INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

‘Star Trek Beyond’ Reviews: Franchise’s First Flop?

By Bernadette Giacomazzo
Published on: 14:50 PST, Jul 21, 2016

To boldly go where no franchise has gone before? If the Star Trek Beyond reviews are to be believed, this just might be the franchise’s first flop!

Star Trek Beyond Reviews: Is This The First Flop?

Despite all of the hype and hoopla, the Star Trek Beyond reviews indicate that the franchise isn’t living up to the high standards set back when series creator Gene Roddenberry was at the helm. Sure, it delights fans of the franchise, but according to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, it doesn’t do much else. According to that same outlet, who gave their Star Trek Beyond reviews right after the NYC premiere, the cast is the glue that holds the franchise together. Namely, it is Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock, and even Idris Elba as Krall that make the Star Trek Beyond reviews somewhat positive. But all of the rest of the film — from the story line to the cinematography — leaves much to be desired, especially if you aren’t a fan of the series.

Indeed, Polygon Magazine echoes the sentiment of the St. Louis Post Dispatch: the Star Trek Beyond reviews leave much to be desired. In fact, it gives, perhaps, the harshest criticism of all. According to their Star Trek Beyond reviews, the movie feels a lot like a television episode… which is great if you’re watching TV, but not so great if you’re watching a presumed blockbuster film. One of the biggest criticisms, in fact, of the film is that Kirk has spent years with this crew, yet sums up their trans-galactic experiences with just one sentence: “Things have started to feel a little episodic.” Exposition, Kirk…exposition is your friend!

Despite the seemingly sub-par Star Trek Beyond reviews, the film shows no signs of slowing down, or letting up. Due, in no small part, to the recent and unfortunate passing of Star Trek Beyond star Anton Yelchin, the film has garnered more than its fair share of publicity. Even more to the point, not all of the Star Trek Beyond reviews are bad. In fact, many of the Star Trek Beyond reviews are quite good!

Slate Magazine‘s Star Trek Beyond reviews are unanimously positive. Lead movie critic Dana Stevens praises the fine acting of the cast, including Pine, Quinto, and the late Yelchin. She also gives extensive praise to Idris Elba’s performance of Krall, who could have turned his villain into a cartoon character, yet played him with extensive grace and complexity. Finally, she praises John Cho, who plays Hikaru Sulu, for being an “out and proud” gay character. And this portrayal of the beloved Sulu is definitely appropriate, given that the original Sulu — George Takei — is, himself, an out and proud gay man.

Speaking of the original cast, both Takei and “original flavor” Kirk, William Shatner, have been making the rounds of the blog-osphere for entirely different reasons that go above and beyond the Star Trek Beyond reviews. Takei, according to Slate, has had his comments about Sulu’s “coming out” being taken out of context (he said that he wanted the original Star Trek canon, as envisioned by Gene Roddenberry, to be maintained, not that it’s a bad thing that there’s a gay character in the franchise). Meanwhile, the delightful curmudgeon Shatner has found himself embroiled in a controversy surrounding — of all things — the hit Starz television show Outlander: a recent Vox article details this very convoluted history between the show’s fans, and Shatner himself.

Incidentally, in case you were wondering, Outlander star Sam Heughan recently told Just Jared that he would be very interested in being part of the Star Trek franchise. So, J.J. Abrams, if you’re reading this, you definitely have a good casting option!

But the most important thing to remember about the Star Trek Beyond reviews is that they’re all subjective. Whether they’re overwhelmingly positive — as Vulture states that they are — or they’re overwhelmingly negative, the Star Trek Beyond reviews are just that: reviews. This movie is successful, no matter what, because it’s boldly gone where no other franchise has gone before!

[Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images]

Share this article: ‘Star Trek Beyond’ Reviews: Franchise’s First Flop?
More from Inquisitr