Summer may be over, but its movies will be coming out to Blu-ray and DVD soon (and possibly RLO movies, but we’ll wait and see). This series will cover all the movies you may have missed over the summer, so you can figure out which ones to see.
This week, we’re profiling Star Trek Beyond, the latest installment in the massive sci-fi franchise.
The film takes place during Enterprise’s five-year mission to explore space. While docking at a massive space station, Kirk struggles to stay optimistic about exploration and intends to retire without telling the rest of the crew. An emergency rescue mission comes in before then, and Kirk rushes off with his crew to assist. After getting bombarded by an attack, Kirk orders the crew to abandon ship, most of them escaping to the planet below, where they are captured by enemy forces. The crew must reunite, get off the planet, and save the space station from being destroyed by the enemy.
If you’ve seen the other Star Trek remakes, then you probably think you have a sense of them. However, with a new director on hand, the film moved from mostly dramatic to a balance of drama and comedy. A lot of the comedy harkened back to the original series. The banter, particularly between Spock and Bones, was witty and fun. The film didn’t take itself too seriously. The stakes were high, but that didn’t mean there couldn’t be jokes about misunderstood alien communication and metal music.
Romance took a major back seat in this film. Spock and Uhura have ended their relationship when the film begins. While they get back together by the end, the film doesn’t spend much time on that, preferring to focus on the dynamics between other members of the crew. Additionally, even though the new character, Jaylah, is very close to Scotty, the bond between them comes from engineering knowledge rather than romance. Also in a casual show of representation, Sulu, the Enterprise’s helmsman, returns home to greet a male partner and their daughter. It’s a quiet moment, which normalizes the notion of being gay and having a family. With any luck, later films may have a chance to further explore and develop the relationship or at least continue to mention it.
The special effects and music are always good in Stark Trek films, and this one was no exception. Overall, the film was a brilliant addition to the series, full of action and fun. Make sure to see it when you get a chance. Make sure to watch through the film’s animated credits, because at the end was a small tribute to both Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin, who both passed away earlier this year.
If you are interested in writing an article for Her Campus Davidson, contact us at davidson@hercampus.com or come to our weekly meeting Tuesday at 8pm in the Morcott Room.