Three years into their five-year mission, the Enterprise crew is looking forward to a spaceport break. But they have barely arrived when they're asked to travel through a nebula to confront the ruthless Krall (Elba) about enslaving another ship's crew. As Captain Kirk (Pine), his sidekick Spock (Quinto) and the team (Urban, Saldana, Cho and Yelchin) head off to help, they're ambushed by a bee-like swarm of fighters, the Enterprise is scuppered and, to stop Krall's master plan, they need to get help from Jaylah (Boutella), a feisty survivor of one of Krall's earlier attacks.

The story rockets along at a breakneck pace, as action sequences pile up against each other to propel the characters along their journeys while taking on a properly nasty villain. Lin's direction makes all of this look achingly cool, with eye-popping settings, impressive effects and several heart-stopping moments. Some of the camerawork is too tight and shaky, but at least the fight choreography is coherent. And the characters' personalities are sharply reflected in their physicality.

Pine anchors the cast solidly as the sparky Kirk, although he's separated from Quinto's thoughtful Spock for much of the movie. Spock's main interaction this time is with Urban's tetchy Bones, which provides plenty of witty banter right through even the most intense sequences. Saldana gets some strong scenes as well as the unflappable Uhura, while Pegg, Cho and Yelchin light up the background very nicely. Elba is imposing under a lot of make-up, while Boutella steals the show as the sparky, resourceful Jaylah.

Much of this movie feels like it was made specifically for the fanbase, including several nods to previous movies and TV shows. A series of exhilarating visual sequences will please regular audiences while sending geeks into ecstasy. Amusing nods to the franchise history abound, while the designs of new settings are beautifully rendered (they look great on an Imax screen, but don't need 3D). And while the story is a bit too frantic to really register, dropping in some meaty themes right at the very end, it's also a hugely entertaining ride.

themes, language, violence

20.Jul.16