'Star Trek Beyond' Reviews Compare New Adventure To 'Mass Effect' And 'The Original Series'

Star Trek Beyond has its first reviews… sorta. It’s become a bit of a tradition for critics to bust embargo (in this case Paramount allowed for Twitter reactions) and give a loose impression in a tweet or two after a screening, holding their full opinions for reviews expected closer to release. These Twitter capsule reviews are illuminating, but can be hype-y. People who liked the movie are more likely to gush, while the haters hold their bile in reserve.

So with those caveats out of the way, check out the initial reviews of Star Trek Beyond:

The most enthusiastic review came from Jordan Hoffman, who hosts the official Star Trek podcast for CBS.

One of the most heartening and consistent reactions has been to compare Star Trek Beyond to an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series.

Plus, many reviewers noted that Beyond is way better than Star Trek Into Darkness and on par with J.J. Abram’s 2009 Star Trek.

That said, it sounds like Star Trek Beyond may have a similarly vapid and McGuffin-dependent plot as the 2009 Star Trek. Plus, no one is exactly raving about the villain, Krall (Idris Elba).

And some reviews were far more mixed than the generally enthusiastic reaction.

Here are some general lessons/extrapolations from the early critical reaction to Star Trek Beyond:

• If The Next Generation or Deep Space Nine is your Star Trek, you’ll probably find the lack of political/moral nuance disappointing. Beyond sounds much more in line with some of the goofier The Original Series episodes.
• If you liked the 2009 Star Trek , then you’ll like Star Trek Beyond.
• The plot is McGuffin-based and likely thin, but buoyed by Justin Lin’s capacity for heartfelt characterization. If you like Star Trek characters more than Star Trek plots, Beyond may be for you.
• It definitely sounds light years better than Into Darkness.

Star Trek Beyond hits theaters on July 22.