Beyond is a really good movie, probably better than its two predecessors in terms of storytelling and characterisation. It did feel less epic, though. I keep wondering why that is.
It focussed on the characters while stying true to the feel of the previous movies, including the more or less juvenile humour. The pairing off of different characters on the planet and throughout the film worked really well for me, especially the Spock and McCoy dynamic and the respectful relationship that developed between Scotty and Jaylah. She turned out to be a great addition to the Trekverse and I hope we'll see her again in the next movie. I liked how she referred to the Franklin as her house and that she learned English from hip hop songs. I also liked that Chekov got more to do in this movie. Sadly, we won't see a continuation of that.
Spock saying all those bon mots about hope while injured was hilarious, yet lovable. I think that was one of the strengths of the movie - the protagonists were depicted in a loving way even if they served as comic relief at the time.
As a big ENT fan I loved the Franklin set and that we got to hear more about the early days of the Federation. Also, bonus points for "Starfleet is not a military service".
The thing that really resonated with me was how the film kind of depicts the situation we are in today, with Krall representing that unpredictable, irrational element in conflict with an organisation built on humanist values and coorperation. I agree that Krall wasn't depicted satisfactorily as a character but I also think that his motivation was less flimsy than that of many terrorists. And with the whole 'he used to be one of us before he became our enemy' thing there certainly is an allusion to ISIS.
The Enterprise crew wasn't sure about where they stood themselves. The scene where the ship is headed into the asteroid field, with both Kirk and Spock brooding, was quite ominous. A fitting metaphor for the current state of the world or at least the West, I feel. The movie served as a re-affirmation of Federation values but not a grand one. Kirk's reasoning while he's fighting Krall on Yorktown (better to save a life than take it) isn't exactly a praise of those values. It's not much but it's better than nothing. Which is how I feel at the moment.
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