Chris At The Pictures

2016’s summer of so-so cinema is finally invigorated with the arrival of this absolutely barnstorming entry in the rebooted Star Trek universe, as J.J. Abrams hands over the bridge to Fast & Furious alumnus Justin Lin. Soon after the Enterprise crew respond to a plea for help in uncharted space, they find themselves shipwrecked on a desolate world. Stranded, scattered and on the run from the murderous Krall (Idris Elba), Kirk, Spock and co. must forge alliances with fellow maroon Jaylah (Kingsman’s Sofia Boutella) to prevent the pebble-faced villain from retrieving an alien artefact of immense power.

That’s not so much a setup than the essence of Star Trek Beyond: it’s an episode of the original series writ large, where teamwork and problem-solving trumps the point-and-shoot method that Abrams’ preceding films were more than occasionally guilty of. As if tonal allusions to the TV show weren’t enough, we also get the classic distress call setup, a rocky planet environment likely filmed in a quarry and many scenes of Kirk punching alien baddies in the face. Any state-of-the-art, whizz-bang special effects work is placed at either end of the picture, to serve as bookends for the main narrative thrust. When the shooting starts up again in the gob-smacking finale, the ship-to-ship spectacle is outrageously entertaining, and I doubt we’ll find a more brilliantly grin-inducing use of music in a blockbuster this year. Michael Giacchino’s score, alternately twinkly and brash, is as magical as ever, and a consistent visual aesthetic is maintained by cinematographer Stephen Windon evoking the swooping style of previous DoP Dan Mindel, but with minimal smearing of lens flares.

With the Kirk and Spock relationship fleshed out considerably in Trek and Into Darkness, Beyond focuses on the unity of the crew as a whole, something that proves Lin’s experience with the latter-day, family-centric Fast movies indispensable. We get to see more interaction between Kirk and Chekov (the late Anton Yelchin is frantically engaging as he has ever been), Uhura and Sulu are placed shoulder-to-shoulder, whilst Spock and Bones are left alone together for a large chunk of the narrative, allowing for some lovely old-married-couple bickering: Quinto and Urban really have their respective characters down to a tee. Simon Pegg (as co-writer this time around) gives Scotty an awful lot more to do, but when the curmudgeonly engineer’s bemused interactions with Boutella’s no-nonsense Jaylah (a new female Trek character not introduced as a love interest, whatever next?) are so endearing, there’s little room for complaint. 

Though, while we’re on the subject, I do have a niggle or two: for all its visual invention (the orb city of Yorktown is easily the best spaceward treat for the eyes since Gravity) and vigour, the finale stretches on past breaking point, while Krall’s motivations are revealed far too late to hold any true significance: his insistance on tearing the crew apart to demonstrate their reliance on unity was far more involving than his eventual justification for destruction.

However, a film that can have me smiling ear-to-ear from start-to-finish just by re-introducing characters, spaceships, musical cues and even sound effects that I genuinely love is so difficult to dislike. Sure, I may be blinded by nostalgia (bizarre, considering that only five years ago I wouldn’t touch Trek with a ten foot pole), but in a summer blockbuster season that has so consistently failed to deliver thrills of any kind, nostalgic or otherwise, I’ll be boldly going back to this one. Thataway!

Guardians of the Galaxy is the latest instalment in the Marvel cinematic universe, starring Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, a galactic outlaw who was abducted from Earth as a child. Whilst on the hunt for a mysterious orb, Quill (referring to himself as ‘Star Lord’) is caught up in the midst of several other interested parties, notably assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana), who is sent to retrieve the orb for Ronan the Accuser, a tyrant who plans to use its secrets to destroy the planet Xandar.  

Based on one of the oldest Marvel properties, featuring a talking raccoon and from the director of the live-action Scooby-Doo­ movies, there is an awful lot that could make Guardians of the Galaxy a whimpering cinematic disaster. But somehow, James Gunn has managed to rope everything together almost perfectly, and the key has to be the tone of the movie. Unlike an awful lot of the super-hero movies of late, it doesn’t feel the need to play everything with a straight face. Sure, it has its emotional moments, but the fast-paced and often very funny script prevents it from being too serious.

Our ragtag collection of leads – as well as the aforementioned outlaw and assassin – contains Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, a walking tree serving as bodyguard to Rocket, a raccoon voiced by Bradley Cooper, and Dave Bautista as walking muscle Drax ‘The Destroyer’. The combination of leads are the greatest strength the film has to offer, bouncing off each other eclectically and likeably, their personalities never sacrificed for (but rather enhanced by) the script. Vin Diesel as Groot manages to be the beating heart of the film, despite only ever having one line of dialogue to speak, and Dave Bautista is a revelation in comedic timing. The five guardians combined create what is fast becoming one of my favourite on-screen ensembles, that I actually think will have more re-watch value than Marvel’s runaway success Avengers Assemble.

The film is handsomely shot, the frame oozing colours in every shot, the palette keeping a cheerful aesthetic to match the sensibility of the script but restrained with a slight filter to prevent it from slipping into cartoon territory. The cinematography pack a real punch, and often comes to the rescue during the non-comedic highlights, including one visually astounding and quite emotionally powerful set-piece set in the vacuum of space. The soundtrack is a cracking collection of 70’s/80’s hits, including everything from the Jackson 5, Blue Swede and David Bowie. Established very early as a key part of Star Lord’s character, it isn’t just a selection of songs thrown in for want of a better soundtrack, and if you don’t find your feet tapping along at any point then frankly there’s no hope for you.

Whilst the film carries itself with vigour, and doesn’t waste time devolving into a romantic subplot, the ending drags on for about five minutes too long, and there are a select few elements in the final action sequence that are flat-out ridiculous even by the standards of a movie that features a talking raccoon. The talented Karen Gillan as villainous Nebula feels very over-shadowed in the finale which is a real shame, and Benicio Del Toro is criminally underused save for spouting some exposition here or there.

Guardians of the Galaxy is the result of placing the A-Team at the controls of the Millennium Falcon. It’s a much-needed injection of fun into the drab, gritty landscape of summer blockbuster season and – despite stumbling a little along the way – knows that the key to saving the future lies in the past. So wind up your best mix-tape, don your battered old Sony headphones and dance to its tune like the fate of the world depends on it.

4 stars