STAR TREK BEYOND movie review by Vijaya Schartz

Three years into the five year voyage of exploration, the Enterprise docks onto one of the federation's space stations and we get a taste of what this space station looks like. These scenes were filmed in Dubai, which lends its architecture to futuristic movies. What I found fascinating was the way the tall buildings all pointed to the center of the artificial open sphere, and how at the top the unreliable gravity played tricks on the unwary. Logical, but fascinating nevertheless.



The inciting incident is weak. The damsel in distress begging the federation to rescue her crew was obviously setting a trap. No responsible captain would have rushed without at least investigating. When Kirk said he guessed it was a trap early on, but not early enough, that was a gross understatement.


 

I liked that new female characters were given an important role. Love this new ally, who kicks butts and takes names, and I like the fact that at the end she plans to join Star Fleet. I hope we see her again.



The male villain had an interesting history, but not clearly explained. I won't spoil the story for you, but I don't understand what prompted his physical transformation. It lacked clarity and didn't seem to make much sense. Was he an alien from the start posing as a human? Or did something happen to him while he was on the alien planet?




Costumes, makeup and special effects were impeccable and breathtaking, as usual... even though I didn't see the movie in 3D.



I enjoyed the fact that the characters were made more human. Bones had a better presence than in the previous movie, and his character in opposition to Spok was funny and interesting, like in the original series, which is what I liked about him.



I enjoyed the motorcycle scene. Quite a stunt, and so fitting for Kirk. Only he would come up with such a dare-devil idea for a distraction.



I enjoyed seeing all the regular characters.




We also revisited an old federation ship

It was somewhat sad to see Chekov again played by Anton Yelchin, who was killed by his own car in his driveway when the parking brake failed. it happened shortly before the movie release. Rumor has it that his role will not be recast in future movies.


R.I.P. Anton Yelchin - here in the role of Chekov

As for Uhura, her love affair with Spok is still going strong. And on a different note, we learn in this movie that Mr. Sulu is gay. Possibly a wink to the original Mr. Sulu, George Takei.



How many times and in how many ways can we destroy the Enterprise? This seems to be the recurring theme on all Star Trek movies. This time in particular, I can't see how they could have possibly salvaged anything after the destruction, or retrieved any of the pieces. Yet, curiously enough, at the end of the movie, somewhat by magic, the ship is restored to its pristine state... ready for the next adventure.

I enjoyed the movie. Hope you do, too.

Vijaya Schartz
Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick
Website: http://www.vijayaschartz.com

INDEPENDENCE DAY 2 - Not as good as the original

I found this installment high in special effects, but low in characterization and with a serious lack of attitude.

Among the best special effects, a UFO landing on the ocean creating a tsunami

What had made the first movie so dramatic and endearing was the variety of characters, their colorful past, and most of all, their indomitable determination to overcome impossible odds. They made us laugh and cry and feel at the deepest level. Not so for this resurgence. I didn't laugh or shed one single tear.

The African Warlord skilled with the machete, could have made a great character, but he wasn't developed enough.

In this sequel, fifteen years later, the new generation is taking over. They have been preparing for the return of the alien invader, and they have big shoes to fill. Because of their youth and inexperience, however, they come across rather flat, with no zest, no attitude, no rebellion, and very little initiative. They simply obey orders like good little soldiers with a bunch of cool toys. Their elders from the original movie, those who are still around in this sequel, have aged and lost their aura. It seems this entire world has evolved into boredom.

The new crew has big shoes to fill.

The aliens are still cool. They even have a few live ones locked up in Area 51

Even the dialogue has no memorable lines like "I ain't heard no fat lady sing!" I can't even tell a friend who saw the movie "Oh, and you remember the scene where..." Nope. Nothing memorable that grabs your gut. Only cool special effects.

Personalized posters for release in each city
shows that city being destroyed

The plot devices also seemed a little overused. The appearance of the probe at the beginning was very intriguing at first, but the reveal at the end was a complete let down. The same device was used in many other science fiction movies and TV shows. I will not spoil it for you by spelling it out, but this entire production suffers from a total lack of originality.

Apparently there should be another sequel coming next year, Independence Forever. I certainly hope it redeems this one.

As for me, I just want to see the first movie again. Here are a few reminders of what made the original movie so great:

The daredevils on a suicide mission, who laughed in the face of death

The drunken veteran pilot crop duster with a big heart who makes the ultimate sacrifice in the end

The human drama

The smart women - many more than shown here

I definitely missed Will Smith, playing the crazy SOB who lugged an enormous alien body through the desert, wrapped in his parachute, cussing all the way and kicking it once in a while for good measure. I think the actors in the new movie weren't allowed to express their greatness, locked into a mediocre story with mediocre dialogues, and that's too bad.

Vijaya Schartz

Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick

http://www.vijayaschartz.com