What would you get if you combine the director of Fast and Furious franchise with the actors from Star Trek universe? A bombastic adventure that will be fast, furious and out-of-this-world, literally!

Directed by Fast and Furious veteran Justin Lin, Star Trek Beyond goes beyond the audience’s wildest imagination with a plot that not only entertains fans of the franchise, but also pays tribute to creator Gene Roddenberry, the original ‘Mr. Spock’ Leonard Nimoy and the recently departed Anton Yelchin.

Just like the previous 12 installments in the franchise and the two in the current series, the Star Trek crew goes boldly where no one has gone before; however, the villainous Krall attacks the USS Enterprise in the hope of stealing a recently-acquired artifact known as Abronath, that holds mysterious powers that could be used against the federation.

Most of the crew is captured whereas a key member gets injured, but when you have Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) on your side, there is always hope. With the help of Spock (Zachary Quinto), Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban), Chekov (Anton Yelchin) and Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg), the good guys have the last laugh and they are united before the what-could-have-been-fatal attack at Yorktown, the federation headquarters.

What makes this Star Trek adventure different from the rest is the fast-paced action sequences that remind you of the famous franchise featuring Vin Diesel. Be it the jump from a moving bike, the flight of a recently repaired ship or the destruction of one of the ships, each action scene makes the viewer sit up and take note of the physics behind it. The sequences look even more believable in 3D and IMAX formats, while the new characters also serve as breath of fresh air in the franchise that has been around for more than 50 years now!

Just like the last two flicks in the series, Star Trek Beyond has a nasty villain (he even looks nasty unlike the last one) whose identity is kept secret till the climax. All we know is that he is on a mission to destroy the federation for something he believes they are responsible for. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are perfect as Kirk and Spock whereas Simon Pegg as Scotty and Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy also have their moments. The extended screen time given to Anton Yelchin (who passed away a few days prior to the release) is likely to make the viewers, emotional. A must watch for the fans of the series!

Published in Dawn, Young World, August 13th, 2016