Chris Pine's Star Trek Movies Ranked According To IMDb
The rebooted movie version of the "Star Trek" set of films pays tribute to its roots and moves the series characters we know and love in new and unexpected directions. They're also all, obviously, played by fresh actors. Chris Pine's version of Captain James T. Kirk goes from a cocky ladies' man to a confident leader over the course of three films. He forges unforgettable friendships with Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana) while taking on his first command and navigating hostile planets, Starfleet politics, and inter-crew conflicts. It's a growing-up story that shows Kirk is more than worthy of carrying on his late father George's (Chris Hemsworth) mantle.
All three films in the modern "Star Trek" series have managed to land on the higher end of IMDb's ratings scale. While none of them have managed to make it to the auspicious highest reaches, they've performed solidly in terms of the ranking system, which factors in viewer votes to determine just how good a movie can be. Which Chris Pine-starring "Star Trek" movie ranks the highest? According to the franchise's incredibly passionate fanbase, here's how they currently rank, from lowest to highest-rated production, on IMDb.
Star Trek: Beyond (7.0)
Coming in at the bottom of the pile is "Star Trek: Beyond," the third film in the trilogy. It's rated a not-too-shabby 7.0 on IMDb as of press time. This is slightly under the 80% audience approval score the film has on Rotten Tomatoes.
In reviews, viewers have highlighted "Star Trek: Beyond" for its tense action sequences, sense of humor, and ability to make you care about the characters. But more negative reviews continue to unfavorably compare the movie and its previous iterations with the original series and complain that it abandons science fiction for action movie theatrics and over-the-top writing.
"Star Trek: Beyond" follows the crew after the USS Enterprise is forced to crash-land on an alien planet. This is the home of Krall (Idris Elba), a half-lizard alien being, whose greatest power is his ability to leech energy from others. Krall wants to completely destroy the Enterprise to get his hands on an artifact the ship is transporting. The mission soon becomes Kirk's greatest test as a captain as he and the crew fend for themselves in the wild and try to survive Krall's vendetta for long enough to find a way to get out of his dictatorship and back to their proper solar system.
Star Trek: Into Darkness (7.7)
Next up is "Star Trek: Into Darkness," which sits on IMDb at a 7.7. This sequel pits the crew against destructive forces within Starfleet that seek to take the entire organization down. Kirk has been stripped of his command after the events of the first movie. Shaken, Kirk returns to Earth for some rest and relaxation time off-duty, only to learn that there's been a bombing at Starfleet's London offices. John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) is discovered to be working for Klingon forces and Kirk — motivated by the desire to get his command back and a desire for revenge — decides to pursue him. Harrison has a surprising identity that will rock the foundation of everything Kirk knows, as well as Starfleet itself.
Fans have said that the plot is better than that of "Star Trek: Beyond" and that the action and character development are likewise strong here. But other IMDb users have called the movie out for its slipshod writing and because it leans too hard into action-driven spy antics. Some watchers also didn't enjoy the story surrounding the discovery of Harrison's true identity. But the movie's positives are enough to land the film right in the center of the pack for users of IMDb.
Star Trek (2009) (7.9)
At the top of the heap is the very first film in the series, 2009's "Star Trek," which currently has a 7.9 audience score on IMDb. The movie follows Kirk, Spock, and their fellow crew members as they struggle to cope with their first-ever assignment out of Starfleet Academy. Kirk is young, cocky, and rash here; he struggles to make new friends and deal with adult life while proving his worth on deck. Can Kirk overcome his rivalry with Spock to help Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) defend the ship against Romulan Commander Nero (Eric Bana)?
Consumers have applauded the way "Star Trek" manages to weave in cameos from the TV series and create compelling new backstories for Spock and Kirk. But other fans dislike the fact that the film doesn't carry the same thoughtful heft or emotional weight endemic of most "Star Trek" shows. And many, many reviews have lodged their complaints about the movie's overreliance on lens flares.
Whether you agree with Pine that the "Star Trek" reboot movies failed where the Marvel Cinematic Universe thrived, or are still waiting for the fourth part of the series to debut, it's absolutely undeniable that his version of Kirk runs an entertaining starship.