Watching // Listening to // Reading // Writing

WATCHING //
After watching for more than a year, I finally finished Friends. 

I started it last summer, I believe, but when school started, I stopped watching (we were on a break, okay??). It's not my favorite sitcom ever (that will forever and always be Frasier), but it was oh so much fun to see all the silly situations that Ross got himself in to.

On the subject of sitcoms, my roommate and I are nearing the end of The Office. It's been a fun Netflix Trip.

Some friends and I went to see Incredibles 2, which I thought was incredible (haha). Did you know the movies are set in the 1960s? I didn't notice the time period in the first movie, but it was evident in this one. It adds one more element to an already fantastic film.

This poster belongs to Disney Pixar

My friend and I just finished Netflix's Lost in Space. I have so many thoughts about this show that it will be its own separate post.

Last but not least, I watched the first episode of Babylon 5 last night. My dad and I are watching it "together." Even though we are 1,500 miles apart, we will watch an episode or three a week and then talk about it. My thoughts so far: it reminds me a lot of Deep Space Nine, but Star Trek has much better graphics (and better acting and writing, too, methinks, but I don't want to make a final judgement yet since I have only seen the first episode). I'm excited to keep watching!

LISTENING TO // 
I've been on a classical music kick over the past few weeks. I've been listening to a lot of Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky (Pictures at an Exhibition <3), Debussy, Tchaikovsky, and Saint-Saens. Check out The Carnival of the Animals—it is so much fun! My favorite pieces are "Aquarium," "Pianists," and "Fossils."

I've also been listening to a lot of Twenty One Pilots. I'd never heard of them before coming to school, but they are now one of my favorite bands. They are coming out with a new album in October and have released three songs with music videos. I love Twenty One Pilots because they have created a whole world and story line within their music, and it is SO. COOL. because it is an extended metaphor for the singer's mental health. I can't embed their new music into my blog for some reason, so here is a link to their music video "Jumpsuit" (which I think is slightly more understandable than "Nico and the Niners," which is my favorite of their three new songs).

READING //
This summer, I have been making my way through the Minstrel's Song series by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt. I've been reading them on the Kindle app on my phone, usually in my fifteen minute morning breaks at work. I'm at my grandparent's house until school starts next week, however, so I am reading, reading, reading. I finished Yorien's Hand yesterday. Whooooaaaa. So epic! I am afraid for Oraeyn, Kamarie, Yole, Brant, and the gang, and my intrigue about Kiernan Kane continues to grow! I started Minstrel's Call this morning.

From Instagram

I am also reading a book of short stories by Willa Cather, which I am enjoying. The stories are about the disillusionment that creators sometimes feel. I am re-reading "The Garden Lodge" right now, which is about a practical woman who has a famous tenor to stay at her house. When he leaves, she has a breakdown as she remembers how her childhood was destroyed by over-sentimentality and how she refused to indulge in anything imaginative as a result. I didn't quite catch the meaning of the story the first time I read it; I understand it more the second time. The stories make me sad because the characters are misunderstood and purposeless artists, but it is a good kind of sadness because it reminds me that I do have a greater purpose when I am creative: I reflect God the creator.

From Instagram

WRITING //

I haven't been writing anything, but I do have several ideas floating around in my head... I am going to keep them in my head right now, especially since school is starting next week, and I definitely won't have time for personal projects then. I will tell you that one idea is sci-fi and one is fantasy and one is memoir(ish).
Also, there are exciting things happening on the blogging horizon...

COMING SOON TO TEN BLOGS NEAR YOU

So, what have you guys been watching/listening to/reading/writing? Are you excited for the Silmaril Awards? What do you think of the slightly modified name?

Wonder Woman Review

I have a confession to make. Before last week, I had never seen a DC movie. I've never seen a Superman film. I've never seen a Batman film. *holds out card* Here's my Nerd Cred. Take it away from me. I don't deserve it. Or, maybe you could be lenient because I did see Wonder Woman? You don't have to give it back right away... Why don't I tell you my thoughts and then you can decide whether or not I deserve my Nerd Cred back?

If you've seen the trailers for Wonder Woman, then this review won't be too spoilery. If you want to avoid all of the spoilers of ever, then I suggest you see the movie and come back here at a later date. 

Plot: Diana grows up among the Amazons—a society of women trained for war—on the secret island of Themyscira. In addition to being the daughter of the queen, she is also the only child on the island. Despite her mother's hesitation, Diana learns to fight, and she also learns that the gods created the Amazons to protect the world from Ares, the god of war.
One day, a plane flies through the barrier hiding Themyscira from the rest of the world. It contains Steve Trevor, a World War I spy. He explains the Great War to the Amazons and Diana is convinced that Ares has returned and that she must fight him. And So. Diana leaves the protection of Themyscira and travels to London and the trenches with Steve Trevor so that she may meet Ares in battle and destroy him once and for all so that the hearts of men will no longer be corrupted by his evil.

Wonder Woman spends a long time setting up the story. There is a lengthy introduction before the inciting incident (AKA Steve Trevor, if we're going to name names) happens. I felt that this threw off the pacing of the movie, as the audience spends a lot of time watching Diana grow up without having a reason to root for her yet. Also, throughout the movie, there is a lot of telling instead of showing. The Dump Truck of Exposition unloads several revelations on the audience instead of letting the Paver of DISS* smooth the information on the audience over a period of time.

*Disseminating Information Super Slowly.
Friend, Abby. Text message to author. 7 June 2017. (<---- This is my attempt to cite my source in MLA format. I think I deserve my Nerd Cred back now. Thank you.)

While I didn't enjoy the pacing of the movie, I thought that the plot and sub-plots were well done. I enjoyed the plot twists, too! They actually managed to surprise me.

Characters: Diana Prince (AKA Wonder Woman, if we're going to name names) is a lovely blend of innocence, femininity, and kick-butt deadliness.

She is innocent because she grew up in an ancient civilization while the rest of the world advanced for 2,000 years. She knows nothing about the world outside of Themyscira, which is humorous when she reaches London. Her innocence also shows itself in her mission. Her goal is to find Ares and she won't let herself get sidetracked, even if that means messing up the plans of others and looking like a fool. She doesn't know what constitutes acceptable behavior in WWI-era England, and so she does what she knows is right despite cultural standards. This turns her innocence into strength, for it allows her to stand up for her beliefs. I think we've all had times when we don't stand up for what we believe it because we are afraid to look foolish. Diana is a good example of standing strong in one's beliefs, even when everyone else is against you.
And she does it in a dress.
Despite being a warrior princess, Diana (and all of the Amazons) remain feminine. And their costumes aren't too revealing/distracting either (at least, I didn't think so)!
Diana is not only strong in conviction, but also in muscle. Countless times in the movie, she is the one to save her friends or march into battle first. She is no damsel in distress. While I have no doubt that she would have marched into battle just as quickly if she wasn't searching for Ares, her motivation is to find Ares. Her enemies stood in the way of her ultimate goal, so she fought them. Her determination and courage are just as inspiring as her strength of mind and confidence.
I think Wonder Woman is an excellent role model.
While it was hinted throughout the movie that she has more power than she thinks, it does not appear until the end. I wish that they had done a better job of building to this moment rather than giving her a Rey-like explosion of sudden power at the end.

Steve Trevor is a spy, soldier, and flying ace. Like Diana, he has a mission to accomplish.

Steve's mission is to destroy a new form of poison gas that can break through gas masks.

Are you my mummy? (I'm so sorry. I've been watching Doctor Who, and I couldn't resist.

While Diana is single-mindedly trying to find Ares, Steve is single-mindedly trying to find Dr. Poison and her concoction. He and Diana help each other, but they remain very focused on their own missions, which I liked. They understand that they will need to sacrifice even their friendship to save the world.
I loved the way they wrapped up Steve Trevor's storyline. It's not one that I've seen much before, and I highly approved.

There are many other characters in this movie. There are the Amazons (namely Hippolyta, who is Diana's mother, and Antiope, who is Diana's aunt/teacher), Steve Trevor's secretary Etta Candy, and Steve Trevor's friends Sameer, Charlie, and Chief. Because we spend so much time with the Amazons at the beginning of the movie, Steve Trevor's entourage aren't developed very well. They are more like caricatures than actual characters. I felt the same way about the villains.

Setting: As my dad's friend pointed out, Wonder Woman is set during World War I, which is odd for movies, since they usually focus on World War II. As someone who thinks World War I is more interesting than World War II, I loved the setting! I liked the historical touches, such as the fashions and the inclusion of chemical warfare. The characters even visit the trenches and No Man's Land (I loved that part). There were some jokes and slang that seemed a little too 21st century for the 20th century... but, mostly, I thought they did a good job representing the time period (especially since this is a superhero movie and not a historical film).

Themes: I was not expecting there to be such a deep theme in Wonder Woman. The main theme is that even though humans are evil, there is still good in the world and love conquers all.
According to the Amazons, humans were basically good until Ares came along and corrupted them. He is behind every war and every mean comment and every evil deed. Diana's worldview is shattered, and she realizes that humans are evil without Ares' help. She also realizes, however, that there are decent and kind human beings out there, too. And, ultimately, love conquers.
This is a message that needs to spread in today's day when terrorist attacks are normal, weekly occurrences; when homeschoolers are no longer the anti-social ones (I'M JOKING! DON'T LYNCH ME), but everyone feels lonely; and when the only way to win an important position is to attach your opponent's name to wild horses and have it dragged through the mud. In this kind of world, messages like Wonder Woman's are hopeful (and hopefully helpful).
While the moral of Wonder Woman is not an intentionally Biblical parallel, we can draw a parallel anyway. Humans are sinful, but there is still kindness in the world. Jesus' sacrificial love conquers evil and it conquers death.

Wonder Woman has its faults, but its titular character and its theme are strong. If you like superhero movies, or stories with strong female characters, then check out this movie!

Have YOU seen Wonder Woman? What did you think of it?

What Makes a Good Reboot or Retelling? ~In Response to Tracey~

Tracey Dyck over on Adventure Awaits recently wrote a post about why people have strong reactions to retellings. She says, "I propose it's because of people's deep emotional attachment to the original story."

I agree.

Tracey uses the live-action Beauty and the Beast movie as her example. Some people loved it because of "the many little nods to the original Disney film," while other people felt "angry and betrayed because...the heart of the original was lost." 

I want to expand on this point, using the example of two rebooted movies (though the principles I talk about can be applied to retellings, too).

What's the difference between a reboot and a retelling, you ask?

Reboot: A finished story that is remade with modern technology and ideas. 
Retelling: A finished story that is re-imagined with new twists. 

We can all agree that we are living in a world of reboots and retellings of popular stories. At least, I see little ingenuity outside of the online community. 
There's only one problem: reboots and retellings are tricky. 

If you change the story too much, people will become angry because it doesn't have the same intention—and, therefore, feeling—that the original did. A good example of this is Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness. 

A lot of Trekkies (myself included) don't like these two movies because J.J. Abrams focused too much on modernizing the franchise by adding more sex and violence. Now, Star Trek has always had a lot of pretty women in it, and it has always featured some pretty cool fights, but Gene Roddenberry's intent when he created Star Trek was to make a show that glorified peace, exploration, and respecting people's differences.

Because the rebooted Star Trek movies change the original intention, Trekkies don't like them because they have, in Tracey's words, "a deep emotional attachment to the original story."

On the flippity flip, if you don't change the story enough, fans will be unhappy, too.
Take Star Wars: The Force Awakens, for example. While it had the same intention as the original Star Wars—and, therefore, felt like a Star Wars movie—many people complained about it because the plot is very similar to Star Wars: A New Hope. 

Both movies follow the adventures of an orphaned desert-dweller as he/she travels off-planet for the first time with a wisened mentor (who later dies) and a droid carrying secret information. Oh, yeah, and both movies have weapons of mass destruction capable of destroying entire planets that, in turn, get destroyed because of a basic construction flaw.
Because The Force Awakens steals the plot from A New Hope, Star Wars fans don't like it because, again, they are attached to the original story.

I don't like many reboots because I think that the people who reboot popular books, shows, and movies do so because they want money. Much like a name brand of clothing, people will pay for story titles that they have seen before. My particular pet peeve is when people write books about beloved characters under the name of the original author who is dead. 

Although this looks like an Agatha Christie book, it was, in fact, published last year. How, since Agatha Christie is dead? Well, it was written by someone else. Isn't that some form of plagiarism??

While I dislike many reboots, I do like Marvel's superhero movies (maybe because I didn't have any exposure to Marvel beforehand?), and I love the modern seasons of Doctor Who.

Another reason reboots are difficult is because people have a pre-established idea of who each character is and what they should and shouldn't be doing in their world. Retellings are different because they are usually based on fairy tales or mythology where characters, situations, and places aren't as well-established. While people expect Sherlock Holmes to be slightly sociopathic, all that is expected of Cinderella is that, by the end of the story, she has gotten out of a bad family situation.

Fairy tales and myths lend themselves easier to being retold because they are more about themes and less about someone's original character doing something specific within the created world of the author.

I think that both good and bad reboots and retellings exist. I think that if a storyteller can add a fresh angle to the original spirit of a piece without copying the original, he or she will have a great story of his or her hands.

I Find Your Lack of Faith in Whimsy Disturbing

Being an English major is hard.
It's hard because everything we read is analyzed and overanalyzed until we find meaning where there is none. We don't read many whimsical or even happy stories because they, evidently, don't contain the same kind of meaning that depressing stories do. While it is fun to examine stories and poems to find hidden truths, I do not believe that everything has to have a deeper meaning. Sometimes, a story is just a story. Sometimes, a story is meant to take us away from this depraved world for a few hours and show us glimpses of God through noble characters, pure love, and humorous exchanges.

Star Wars is a story that does this well.

Geek fact: this Star Wars poster is by the Hildebrandt Brothers, who also drew pictures for Lord of the Rings calendars in the 1970s and '80s.

Noble Characters
Even though Luke Skywalker whines about staying on his uncle and aunt's moisture farm for another year, his loyalty is still to his family. When Ben Kenobi offers Luke an opportunity to get away from Tatooine, Luke refuses because he has responsibilities at home. When Ben warns Luke not to go home after they find evidence that storm troopers have been in the area, Luke returns home to see if his family is all right. He doesn't go with Ben until he is sure he isn't leaving his responsibility.
Although Han Solo is a scuffy-lookin' ruffian with a price on his head, he does the right thing by coming back to fight in the final battle against the Death Star.
Although Princess Leia was raised as royalty, she became a politician willing to die for her people if it meant destroying the Empire.

Pure Love
(We're overlooking the Luke/Leia kiss, okay??)
I think we all agree that Han and Leia's relationship is pretty cute, what with their "Your hands are cold" and their "I love you" "I know," so why don't we step back from Han and Leia and examine some of the other relationship in the franchise?
Han continually returns to his friends because of his love for them.
Luke, Leia, and Lando are willing to risk their lives to rescue Han from Jabba the Hut.
Chewbacca is willing to do anything to help his friends—including fighting off strange little recycling monsters who are trying to melt down C-3PO.
Darth Vader destroys his boss/mentor and sacrifices his own life in order to save his son.

Humorous Exchanges
"It's not my fault!"

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Why you... stuck up... half-witted... scruffy looking... nerf herder!"

And my favorite...
"We're fine. We're all fine here, now, thank you. How are you?"
"We're sending a squad up."
"Negative. Negative! We had a reactor leak here. Give us a few minutes to lock it down. Large leak... very dangerous."
"Who is this? What is your operating number?"
"Uh..." *shoots intercom* "Boring conversation anyway... Luke! We're gonna have company!"

Life—especially my life as an English major—seems filled with sad and depressing, yet deep and meaningful, stories. It seems as if whimsical and fun stories are viewed as the illegitimate offspring of Real Literature (insert person with a snobbish accent snobbishly rubbing his or her nose [here]).
While it's okay if a story is just a story with no deeper meaning, I want to remind you that fun stories can be just as deep and meaningful as sad stories. We find sad stories meaningful because we, like the author, have gone through hard times to learn life lessons, but lessons can be taught through happy stories, too. If you need an example, just look to Star Wars' lessons of friendship and sacrifice.

Recent Discoveries

Since coming to college, I have been exposed to so many new genres, movies, television shows, and music! I want to share them with you, my friends.

Television:

Do you remember a few years ago when everyone raved about the show Adventure Time? I never watched it, until last semester. This cartoon is a random and colorful show about Finn the Human and Jake the Dog and their adventures. They fight a lot of monsters and rescue a lot of princesses. Although the show is random, there is always a moral to the story, even if that moral is somewhat odd. If you like fun and creative shows, then check out Adventure Time! (Also, episodes are only thirteen minutes long, so that's a plus!)

Monk is another show that I have heard a lot about but have never watched before. My roommate owns the first few seasons, we started watching them, and I love it! Monk is like a mix between Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. He is a private detective who is fantastic at deduction, but he is also extremely OCD and germaphobic. This combination makes this murder-mystery show charming and unique.
I have also been introduced to Psych (yet another show that I have heard a lot about but never watched), though I've only seen one episode of that so far.

The Office is a show about the office antics of a paper company. I have seen the same seven episodes of this show multiple times on account that they are the favorites of my friends. I wouldn't mind seeing more of this show, as it is pretty funny.
My roommate has also introduced me to the show New Girl, which would be a lot funnier if it weren't so dirty.

My friends watched this and recommended it to me, so I watched it over Christmas break. While I enjoyed the 80s setting and the uniqueness, I thought that the plot and characters could have been better developed. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to season two!

Movies:

I loved The Goonies! It was like Indiana Jones and Tintin except it featured children. It has all the elements of a good adventure story (pirates! friendship! bumbling sidekicks! a monster! ice cream!) and reminded me a lot of the stories I enjoyed as a child. Good old Steven Spielberg.
We also watched The Sandlot, Little Rascals, and Second Hand Lion which also feature children protagonists. All three movies were lovely.

Finally, I understand all of the references! I saw E.T. for the first time a few weeks ago. I thought the villains were underdeveloped, until I began wondering if they were made that way on purpose because the movie is from Eliot and E.T.'s point-of-view. If it is from their point-of-view, then it makes sense that the government is really hazy because that is how they would appear to a small child and an alien with no knowledge of earth culture. After I realized that, I liked the movie more.

Music:

I'd listened to Hamilton before coming to school, but I didn't fully appreciate it until last semester when I listened to it again. Upon first listening, I was too caught up in the changes that Lin-Manuel Miranda had made to history to enjoy the whole musical. When I listened to the musical again, however, I was captivated by Miranda's rhetorical prowess. Even though the musical isn't totally historically accurate, he has presented to his audience the basics through catchy tunes, created lovely character arcs, and gotten young people interested in history, which I think is fantastic! My favorite songs are "Non-stop," "You'll Be Back," and "Burn."

Petra is a Christian band from the 70s, 80s, and beyond. I had heard some songs before because my parents listen to them occasionally, but I started to listen to them on my own last semester. I love their sound and their lyrics. This Means War and More Power To Ya are my favorite albums.

Three of my friends are huge fans of the band Twenty One Pilots. This band is very hard to describe since their music could fit into several genres. They use a variety of instruments from ukulele to synthesizers to drums. I like them because their music is unique and their lyrics are relatable. I also like them because there are only two members of Twenty One Pilots and they write and perform all of their music themselves.

Welcome to Night Vale is not a CD but a podcast. It is a radio broadcast from the friendly desert community of Night Vale where strange things are normal. Mysterious Hooded Figures? A dog park that no dogs are allowed in? Mind-controlling glow clouds? A ban on wheat and wheat byproducts? These are all normal occurrences in Night Vale. This podcast very weird and very creative. It is also very nihilistic, and I'm not sure if I'm going to keep listening to it because of that.

Genre:
I took a class on Gothic Literature last semester and loved it! I learned the components of Gothic fiction and am now able to pick out Gothic themes in books and movies that I read and watch. Some common themes are seclusion, a damsel in distress, a run-down family mansion lived in by a decrepit family, and supernatural happenings. The Gothic genre birthed the horror genre, which I have also been introduced to this school year. Through the horror movies that I have watched, I learned that I do not mind supernatural horror, but horror that could happen in real life really freaks me out. That being said, I enjoyed watching The Shining and The Others, but hid behind a blanket for most of The Silence of the Lambs and Split.

I want to talk a little bit more about Split (beware of spoilers). This movie is about three girls who are kidnapped by a man with Multiple Personality Disorder/Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). It deals with themes of abuse and mental health.
Kevin and his multiple personalities were delightful. The audience got glimpses into several of his personalities, and that was fun. It was cool to see him going to his counselor, too. I thought they portrayed his mental illness well.
The end of the movie, however, was horrible. A twenty-fourth personality emerges in Kevin's body and it has superhuman abilities. He kills several people because they are too pure—they have not had anything bad happen to them, and since Kevin was abused as a child, this twenty-fourth personality thinks that he has to inflict pain on those that have never felt it. He doesn't kill the main character because he sees that she has been abused, too.
I didn't like this movie because the ending was so horrific and gruesome. I also didn't like it because the ending was too open-ended for my taste. The guy is not caught and punished for his deeds. The girl does not escape her abusive uncle. I left this movie feeling scared and unsatisfied.

The lesson that I've learned from this—and with the horror genre in general—is "be careful little eyes what you see." I've dabbled in the horror genre this year, and though I've enjoyed some of it, I don't think it's a genre that I will watch a lot of in the future.
As storytellers—whether through writing, movie-making, painting, podcasts, or music—and especially as God-created storytellers, we have a duty to create life-giving art (thanks to my friend Stephen for that phrase!). We also have a duty to engage in life-giving art. We have to use discernment in what we fill our minds with.
I wish I had the eloquence right now to sum up all the thoughts in my head, but I don't, so I am going to direct you to this post by DJ Edwardson.

Have you seen or heard any of the things on my list? What did you think? What do you think of the horror genre?

Star Trek Beyond, a Review

Some of you may not know this about me: I am not just a casual Star Trek fan; no, I am a Trekkie. I own socks with Spock's face on them. A giant Star Trek puzzle graces the floor of my room. I have a shelf dedicated to Star Trek books (including a Star Trek pop-up book). I've bought several magazines about Star Trek. I baked Star Trek Christmas cookies. I've gone to Halloween parties dressed as a red shirt. I wore my blue Star Trek uniform to choir on the day that Leonard Nimoy died. My American Girl Dolls and my Build-a-Bear have Star Trek uniforms. The other day, I bought my first Star Trek action figure (it was Morn). I'm listening to Star Trek soundtracks as I write this blog post.
Like any self-respecting Trekkie, I don't believe that Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness live up to the Star Trek that Gene Rodenberry created. Because of this, I haven't followed any news about Star Trek Beyond. But, when I had to opportunity to see it a few weeks ago, I did. I had low expectations, so the film completely surprised me! I left the theater with a huge smile on my face, for Beyond felt like a Star Trek movie. Below is my review, so beware of spoilers!

I love how this poster mirrors the post for Star Trek: The Motion Picture

The Plot
966 (significant because The Original Series premiered in September, 1966) days into the Enterprise's five-year mission, Captain Kirk and his crew stop at Yorktown station. They have barely docked when the station receives a distress call from an escape pod. The woman inside says that her ship has crashed on a planet in the middle of an uncharted nebula nearby. The Enterprise is sent to rescue this ship, but it turns out to be a ruse! There is a hostile swarm of aliens inside the nebula who have been spying on the Federation. They are bent on destroying the peaceful organization with an ancient weapon, which they only have half of. The Enterprise, of course, is carrying the second half of the weapon.
The swarm destroys the Enterprise [I thought saucer separation wasn't supposed to happen until Next Generation?] and takes its personnel hostage. Only Scotty, Captain Kirk and Chekov, and Spock and Dr. McCoy are not captured. They must rescue the crew and find a way off of the planet before Krall—the leader of the swarm—assembles the weapon and destroys the Federation, starting with the Yorktown station!

The story turns out to be one of revenge, which is a plotline that I'm not fond of. I didn't think that Krall's motivation for revenge were strong enough to fuel his actions. The script-writers, however, managed to write a coherent and complete plot, balance several side plots, and made the story seem like a Star Trek episode in movie form, which I greatly appreciated!
One thing that I loved was that some things were left up to the audience to figure out on their own. Nowadays, people expect stories to be so simple that they don't have to connect-the-dots, so to speak. In Beyond, the writer's gave us context clues and let us figure things out for ourselves. For example, they gave us hints about Krall's identity, and I figured out who he was before The Big Reveal.

The writer's also did a fabulous job with the side plots. Hikaru Sulu, for example, has a side plot that is shown only in the background of the movie. At the beginning, during Captain Kirk's log entry, the camera pans from crew member to crew member and we see that Sulu has a picture of a little girl on his desk. "Aw, he has a family!" the audience thinks. Later, when the Enterprise reaches the Yorktown, we see Sulu, his partner, and his daughter reuniting in the background. When Yorktown is being attacked by the swarm, we see Sulu's partner and daughter running for safety. Because we connected-the-dots that Sulu cares for these people, we are worried for them, too, and hope they that get to safety. At the end of the movie, we see Sulu and his partner at Captain Kirk's birthday party, so we know that Sulu's family is safe.
Now that is how to write a side plot! Especially, in my opinion, one featuring a gay couple. I didn't feel like the writer's were shoving the homosexual agenda in my face. I could look at Sulu and his partner and feel sorry that they don't know God and have succumb to the world's definition of love, and then I could move on and admire the movie's storytelling. The writer's were smart enough to know that focusing on Sulu's relationship would detract from the main plot and from the main side plot, so they kept it in the background of the movie, while still developing Sulu as a character.

We don't know what's happened in the three years since the events of Into Darkness, and this is apparent in Beyond's main subplot, which features Spock. The movie doesn't stop everything to explain the thoughts and actions of Spock in the past three years, though, but tells us gradually through several dialogues with Doctor McCoy. I appreciated this, as an info-dump would have rushed Spock's character development.

You can tell that Star Trek Beyond—as opposed to the other two movies in the reboot franchise—was written by Star Trek fans. Both Simon Pegg and Doug Jung, who co-wrote the script, were Star Trek fans before becoming involved with the new Star Trek movies. Director Justin Lin was also a fan before making the movie. I appreciate based-on movies that are made by fans because they represent the heart of the originals. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the Tintin movie, and the Lord of the Rings movies are some other movies made by fans that I enjoy.
Because Beyond was made by fans, there are many "Easter eggs" referring to other Trek characters, episodes, and lore. For a list, check out this link. My favorite was near the beginning of the film. Captain Kirk is making a log entry and he says something like, "966 days into our five year mission and things are starting to feel a bit episodic."

Characters
Star Trek Beyond was filled with so many great character moments and so much character development!
Karl Urban, who plays Doctor McCoy (very excellently, too, I must say. He was a Star Trek fan before getting the role of Doctor McCoy, and you can tell it in his portrayal), nearly didn't come back to film Beyond because he felt that Doctor McCoy had been "marginalized" in Into Darkness. When he found out the writers' and director's plan for the character, however, he decided to join the movie, and I'm so glad he did! His interactions with Spock are just like the interactions between the Spock and McCoy of the original timeline. They were my favorite part of the movie.

Jaylah is a new character and, from the trailers, she looks like a strong, warrior princess character that Kirk will definitely fall in love with. In fact, Jaylah is more like Rey (from The Force Awakens) than a warrior princess. Like Rey, Jaylah has no parents and is stranded on a strange planet. She learned to take care of herself out of necessity, rather than out of a want to be A Strong Woman Who Needs No Man. I thought that she was a wonderful addition to the cast, and I loved that most of her interactions were with Scotty, rather than with Captain Kirk.

Theme
The biggest theme in Beyond was unity vs. chaos. The United Federation of Planets is, obviously, in favor of unity and peace. The villain Krall, on the other hand, grew up as the Federation was just forming. He was a part of MACO, a military operation (watch the Enterprise TV series for more information), and believes that war, rather than peace, develops character. He raised some interesting questions and had some interesting debates with Uhura. The theme was carried out well, and throughout the story.

Humor
The humor in the rebooted Star Trek movies has always been great, and this movie is no exception. The banter between Spock and McCoy, and between McCoy and Kirk is wonderful. My favorite part was when Kirk, Chekov, Scotty, Spock, and McCoy are trying to find the rest of their missing crew and Spock tells Chekov to scan for a radioactive alloy from Vulcan.
"Why would a Vulcan alloy be on this planet?" someone asked Spock.
"I gave Lt. Uhura a necklace made out of it," replied Spock.
"You gave your girlfriend radioactive jewelry?!" exclaimed Doctor McCoy.
"The radiation is not harmful," said Spock.
"Oh, so you gave your girlfriend a tracking device?" Doctor McCoy said.
Spock looks incredulous "... That was not my intention."

Abbey teared up at a movie???
I don't cry during movies. I don't cry when I read books. But, I teared up in Star Trek Beyond.
Leonard Nimoy, who had roles in both Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness passed away before he could reprise his role as Ambassador Spock in Star Trek Beyond. In the story, Ambassador Spock has passed away, too. At the end of the movie, Commander Spock is given Ambassador Spock's belongings. He looks through the chest and finds this picture:

I was NOT expecting such a great tribute to the Original Series crew whom I love so dearly. It was lovely.

Two last notes
Usually I don't notice movie soundtracks, but Beyond's soundtrack caught my attention! It was like the Original Series music had been mixed with the 2009 movie's soundtrack and spiced up with a bunch of new chords. I liked it a lot.
One thing I disliked about the movie was the cinematography. There were too many weird angles and 360 degree camera turns for my taste. The story and the character development more than makes up for my motion sickness, though!

I felt like the 2009 movie and Into Darkness were an extremely long prologue for this movie. Trekkies: don't worry, Beyond is a good Star Trek movie, and worthy of coming out during Star Trek's 50th anniversary year.
I can't wait for Star Trek Beyond to come out on DVD so that I can watch it again (and again and again)! It is the best of the new movies, and I like it more than some of the old movies, too (*cough cough* The Motion Picture *cough cough*).

Only one thing remains to be said...