Star Trek Beyond
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: July 22, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 50 Critics
Positive:
39
Mixed:
8
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
HitfixDrew McWeenyJul 17, 2016
There’s a brisk sense of invention to the film, and it feels like it is breathlessly told, something that is due in large part to Justin Lin, who has been developing a very particular approach to blockbuster filmmaking. Yes, he’s fine with the big action mayhem that is par for the course with these films, but he understands that the thing that makes any of it interesting is making sure the audience really enjoys spending time with these characters. Read full review
83
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallJul 26, 2016
Lin siphons elements of his previous gig into this one. More precisely, he accentuates the existing "family" dynamic of Star Trek, leading to genuinely earned lumps in Trekker throats. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerJul 22, 2016
I do hope there will be many more future installments. I’d like to spend more time with these folks. Read full review
83
Consequence of SoundClint WorthingtonJul 21, 2016
Star Trek Beyond is a vast improvement from the sloppy Into Darkness, bringing it on par with the excellent ’09 reboot in terms of sheer quality and chemistry. Read full review
80
The New YorkerAnthony LaneJul 25, 2016
It’s not just a blast but, at moments, a thing of beauty, alive to the comic awesomeness of being lost in space. Read full review
80
SlateDana StevensJul 21, 2016
Star Trek Beyond may not go where no Trek has gone before, but it’s that very fidelity to the show’s original values that will keep fans trekking to the box office. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinJul 21, 2016
It’s better to have a well-made, unapologetic action-adventure like this one than a creepy stab at replication. Read full review
80
ScreenCrushMatt SingerJul 21, 2016
This movie isn’t just fun; it’s sincere and sweet and downright inspiring. Read full review
80
TimeStephanie ZacharekJul 21, 2016
Lin keeps this tense adventure (co-written by Doug Jung and Simon Pegg, who also reprises his role as chief engineer Scotty) from stumbling over its own excess: he knows that any good Star Trek needs wit as well as spectacle. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsStephen Whitty Jul 15, 2016
It's not only filled with the usual special-effects eye candy, but smart, fan-focused writing. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonJul 15, 2016
This is all fun all the time, a dizzying carnival of wisecracks, fisticuffs, explosions, chases and truly eye-popping effects. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJul 15, 2016
While Beyond won't unseat 1982's thrilling The Wrath of Khan as the gold standard for Star Trek movies, it's a highly entertaining entry guaranteed to give the franchise continuing life. Read full review
80
EmpireChris Hewitt (1)Jul 15, 2016
A return to fun, and a return to form for the new version of the old Trek. The 13th Trek movie is also the second good odd-numbered instalment in a row. Lucky for some. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyJul 21, 2016
With Lin at the helm, and the Enterprise crew reimagined as a family unit in the mold of Dom Toretto’s gang, the movie bounces along, hurtling its heroes over colliding wreckage and into currents of artificial gravity, pausing just long enough for a punchline or a knowing exchange of looks. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonJul 21, 2016
Pine brings a measured but engaging heroism to Kirk. Quinto is perfect as the logical but charismatic Spock. Urban lends the proceedings a much appreciated dose of humor. And even with his famously expressive face obscured by makeup, Elba elevates Krall to something more than a cardboard villain. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter TraversJul 21, 2016
Despite the futuristic tilt in the title, Star Trek Beyond works best when it boldly goes retro. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy BurrJul 21, 2016
Star Trek Beyond plays like an episode of the old “Star Trek” TV series. This, I submit, is what’s enjoyable about it. Read full review
75
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezJul 21, 2016
Sometimes silly, outlandish, and sentimental in its fan service-y callbacks, Star Trek Beyond and its sense of entertaining urgency often trumps its insubstantial qualities, as illogical as that may be. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJul 21, 2016
It may not boldly go where no “Star Trek” film has gone before, but it gets there at warp speed, and with a full tank of fresh ideas. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJul 20, 2016
Even with its big-screen pyrotechnics and its feature-length running time, Star Trek Beyond plays like an extended version of one of the better episodes from the original series, and I mean that in the best possible way. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzJul 20, 2016
Happily, Star Trek Beyond is much more than a mere refresh. Thanks to Lin’s steady directorial hand and knack for visualizing improbable set-pieces, the new film is bold, breathless and propulsive, a distillation of the action movie to its purest elements. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJul 20, 2016
The latest, produced by Abrams and directed by "Fast and Furious" alum Justin Lin, isn't quite up to the 2009 and 2013 movies. But it's still fun, you still care about the people and the effects manage to look a little more elegant and interesting than the usual blue blasts of generica. Read full review
75
TheWrapRuss FischerJul 15, 2016
This episode cuts right to the core of the series’s original appeal, giving the terrific cast a chance to play against one another in a straightforward story. It’s not exactly bold, but “Beyond” does satisfy. Read full review
70
SalonNico LangJul 21, 2016
The film may not go boldly, but it’s a welcome homecoming for the beloved series. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternJul 21, 2016
Star Trek Beyond is better than not-bad. By any earthly standard it’s good. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranJul 21, 2016
Fun but in a careful way, the film lasts just two hours, but it can seem much longer than that. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJul 19, 2016
It’s a knowing nod to the past fused with a contemporary cast confident in the present, and where the franchise might take it in the future. Read full review
70
Screen InternationalJohn HazeltonJul 15, 2016
The third instalment of the re-booted Star Trek franchise gets safely through its voyage, offering a strong returning cast and a familiar, if slightly tweaked mix of effects-heavy space action, cheeky humour and philosophical musing. Read full review
70
VarietyOwen GleibermanJul 15, 2016
It’s a sturdily built movie that gets the job done, and it’s got a likable retro vibe. Read full review
70
Village VoiceBilge EbiriJul 15, 2016
Star Trek Beyond might be the Star Trekkiest film of the new, J.J. Abrams–ified Trek era. That is to say, it's the one that feels the most like a turbo-loaded episode of the original series, and has at least some of that classic spirit of exploration and derring-do. Read full review
68
The VergeTasha RobinsonJul 22, 2016
Star Trek: Beyond does have a strength that its two reboot predecessors lacked: it puts the focus squarely on the larger Trek ensemble, rather than solely on Kirk and his relationships. Read full review
67
The Film StageDaniel SchindelJul 21, 2016
The rebooted Star Trek film series finally hits a fun median between big-budget bombast and classic Trek bigheartedness with Star Trek Beyond. Read full review
67
IndieWireEric KohnJul 15, 2016
If Star Trek Beyond existed outside the arena of reboots and sequels that mandated its existence, the movie’s casual air might be downright radical for such an extensive production. Instead, it’s just a sturdy riff on the same old routine. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzJul 22, 2016
The movie never delivers on its considerable promise because it's always in such a hurry to get to the next action scene. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJul 22, 2016
The plot, credited to Simon Pegg & Doug Jung, is pure Trek. Unfortunately, it’s also instantly forgettable. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaJul 21, 2016
There is plenty in Star Trek Beyond for diehard Trekkers to enjoy, and director Justin Lin (Fast & Furious) guns the action sequences. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineSam C. MacJul 21, 2016
Stark Trek Beyond emphasizes the inter-personal dynamics of the USS Enterprise, and functions best as an extended team-building exercise. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreJul 20, 2016
Pandering? Yes. But pandering with polish. Read full review
63
USA TodayBrian TruittJul 18, 2016
The galactic adventure might be an uneven one, but the combination of gravitas, a little mirth and old-school Trek themes makes Beyond a decently entertaining trip to the final frontier. Read full review
60
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJul 20, 2016
The nerd in me wants a bit more rigor, a bit more plausibility underneath the exuberant fakery. Maybe in the next episode. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyJul 15, 2016
In fairness to Beyond, it makes very few promises it can't keep, but also goes halfway out on every limb it can find, risking next to nothing. Read full review
60
Total FilmMatt MaytumJul 15, 2016
Justin Lin proves a safe pair of hands at the helm of the Enterprise. Powered by a spirited sense of adventure and a nice teamwork dynamic, it’s fun, but not essential, summer viewing. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawJul 15, 2016
This new movie could arguably have given Elba more to do, earlier in the picture, but it is the inter-relationship of the Enterprise’s crew which is the real source of drama. An entertaining adventure. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyJul 15, 2016
Beyond is more fun than deep. It’s lightweight, zero-gravity Trek that is, for the most part, devoid of the sort of Big Ideas and knotty existential questions that creator Gene Roddenberry specialized in. Read full review
50
MTV NewsAmy NicholsonJul 26, 2016
Freed from reality, Lin turns into a kid gifted a box of markers and glitter: Everything is manic and distracting. There’s a cool swoosh where the lens surfs behind the Enterprise as it accelerates through a tube, but mostly the tricks are garish. Read full review
50
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenJul 21, 2016
Action scenes are so chaotically edited it’s often difficult to figure out who’s bashing and crashing into whom. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJul 21, 2016
With Star Trek Beyond, the rebooted “Star Trek” franchise that features the original crew of the Enterprise, settles into routine sequel territory. This isn’t terrible news, and it may have been inevitable, but it’s something of a letdown all at the same. Read full review
38
New York PostKyle SmithJul 21, 2016
They should have called it “Star Trek Into Drowsiness.” Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesJul 27, 2016
Lin’s F&F films are operatically dumb, which was what makes them so much fun; maybe if Star Trek Beyond were stupider it wouldn’t feel like such a chore. Read full review
20
CineVueTom DugginsJul 21, 2016
If you go out into the furthest reaches of Star Trek's filmography today, you're in for an unsettling discovery: the final frontier looks oddly familiar. It's brightly coloured eye-bait, Jim, exactly as we know it - outpacing your visual field in an attempt to convince you that something exciting is going on. Read full review
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