Original Trek Fans Will Love This Movie

We already know one character turns out to be gay, but what else can you expect from Star Trek Beyond, in which the Starship Enterprise falls to pieces and its crew ends up scattered across the planet Altamid? Well, contrary to what George Takei might think, original creator Gene Roddenberry likely would've loved it. Here's what critics are saying:

• "Star Trek, as created by Gene Roddenberry, was an unapologetic expression of optimism, a vow of faith in interplanetary civic values." So is this latest version, writes Stephanie Zacharek at Time, congratulating the actors on carrying "the essence of Roddenberry's inclusive vision into the present." She adds Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Bones (Karl Urban) are particularly enjoyable in their scenes together.

• Several of the space battles are "generic and boring," but the flick as a whole "is better than not-bad. By any earthly standard it's good," writes Joe Morgenstern at the Wall Street Journal. There's "good acting and bright writing." And though the deaths of Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin impart a somber note, you can consider the film "a congenial adventure with familiar friends."
• Star Trek Beyond "doesn't reinvent the franchise, but it does understand what's made it live long and prosper," adds Dana Stevens at Slate. It brings a "fidelity to the show's original values." Even with its "awe-inspiring effects," its "human-scaled interactions" are the "most rewarding" part of the film. It's definitely "worth watching," she says.
• Rafer Guzman sums it up like so: It's "like a souped-up version of the old show" that "should satisfy Trek fans of any era," he writes at Newsday. It's "short on back story, long on action," and comes with "something unexpected—an ancient and powerful force. It's called fun."

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