‘Star Trek Beyond’ Review Roundup: Justin Lin-Directed Sequel Gets Top Marks

Star Trek Beyond, the third installment in the revived franchise, is opening in theaters to glowing reviews appreciative of its nostalgic touches.

Star Trek Beyond Reviews

Star Trek Beyond returns to the Enterprise with Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Sulu (John Cho), Scotty (Simon Pegg), “Bones” McCoy (Karl Urban) and Chekov (the late Anton Yelchin).They’ve docked at an interstellar space station, before taking off to a nebula to rescue an alien-captained ship. Star Trek‘s big villain this time around is Krall, an alien played by Idris Elba, who threatens mass destruction.

Chief among the points of praise for Star Trek Beyond is the installment’s obvious affection for the original Star Trek TV series. Compounded with modern effects and the returning faces of the franchise’s well-regarded stars, Star Trek Beyond has left few critics disappointed. However, those less fond of the film, have found it to be less exciting and more dreary that its predecessors, to its detriment.

“Star Trek Beyond” plays like an episode of the old “Star Trek” TV series. This, I submit, is what’s enjoyable about it.[…] It might even feel like you’re back in your rec room, circa 1967, drinking Tang and waiting for the Tribbles. […] After so many decades spent together on our screens and in our imaginations, there are no leads or supporting players on the bridge of the Enterprise. Everyone’s essential. Everyone belongs. Life may be cruel, but a half-century in, “Star Trek” has become a comfort. It’s one of our oldest futures and one of our better utopias.” – Ty Burr, Boston Globe

“When the actor Chris Pine says, “I ripped my shirt, again,” after his peace offering to a delegation of tiny, gargoyle-like aliens goes anticly awry, the in-joke, which opens “Star Trek Beyond,” hits on all cylinders: aliens; good intentions thwarted; violent conflict; and, perhaps most importantly, a sense of winking, self-aware humor. […] That opening rimshot sets the tone for what follows — an action-packed, fun and funny thrill ride into a cinematic nebula that may be uncharted for the crew of the starship Enterprise, but that will be comfortably recognizable to both diehard Trekkers and those who only beamed on board once producer J.J. Abrams took over the helm with the 2009 film.” – Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post

“There are bright, busy “Star Trek” movies, full of wit and interest, and then there are “Star Trek” movies, like this one, that are subdued and dark, as if imbued with the monotony of being stuck on a spaceship for five long years. “Star Trek Beyond” has an odd lethargy from the beginning. When we meet up with Kirk (Chris Pine), he’s talking into his captain’s log about the psychological oppression of going far into the uncharted universe. There’s a sense of endless pointlessness, dislocation and loneliness.” – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

“What a load of fun. Sometimes in the white-hot center of summer, all we’re looking for is a whiz-bang sci-fi adventure saga featuring a host of familiar and beloved characters having another adventure that falls somewhere in the middle of the spectrum on their overall epic adventure. Even with its big-screen pyrotechnics and its feature-length running time, “Star Trek Beyond” plays like an extended version of one of the better episodes from the original series, and I mean that in the best possible way. There’s nearly as much light comedy as gripping drama, nearly as much talk of family unity as end-of-the-world gloom and doom.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

Star Trek Beyond is currently in theaters.