The latest entry in the JJ Abrams "rebootiverse" timeline Star Trek franchise arrived in theaters yesterday, and the result is overwhelmingly positive.

With a story in which the players finally seem comfortable in their own skin, and a story that doesn't try nearly so hard to be a "Star Trek" movie, "Star Trek Beyond" weaves an energetic yet thoughtful story that is a worthy contemporary successor to the original franchise. Co-authored by co-star Simon Pegg, "Beyond" tells a story that combines introspection and life uncertainty with a wonderfully mixed concoction of action and special effects that sets it light years beyond its predecessor, "Star Trek Into Darkness."

Where the previous two JJ movies worked almost slavlishly to incorporate "wink-wink, nod-nod" references to the iconic original franchise, "Beyond" allows these characters to move into their own with a marvelously appropriate movie that feels like the best of the more adventurous original series episodes. Justin Lin moves the franchise forward by dropping the lens-flare tricks and handling with surprising deftness these characters that just came out of one of the most poorly received films of the large-screen Star Trek era (Into Darkness). Rather than straining to seem familiar, these characters and their actors now seem relaxed and confident in their *own* portrayals, and the film is all the stronger for it. Clearly Pegg was the right choice to pen this Trek incarnation, and while it isn't without flaws, they're nothing that derails the broader entertainment value of the film or the story it tells - unlike "Into Darkness."

Combined in "Beyond's" story of unity is some of the most spectacular visuals in any Trek film: the spherical "Yorktown" space station is a special effects marvel that integrates perfectly into the underlying story without becoming a CGI contrivance. We see the Enterprise from angles not previously conceived in any other movie. The film also sports a wonderfully dignified integration of the passing of Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin (Checkov) into both the story and the credits.

Perhaps the greatest credit you can give to "Beyond" is that, sometimes, it opts to embrace affectionately some of those aspects of the original series that sometimes wavered into the hammy. Yet Lin shows deft directorial appreciation for these characters and the franchise by never letting those aspects spiral out of control. The result is a delightfully satisfying movie that is more than a worthy homage to Star Trek's 50th anniversary. If JJ Abrams got the 2009 reboot right, but went astray with "Into Darkness," clearly Lin and Pegg at the directorial and writing helm have allowed the rebooted franchise to regain its stride.

Although Beyond is offered in 3D, there's little point; the IMAX presentation is more than adequate, and the 3D version offers very little in the way of enhancement even within the spherical Yorktown space station. Michael Giacchino returns with a score that is essentially on a par with the prior two Trek reboot films; pleasant but unremarkable. In fact, the degree to which music plays an integral part of the movie's plot bears close attention entirely apart from the score itself. This aspect of the movie's plot is a wonderful cross-generational homage left to the viewer to discover for themselves.

I thoroughly enjoyed Beyond, and unlike its predecessor, I find myself enjoying it more as I reflect on it more. If you've given any of the Reboot movies a try, or even had a fleeting interest in the original series, I give it an enthusiastic recommendation. Give it a shot.