BEY is an interesting movie by my measure. I re-watched it last night for the first time in a while, and it still has a really odd effect on me.
I like many of the scenes, and I think the characters and dialogue are at their very best in terms of the Kelvinverse films. There seems to be a real warmth and chemistry between the characters that was only being built during the previous films...and that chemistry is what I love about TOS.
But, that being said, the overall product is just a little "flat" for me, and I can't really explain why. Again, it's as though I love a number of the individual pieces, but I don't really get engaged in the overall movie as much.
THINGS I LIKE:
1. Kirk- he's much more introspective and settled/mature in this film, and while I liked brazen / cocky Kirk in the other films (a different character because he grew up without George as his father to guide him), I really like this more mature version of the character. He still has his moments (I'm not going to miss....it's the square one, right?!?), he is generally more responsible in BEY and Pine gives a great performance.
2. Character Interplay- McCoy and Spock are great in BEY, and that was a piece that was woefully missing from previous films. Sulu gets a little more to do. There's some magic between Chekov and Kirk when they are together on Altimed. Scotty and Jayla are obviously awesome together.
3. Tribute to Nimoy- Those little moments are excellent...no doubt
4. Planet Side Setting- I like that they visited an alien world in this film. That was desperately needed.
5. The Soundrack- Like with all the Kelvinverse films, the BEY soundtrack is a thing of beauty.
6. Yorktown Base- Cool concept, unique design, felt like a place worth fighting for without having to endanger Earth for the 239th time.
THINGS I WASN'T A HUGE FAN OF:
1. Destroying the Enterprise- I'm not sure how you tell this particular story without it...but I felt like putting the Enterprise through the ringer yet again was a step too far. Dang come up with something else (easier said than done)...but having the ship all bashed up and crashing a starship yet again was pretty tired
2. Krall- I love Elba, but this was kind of a crappy, ill-defined villain, even for a Star Trek movie. I'm not really sure why this guy was pissed, who he was really pissed at, why he and two other Franklin survivors invented their own language...or just what the hell was going on. I also think the story would have been more powerful if, in the very end, Kirk managed to convince Edison to "turn back" and Edison ends up sacrificing himself to save the base, rather than just remaining "evil"
3. Franklin as the Hero Ship- This kind of goes back to item 1, but instead of letting the Enterprise shine, she gets ripped to pieces in the second act, and the Franklin ends up being the ship that saves the day. Interesting I guess...but I'd rather have seen the Enterprise in action here.
4. Weird Plotholes- I'm sure this has been discussed a million times, but I never really understood how Krall and company just sort of forgot about the Franklin. That seemed like a pretty big oversight. I also don't really get how this planet filled with swarm ships and automated dickheads equated to Edison being "trapped" on Altimed. If he could just get in those ships and leave at any time, why was he all bullshit about being abandoned? Who were these other random people on the planet? Just passers-by who Krall and company grabbed to suck their lifeforce out so they could remain strong? I don't know man, it seemed really underbaked to me.
Overall, it's a fun viewing experience. It looks fantastic, sounds fantastic, and the characters are at their best. But, it just feels less engaging to me for some reason that causes me to not view it as a "top tier" film in the franchise (or even in the Kelvin Series). I honestly think they needed to do a lot more work on Krall / Edison...his motivations and his entire post-crash backstory. That was a very interesting part of the film, and they missed the boat on it I think.
