Star(s) on wrong trek

Ervell E. Menezes

“Star Trek Beyond”(3D) is the 13th film in the “Star Trek” franchise and the third in the reboot series after “Star Trek Into Darkness”, for those following this celestial franchise. For others, it is just another of those FX heavy entertainers that began with “Star Wars.”

It is their 166th day in space and the trio of Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Commander Spock (Zachery Quinto) and Dr Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban) find themselves running into Nebular, which probably is a spaceship lurking around. The others on board the “USS Enterprise” are Lt Capt Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg, also the co-scriptwriter) and Lt Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldanha).

By now the romance between Spock and Uhura is over, and the journey continues with the viewer knowing precious little of what happens in all of those 122 minutes.

Relief is provided by some cute lines like “the fear of death is what keeps us alive” and “the miserable have no other medicine but hope.” But after a middling first half, the fare incorporates music that is loud and distracting.

Cinematographer Stephen F Windon has a ball with the celestial objects flying in an out of range, but the story lags with little suspense and the viewer a silent spectator.

Any acting there might have been is probably left on the floor of the editing room (there were four editors) and one leaves the theatre with an empty feeling. One cannot even say it flatters only to deceive!