Star Trek: Beyond (2016)

**Warning: mild spoilers ahead!**

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, thus it's appropriate that there is more talk of it in the media than ever before.  As well as the ongoing development of the new TV series, Star Trek: Discovery, we have Star Trek: Beyond, the latest in the J.J. Abrams produced Trek films.
The sequel to 2013's Into Darkness begins, interestingly enough, with an ending of sorts.  After investigating a seemingly normal distress call in an unknown part of space, the crew of the Enterprise is ambushed by a new and violent force that basically tears the ship to pieces.  With no choice but to abandon ship and crash land on the nearby planet, we follow the dangerous journey of the crew, who have now been separated, and are left to locate and each other on a hostile planet.  To make matters worse, they are also being hunted by the vicious alien warlord, Krall, who has captured Uhura and Sulu along with several other members of the Enterprise crew.  A daring rescue operation is orchestrated, which then turns into a chase that concludes in a climactic action scene on and around the space station Yorktown, where we witness the final battle of Krall and Kirk.
Unlike some other Star Trek films before it, this one leans much more toward action than philosophy.  In this sense, it is accessible for newcomers to the series, though people who are interested in more detail of the Star Trek universe might be better to check out the 2009 reboot before getting into this latest offering.  The film expects the audience to be up to speed more or less from the get-go, but the action is almost immediate, which leaves little room for explanations outside of some brief snippets of exposition in dialogue.
It is a very exciting movie experience, though there are some flaws.  In some scenes, there is simply so much action that it's difficult to make sense of what was happening on the screen.  In addition, the general darkness of many scenes as well as the constantly swaying, simulated gravity of the cinematography made some scenes a bit less satisfying than they could have been.  My wife and I didn't see this in 3-D, but I feel that's for the best, as the motion of some of the scenes made her feel a bit on the queasy side.
Apart from these minor complaints, Star Trek: Beyond is a very enjoyable film.  Prop and production design was top-notch, as it has been with the previous instalments of this series.  The makeup design in particular was exceptionally good.  Every alien looked properly organic and realistic within the world of the movie.  As well, the design of the makeups still allowed for a wide range of expression on the characters, Krall in particular.
The score, by Micheal Giacchino, recalls many classic moments of the original TV series, while still making room for some more original sounds.  In addition, a few tracks of modern music (I won't spoil the surprise of their purpose here) add some very interesting contrast to one of the final action scenes.
As this is an action heavy movie, it would be irresponsible of me not to mention the excellent fight choreography and stunt work.  There were a great amount of stunts done in this movie, and I have great respect for the individuals who helped make this movie so exciting to watch.
As important as these elements are, a film needs stars, and Beyond is packed with them.  Just about every member of the cast gets a moment to shine, all the while keeping a balanced amount of screen time.  No one actor seems to overshadow another, which can be a difficult thing to accomplish in a film with such a large cast.  If I had to pick any standouts, I would choose Simon Pegg (also a co-writer of the screenplay) as Scotty, who interacted wonderfully with Sofia Boutella as the scrappy alien survivalist Jaylah.  There's a clear kinship between them onscreen, and their scenes together are delightful to watch.  Acclaimed actor Idris Elba is chillingly ruthless as the warlord Krall.  His performance is all the more impressive for communicating such emotion through his elaborate makeup.  Finally, it's difficult not to give extra attention to Anton Yelchin as Chekov after his unfortunate death earlier this year.  His enthusiastic performance feels somewhat bittersweet in knowing that this was his last film.
Despite a few technical flaws, I came away from this movie excited, wondering what new adventures the crew of the Enterprise will be having in the next film.  As I mentioned at the beginning, this could have easily been a much different film, but Star Trek: Beyond clearly defines itself as fun!  It's this kind of attitude towards the franchise that will win new fans who have felt alienated by the pseudo-science and long, philosophical conversations of previous films and TV episodes.  Make no mistake, science and big ideas have always been the hallmark of Star Trek, but Beyond starts from the same place of excitement the original series did.  It makes playful jokes about itself, while still acting out moments that feel pulled straight from the original series.  It captures our sense of imagination and adventure, and from this jumping-off point, we can begin to explore the bigger ideas at work.  In this film, the great ideals of peace and unity stand out clear as day through the actions of the Enterprise crew.  As Gene Rodenberry intended with the original series, witnessing these heroic actions on the big screen inspires us to look beyond, and to aspire to become something greater than ourselves.  In times as worrying as these, it's a message I hope people will carry with them outside of the theatre.

Stranger Things (2016)

Set in the mid-1980s, Stranger Things follows the mystery of Will Byers, a boy who mysteriously goes missing, leaving his friends and family to deal with grief, strange supernatural happenings, a monster, and the lingering question of if Will is truly still alive.  I would explain more, but to do this would be a disservice to this fantastically made show.  If you're not at least a little interested by the end of this review, chances are it isn't for you.
The newest sensation on Netflix is a curiously familiar beast of a show, yet is completely original.  In large part, this familiarity is due to the setting of the show itself.  For people in my age bracket (I refuse to be labelled as a 'millenial'), it evokes feelings of the pre-internet age in a way that no show has done before.  Some cynics might say that this is simply a cash-in for the VHS-hipster crowd, but I am firmly on the opposite side of that argument.  While the show makes references liberally, nothing about it ever feels artificial.  Series creators the Duffer Brothers have paid very close attention to the details of production design on Stranger Things, and it proves that they have the same feelings of nostalgia we do as viewers.  In an increasingly digital world, Stranger Things helps to recall comforts we'd long forgotten.  Even the title sequence is packed full of details that instantly trigger buried memories of the past.  The intermittent fuzz of VHS grain reminds us of a time of video stores and recording shows from television.  The title font itself carries its own presence, perhaps reminding us of old Dungeons and Dragons manuals, or the teen horror novels of Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine.
The casting is phenomenal, and has some of the best kid actors (played by Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matazarro, and Caleb McLaughlin) I've seen since J.J Abrams' Super 8.  They play well against each other, and, more importantly, they look and act as you'd expect real 12 year olds to.  It's a very refreshing thing to see when many other programs have token kid actors who simply seem to read a script and look good on screen.  Stranger Things isn't afraid to have kids who don't look like they've stepped straight out of the Sears catalogue, and this is a huge part of the show's success.  These kids reminds me of kids I grew up with, and it makes me care for each one of them as if I knew them personally.
The adult cast is equally talented.  David Harbour is very good as the down-and out police chief Jim Hopper, but I was especially impressed with the performance of Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, Will's grieving mother.  I normally don't care much for Winona Ryder, but I found her completely believable playing the slowly unravelling mother of a missing child.
The tone of the show varies by episode, but there is a current of nostalgia running throughout.  The show uses hints of various iconic TV shows and movies, all the while keeping an original and engaging story.  There are heavy references to John Carpenter's The Thing, The X-Files, Twin Peaks, and E.T., among others.  This mix of elements ensures that there's an even balance of nostalgia and terror.  This deliberate design for the show carries over to effects as well.  Where possible, the producers have used high quality physical creature effects over CGI, which lends a chillingly visceral feel to the horror elements of the show.  As well, in the tradition of the best horror films, these effects are used minimally.  You only ever get brief glimpses of things, leaving your imagination to craft the most horrific parts.
I'm hesitant to give away any details of the storyline, but suffice to say it contains realistic family drama, surprises upon surprises, and a deep reaching conspiracy.  As of this writing, I am roughly halfway through the eight episode run of the first season.  I have a few theories about what's truly going on, and I am looking forward to discovering what I got right and what I didn't know.
The beauty of Stranger Things is that it's made up of so many different parts, many people can watch and like it for completely different reasons, all of which are valid.  It also reminds us of a simpler time, and this enhances the horror when we're shocked out of our own nostalgia.  It's a fantastic show, and I hope it continues for years to come.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be in my blanket fort watching the late-night monster movie marathon.