4/5 stars

After darkness, there was light. Star Trek Beyond, the third instalment in the reboot of the Gene Roddenberry-created sci-fi TV series, shifts gears in the right direction. Star Trek Into Darkness was an apt title for the previous instalment, which lost its way with Benedict Cumberbatch as the villain. This time around, with Fast & Furious director Justin Lin replacing J. J. Abrams, the result is a hugely enjoyable romp. Alien hordes, Enterprise annihilation, ass-kicking females, emotional goodbyes ... this one has it all.

It begins with Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and the crew of the USS Enterprise almost three years into their five-year mission. The monotony of space travel is soon broken when a distress call leads the ship into the clutches of Krall (Idris Elba), the ruthless commander of an alien race that swarms around the Enterprise, breaking up the vessel in spectacular fashion and separating the crew as they crash-land on the planet below.

Scripted by Doug Jung and Simon Pegg, the British comedic actor who also returns as Scotty, it’s a thrilling set-up that gives each character plenty to do, not least everyone’s favourite Vulcan, Spock (Zachary Quinto), who must rescue his beloved Uhura (Zoe Saldana).