Star Trek: Beyond

In the 1960s, Gene Roddenberry's iconic sci-fi TV series not only boldly explored new worlds but also tackled relevant social issues using philosophical ingenuity and inventive diplomacy. Now, under the stewardship of J.J. Abrams, character complexity and ideas have become secondary to continual conflict and spectacle. Returning are Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto), and Dr. “Bones” McCoy (Karl Urban), along with Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Sulu (John Cho), and Chekhov (Anton Yelchin, who tragically died this year). Departing from the enormous Yorktown spaceport, the team embarks on a rescue mission that leads them through a dangerous uncharted nebula. After the Enterprise is disabled by the evil reptilian megalomaniac Krall (Idris Elba), the crew is stranded on Altamid, where they are befriended by a vengeful rebel warrior (Sofia Boutella) who has taken up residence inside a shipwrecked, century-old Federation vessel. Generically scripted by Simon Pegg (who plays chief engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott) and Doug Jung, this entry is also formulaically directed by noise-and-action obsessed Justin Lin. Although there's too much hardware and too little heart on this voyage, the franchise will no doubt continue to “live long and prosper.” A strong optional purchase. [Note: Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Beyond the Darkness” (10 min.), “Divided and Conquered” (8 min.), “New Life, New Civilizations” (8 min.), “To Live Long and Prosper” (8 min.), “Exploring Strange New Worlds” (6 min.), “A Warped Sense of Revenge” (5 min.), “For Leonard and Anton” (5 min.), “Enterprise Takedown” (5 min.), and “Trekking in the Desert” (3 min.), as well as a gag reel (5 min.), brief deleted scenes, trailers, and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a less than stellar Star Trek film.] (S. Granger)