While the world might be hung up on Star Wars right now, there is another space-themed sci-fi franchise that is trying to get its foot in the door: Star Trek. Paramount pictures recently dropped the first official trailer for the latest installment, Star Trek Beyond, which is slated for release in 2016.
Similar to Star Wars, the cast behind the upcoming Star Trek is also filled with familiar faces. Actor Chris Pine will once again portray Captain Kirk. Joining Chris are returning cast mates: Zachary Quinto as Spock, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Simon Pegg as Scotty, John Cho as Sulu and Karl Urban as Bones.
New Names In Cast
However, there were also some new names thrown into the mix, including Idris Elba (who is playing Krall – a new addition to Star Trek lore) and Sofia Boutella (whose character is Jaylah).
Despite the first two movies in the series film reboot being directed by J.J. Abrams, it appears he “jumped ship” when he got offered the Star Wars gig (although he does serve as producer on Beyond), thus leaving director Justin Lin to pick up the pieces. Justin is most known for his work in the Fast & Furious franchise, as he served as the director on numerous of the installments, including Fast & Furious 6. However, although he claims to be a big Trek fan, he is entering as a new perspective for the Starship Enterprise.
Although I have limited knowledge of the series, I have seen a good portion of the previous film and remember the promotional trailers from it. Thus, right off the bat, I felt that this trailer brought a whole different tone and vibe than the previous films’ trailers. According to director Justin Lin, he is choosing to “politely ignore” the events that happened in J.J.’s previous addition, Star Trek: Into Darkness.
Sabotage
It begins with “Sabotage” by The Beastie Boys blaring, as Captain Kirk claims the song is a “good choice” for whatever mission they are embarking on in the film. From the get-go, the trailer feels more like a Fast & Furious trailer than it does a Star Trek one. I guess you can take the director out of Fast & Furious, but you can’t take Fast & Furious out of the director.
Shortly after, Spock and the rest of the crew find themselves in a bit of a debacle – as they are stranded on a foreign planet without a ship and surrounded by enemies. In between this, the trailer also packs in motorcycle jumps and explosions – that seem eerily out of place. To be honest, it looks like Justin may have relied heavily on the over-the-top effects that may work in the action-adventure Fast world, but I don’t think they will necessarily work in the sci-fi world of Star Trek. While I understand that Justin is trying to revitalize the film reboot, he may be feeling the wrath of the devoted Star Trek fandom soon, if not already.
The trailer tries to present a more playful side of the characters – including several one-liners. However, it feels forced and I don’t think that the film will be able to win viewers over with this tactic. I think the moviegoers who want to see this film the most are the ones hoping to see it stick to Star Trek’s true essence. They are looking for a well-written, adventure in space that builds upon characters that they have grown to love. Unfortunately, it seems that this film is attempting to reinvent some of these characters in hopes that this will win fans over. At this point, it looks like Star Trek Beyond is fighting an uphill battle.
Final Thoughts
Since there is still a long wait before the movie comes out, maybe they will release some more promotional material that assures potential viewers that the film isn’t completely lost off on a tangent. Despite the trailer only being 90 seconds, I can’t help but feel the whole movie is going to follow suit with what was shown in the teaser – pretty much Fast & Furious goes intergalactic.
Nonetheless, you can catch Star Trek Beyond in theatres on July 22, 2016.