked fun at in this film's opening teaser sequence). "But...motorbike! Beastie Boys!" Yeah, and the TNG movies had an ATV and Steppenwolf. (Don't act like you didn't smile and bob your head when Zefram Cochrane started playing "Magic Carpet Ride".) As for the Blu-ray, its bonus features do a fine job surveying the production from conception to completion, but they feel perfunctory overall. For a viewer like me who's watched hundreds of DVD and Blu-ray bonus features over the years, it'll feel fairly routine. But I'm also reminded that it was the behind-the-scenes stuff in things like the STAR TREK 25TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL, FROM "STAR WARS" TO "JEDI": THE MAKING OF A SAGA, and THE MAKING OF "JURASSIC PARK" that first got me interested in such stuff in the first place, and I think the adolescent that I was then would dig the STAR TREK BEYOND bonus content just as much as he enjoyed those VHS tapes once upon a time. As for the Best Buy-exclusive SteelBook, I have to admit that I was originally hoping for the Jaylah design that was used on an internationally released SteelBook. That said, once I saw this one in person, I found myself increasingly digging it. The art is from a poster that paid homage to the STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE release poster from 1979, and to be honest, I think it looks cooler on the surface of a SteelBook than it does on paper.

Wow. All I can stammer out to start with is "Wow." Let me repeat that one last time, WOW! I was very worried since JJ Abrams was no longer at the Director's helm, and Justin Lin (Fast & Furious 6) had taken over, but he did an unbelievable job. We all know Simon Pegg has done a bang up job portraying the beloved character "Scotty" and is a very humorous guy from all the movies he's previously written, but obviously he's got the chops to write sci-fi as well. In the first 30 seconds of this movie you can tell it's going to be amazing due to the sound effects alone paying homage to the original series. The music score, by Michael Giacchino, who I had never heard of before, evokes the correct emotions, and sets the tone correctly every time. It amazed me from the the very beginning. Nothing really seems heavy handed, nor contrived in the sound effects, music score, dialogue, acting, or special effects. The movie just flows. You aren't "just watching" the latest installment in a beloved franchise, you are immersed into it immediately, and it doesn't let you check out at any point. The depth of, well everything, and the nuances are so many, so spot on, and so vast that you probably won't catch all of them. My wife even caught one that I missed, which was the song selection for the final battle sequence. Minor spoiler alert, it's Sabotage from Beastie Boys, a-la the car theft scene in 2009 Star Trek. Minor spoiler alert over, see that wasn't so major! The acting is well done by *everyone* and there aren't any bad performances. This is one of the "Must See" movies of the summer. Simon Peg's short thanks for seeing it in the movie theater as he hoped you would was a very nice gesture, and y'all should support him and every one that had a part in this movie by spending the dollars to catch it on the big screen!

It took two tries and a new director, but we finally got the Star Trek we've been waiting for. It's clear that director Justin Lin, and writers Simon Pegg and Doug Jung did their deep dive homework, and their love for the show, its characters, and tropes shows up in nearly every scene. You could fill a basket with the Easter Eggs sprinkled around, too- everything from Picard's Stargazer to a 'giant green hand' are peppered in the story. The action is fierce, and a little overwhelming at times. Scenes shoot by so fast during the takedown of the Enterprise that a second viewing is needed to see who did what and where. That's where the Blu Ray will come in- you'll be able to catch those other little moments that fly past almost too quickly to catch. The quieter scenes are where this movie really shines- especially the interaction between the irascible McCoy, and the relentlessly logical Spock. McCoy finally gets some great moments, and he'll be able to add a few more things to his "I'm a doctor, not a [insert thing here]" checklist. The new character introduced to the crew, Jaylah, also shines, and steals every scene she's in. And Anton Yelchin also shines in his final performance as Chekov. The movie is dedicated to both him and the late Leonard Nimoy. Some have said that this movie is a television episode wrought large- and it is- in a good way. We see the roots of what Star Trek is, see the fantastic Yorktown starbase (which should show up again somewhere in the Trekverse- it's too awesome to be a one-shot!), see our familiar characters in some unfamiliar ways, and deal with a bad guy whose motives are heartbreakingly revealed in the climax. The movie also honors the passing of Leonard Nimoy in a sensitive, heartfelt way.

This movie had its moments but was not as compelling as its two reboot predecessors, but from a director with action experience, was an entertaining movie. Not making the movie overly long also helped to keep the movie interesting. This movie just did not seem as good as Abrams' first two reboots. Maybe time and a couple of additional viewings will change that viewpoint. Beyond just felt like a TV movie as opposed to a big motion picture, like the previous two. This movie sort of reverts to the old Odd Numbered/Even Numbered Theory of Star Trek Films (if you know about that theory). Of the Original Six Movies 2, 4 and 6 were considered the best, however there are exceptions, because 3 The Search for Spock was also very well done. Reboot 3 is just a different type of a Star Trek movie, which probably is not a bad thing if the movies are to continue, and probably an exception to the Theory, like the first No 3. CGI was well done and the action scenes were great but the fact that a song was broadcast and the powerful enemy fleet got destroyed seemed too much over the top. Like other "critics" have said this entry seems more like an action movie, rather than a Star Trek film. The Best of Star Trek (both the original TV series and first six movies) provided very good characters with even the villains having realistic motives, and sometimes even a moral to the story. The main point of the movie, the reasoning for the Enterprise to rescue the crew of the alien in distress, was hard to follow. Also, the motivation (lack of a backstory) for the main villain is not revealed until the last part of the film, which seemed to weaken the film.

Space…the final frontier…one that can be turned to endlessly to create pulpy science fiction drama in the form of Paramount’s perennial Star Trek franchise. The latest to hit theatres, Beyond, offers some tweaks to the formula that JJ Abrams established with the successful and entertaining 2009 reboot & Into Darkness. First off, the focus has turned more toward character dynamics and exploration of unknown worlds. These are welcome changes as it draws a greater feeling of classic Star Trek films versus the more action-heavy recent installments. Justin Lin, who reignited the Fast & Furious franchise, also takes the helm as director with Simon Pegg taking on screenwriting duties. Those moves shine through with an experience that’s overall more fun and direct with less time given to the tenuous Alternate Universe connections that made the first 2 in this new take on the franchise confusing. The theme of the movie – strength in unity – is a nice one to take in during what is shaping up to be a bitterly contested political election year. I only had a couple of issues with the movie. Idris Elba plays the main villain and does a nice job with the role. However the intricate make-up job, while impressive, is sort of ridiculous and his broken pattern of speech coupled with his ultra-deep intonations make him occasionally difficult to understand. Some of the humor – especially with Karl Urban’s character Bones – feels forced. The opening scene featuring some poorly rendered goofy pint-sized CG aliens was weak. Overall though, I think this is probably the best of the new Star Trek films. Recommended.

Im a film collector and own just about every film that gets released. We watch all films on a 180" screen in either 1080p or 4k! I even purchase films that are already available on Hulu, Netflix, & Amazon Prime as I am able to upscale them to almost perfect 4k resolution from 1080p. This is something I cannot do streaming. I say that because streaming in 4k is a HUGE data waste! I use just under 1TB in downloads a month at 1080p. 4k is not pheasable on even the best plans unless you only watch a couple films a month. 'Star Trek Beyond' wasn't a whim purchase, every week I buy films at BestBuy and this particular film I bought ON release day! This film fits my criteria for paying release day prices. With that said I was a bit disappointed the 1st time I watched it... However that was in 2d and I was trying to get used to a different directors take on the new Star Trek Universe. I still applaud JJ Abrams on the 1st and especially the 2nd.. So what do I do..... As a collector I decided to watch all the special features minus the commentary and finally switched over to watching the film in 3D. Okay, 3D on a 180" screen sitting in a recliner is actually equal to sitting in an IMAX theater! The immersiveness of the 3D really made this film shine. The work changed the film.. Its like watching Avatar in 2d, then you go back in and watch it in 3d and your eyes are opened. 3D is contraversal for so many reasons. My wife cant watch 3d at all. I love 3d. Its the difference between watching a film and being a part of the film! I love the latter! Its a high budget, fun film with an OK story line...