Star Trek: Beyond is a great summer blockbuster, A-

Above: Simon Pegg right with Chris Pines as Captain Kirk in 2016's Star Trek Into Darkness

Although it might not be as great as the first two Star Trek films, the third film in the franchise is by far one of the better summer blockbusters that have been released this year. Star Trek Beyond is also a different film then the first two, but at the same time, there's more amazing connections between the new franchise and the old star trek television shows then ever before.
If there's one underrated new film franchise out there, it's Star Trek. First brought onto the big screen in 2009 by J.J. Abrams, Star Trek has done wonders pleasing oldies and gaining thousands of new fans. Like the original movies each of these films are great in their own way. The third film in the franchise, Star Trek: Beyond is no different. Although it may not be as great as Star Trek and Star Trek: Into Darkness, it's still an awesome summer blockbuster that will please any fan of the new series.
The newest thing about the franchise is the departure of J.J. Abrams (who's still producing) and newcomer director: Justin Lin, who's previous work included several Fast & the Furious films. It's worth noting that despite many negative comments that Lin would somehow mess up the Star Trek, that in fact, he did just the opposite. Lin's unusual style of direction and camera work did wonders for Star Trek: Beyond. It's one of the reasons that makes the movie so great, along with of course a great story line, an amazing cast and of course, special effects. These things are the reason the new Star Trek movies are some of the best science fiction blockbusters in recent years.
Speaking of story line, Star Trek: Beyond's is different than the stories of the first few films by a long shot. The story line is surprisingly much deeper, and sometimes viewers have to pay close attention in order to know what's going on and who's who. However, this is a great turn out for the film because it adds some wonderful connection to the old Star Trek universe, including the main villain who's from the original series, names and references to both Deep Space Nine & Enterprise.
Finally, another great thing about Star Trek: Beyond is that the script was written by Simon Pegg, who of course is Scotty in the films. It shows the actors deep admiration for Star Trek by taking over the writing for the film, and he's work has paid off in amazing way, taking Star Trek into new and bolder directions.
However, it was almost as if Beyond wasn't as great or bold as the Star Trek or Star Trek Into Darkness. While it was super fun to watch, it just didn't seem a powerful punch as the first two films in the series. Perhaps it was because there was more of a thought provoking story line that took place over the excellent fight scenes or that it was a completely stand alone film with a somewhat minor villain. Old fans are still patiently waiting for a stand off between the new enterprise crew and some classic star trek villains like the Klingons and the Romelons which have been brought to attention in the series but having no major story lines yet.
That all being said, Star Trek: Beyond is still a great film and it's by far the best blockbuster that has been released so far this summer.

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