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Summary: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Synopsis
Review: For most fans, including myself, this is the favorite Star Trek movie. The Wrath of Kahn is much superior to the previous film. The actors ages are acknowledged and William Shatner gives a good performance. The film starts with a young officer commanding the Enterprise to rescue a ship on the Klingon side of the neutral zone, which is not to be crossed. The Enterprise is defeated by the Klingons, then we learn it is a simulated exercise. The young officer is Lt. Saavik (Kirsty Alley), a Vulcan. Admiral Kirk (Shatner) is the only person to win this no-win scenario. The Enterprise launches as a training cruise for new officers, with Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in command. The starship Reliant is searching for suitable lifeless planet for the Genesis Project, a device that creates life from lifelessness. They find a planet with only small life signs. Captain Terrell (Paul Wingfield) and Commander Chekov (Walter Koenig) beam down to search. They find the remnants of Kahn and his people, stranded there 15 years before (Star Trek episode: Space Seed). Kahn inserts mind altering creatures in them and takes over their ship. Kahn wants revenge because his wife (who joined him in the episode) died on the planet. When he learns of Genesis he goes to Regula Station to get it. The lead scientist, Carroll Marcus and her son with Kirk, David send a message to Kirk wanting answers about Reliant coming to get Genesis. Because of this and an unclear signal, Admiral Kirk takes command and The Enterprise goes to investigate. They find Reliant there, not responding to signals. The Enterprise is fired upon in crucial points on the ship. Kirk raises shields and returns fire too late, Kahn has the upper hand. Kahn wants Genesis and Kirk. Kirk pretends to retrieve all the Genesis files, while actually looking up command codes for Reliant. Kirk's puts down Reliant's shields and does heavy damage. Both Ships retreat to different sides of Regula. Kirk and a team go to Regula Station. Kahn has killed the stations crew and Genesis is gone. The team finds Capt. Terrell and Chekov, who tell what Kahn did and where that the crew of Reliant were left on Ceti Alpha. They find the transporters used and beam to the same place the others had gone. They find Dr. Marcus, her son and Genesis. Once they locate Genesis, Terrell and Chekov give Kahn the location, the device is then beamed out. The creature removes its self from Chekov and Terrell kills himself. The team returns to Enterprise and Kahn continues to attack Enterprise, thinking she is in worse shape than she is. The Enterprise defeats the ship, but Kahn uses Genesis. The Enterprise is damaged to the point that it can't escape the blast. Spock, with his superior Vulcan physiology, withstands radiation to repair the warp core. The Enterprise escapes but Spock dies, which if you didn't before, the sequels tell you anyway. Genesis is a success and the Enterprise mourns its loses.
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Summary: With the death of Spock, Star Trek reaches its apex
Review: "The Wrath of Khan" remains the best of the Star Trek movies. Yes, "The Voyage Home" was more fun, but the franchise is never going to be able to top the emotional impact of Spock's death. "The Wrath of Khan" is what we would have called a first-rate "B" movie in the old days. This is William Shatner's finest performance, helped by the fact that there is a telling subplot about Kirk worrying that he is growing old. Consequently, the character is given some significant depth whether he is dealing with having to put his spectacles on in front of the bridge crew or trying to come to terms with suddenly confronting a son who wants nothing to do with him. I also think Shatner's performance is helped by the fact that Kirk has to solve problems by thinking rather than by slugging anyone. In fact, Shatner won the Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA for his performance (director Nicholas Meyer won as well). The emotional impact of the death of Spock is something that was set up from early on in the Star Trek television series where it became clear that despite their vast differences the Captain and his First Officer had become friends. This is a theme that has been touched upon by various television episodes as well as in some of the better Star Trek novels that have dealt with the formation of that friendship. The symbolism of the plastic shielding that separates them at the end, a physical manifestation of the psychological barriers required by the Vulcan part of Spock, is certainly not lost on us. With all the "Buddy" movies Hollywood has produced, I cannot think of a more emotional declaration that "I have been and always shall be your friend." Yes, it was something that was so well understood that it never needed to be said, but it was still worth hearing. Both the direction and the score are first rate and I am especially fond of the sequences where the bridge crew is waiting helplessly for Genesis to detonate. The camera moves in on each character as they discuss their impending deaths and the music matches the pace only to turn ominously when the scene cuts back to the dying Khan. However, I must note that director Nicholas Meyer used the same series of jump cuts to pull away from the Reliant before Genesis detonates that he did with Kansas City when the nuclear missiles hit in "The Day After." I also think composer James Horner deserves credit for setting the tone with the marvelous opening fanfare and heroic theme. Even before we get to the Kobayashi Maru sequence, you know this is going to be a good flick. The only thing that really bugs me about this movie is that Khan keeps quoting Ahab. Obviously his obsession is reminiscent of "Moby Dick," but if you were a super genius would you really want to have Ahab as your role model? I understand how the allusion fits from the perspective of the director/writer/audience, but not from the perspective of Khan''s character. Then again, besides "Moby Dick" one of the other books that Khan had on Ceti Alpha VI was "King Lear," which also features a main character with mental problems. Remember, this is a guy who quoted Milton at the end of "Space Seed," so I do not think he should suddenly be going off the deep end with his literary references. Ricardo Montalban's flamboyant performance as Khan not only works as he chews up the scenery with such delight, but because I think it is another significant reason that Shatner toned down his performance, thereby creating a nice contrast between the two characters. With regards to the disappointing DVD version, which contains nothing extra besides the trailer despite the fact "The Wrath of Khan" aired on ABC with additional footage (e.g., establishing Preston as Scotty's nephew). I believe we are being sandbagged and that once they sell out on this initial run of Star Trek films on DVD we will suddenly get Director's Cuts or Special Editions that will suddenly provide all of the things Paramount should have put on these DVDs in the first place. Caveat Trekker.
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Summary: The perennial Trek Film
Review: Without a doubt the best of the Star Trek films franchise. I have watched Star Trek for over 20 years, and I have yet to find a film that captures the true essence of Trek like TWOK. William Shatner, my favorite actor of all time, puts in his usual charismatic and Patton like performance, as well as dealing with the death of his closest friend, which emulates a feeling of empathy with Trek fans. The battle scenes are fantastic, Montalban as Khan is a magnetic character that remains arguably the best Trek villain ever. If you are a Trek fan, or a non-Trek fan who likes Sci Fi, or action adventure, TWOK is a must see, buy it, you will love it!
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Summary: The best for the original cast
Review: Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan is the best movie fot the crew of the U.S.S Enterprise, NCC-1701. The special effects are great, the uniforms are great for Starfleet. The end of the film,Spock's death is very powerful. The addition of Kik's son and the joininig of the two is great. The plot is very original, I specially like th starship chase and the Shakespeare quotes the director puts in the film. This film is the jewel of the Star Trek movies. And every trekker will love it.
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Summary: Star Trek II
Review: Star Trek II The Wrath of Kahn is the Star Trek Movie which began the tradition in which the even numbered movies are better than the odd numbered movies. After a disappointing first entry, this second movie more than makes up for it. Spock's death scene is one of the most memorable moments in the history of the franchise.
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Summary: I agree: this is the best star trek film of them all...
Review: pehaps because it is closest to the original series. It is like one long episode, a continuation of the TV story, and it works very well like that. There is the evil Kahn - genetically engineered and hence an alternative human race line - and the devious Kirk, who relies on his team to defeat him. The other films were often too ambitious or over-burdened with pretention. (In the first one, Spock sums it up by saying "we may have witnessed the next step in our evolution". I mean, sheesh!) But this one just tells a good yarn. It is a pity that the others aspired to more than the medium could sustain.
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Summary: The Best of the Bunch
Review: I have all the Star Trek Motion Picture Videos. I guess I can be considered a "Trekie" since I watched every episode as a kid and have continued enjoying reruns into adulthood. When I want to sit down and pull one of the movies out, I usually grab Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan. It's just sheer fun. The opening Training Sequence is a gas and sucked me in the first time I watched it. When Ricardo Montobaln hit the screen and was re-revealed in the movie,I was transported back to the past "Demon Seed" episode, which was one of my favorites. I loved it all over again. You just got to love 'ol Ricardo's pumped-up chest, his philophosizing egocentrism, and his pulsating desire for revenge! The killer flesh-to-brain, burrowing, snapping worms were a hoot. The "Project Genesis" special effects were impressive at the time. The comedy actually worked. It just all flowed well. It was the best in my opinion, of blending the old with the new. It is the favorite of the series with my kids. My wife doesn't care for Star Trek, but liked this particular movie. If you buy only one, get this one. And don't forget, "Revenge is a dish best served cold!" Bon Appetit! JW
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Summary: The beginning of the Trek Trilogy
Review: Spoilers ahead! Shields up. Everyone is back and wearing actual, official-looking uniforms! The regulars have also been given Kirstie Alley, Ricardo Montalban, and Kirk’s son to play around with. The deal in this one is that Khan, who Kirk stranded on a planet awhile ago, has gotten up and into a ship and is very angry. This leads to all sorts of craziness like sticking alien slugs into people’s ears and torturing whole crews of science vessels. Quite a little emotional movie as well. Chekov and his captain torturing scientist is disturbing, even if it was off screen, and the quick scene where Scotty comes to the bridge holding a semi-dead body is pretty dramatic also. Scotty always seemed to be the most sympathetic and lovable of all the characters, and seeing him in sickbay watching his crew mate die was sad. It’s stuff like that which grounds a sf / fantasy movie in reality. It also sets the stage for the Big Death Finale, as Spock saves the ship and dies of radiation poisoning. Classic movie scene stuff here as Kirk and Spock say goodbye to each other. For those who seem to think Spock’s death was a cheap ploy, it seemed obvious to me that they had every intention of bringing Spock back, and foreshadowed it quite well at the end of the movie. The mind-meld with McCoy, the torpedo tube landing safely on the Genesis Planet, even Spock’s voice over at the very end. If I had seen the movie in the theater at the time, I would have assumed they’d bring him back, and my only question would be how. Speaking of foreshadowing, the movie sets up the ground work for the following two sequels in a rare show of amazing competence from a film studio. Could you imagine Batman II setting things into motion that would continue in Batman IV? Neither can I. The movie also starts displaying some of the humor and friendships the regulars have, which was sorely missing from the first movie. Witty banter is fun and lightens the mood when everyone is being killed. The Kirk / David drama is good, if a little underdone. You have to wonder how the son of the best Starfleet captain in history became such a wuss, though. Funny to watch him and his pansiness. Kirstie Alley is better than she would ever be again, and Shatner, who is often mocked, does do a good acting job, as do all the regulars. As usual most of them are usually just window dressing for Kirk, Spock, and McCoy which can be good (Uhura) and bad (Scotty). Nothing TOTALLY bad here. The Genesis device creating a planet instead of terraforming one is kinda cheesy, but easily overlooked. I figure if you can buy the original Genesis concept of giving a planet life, it’s just a small step to it actually creating a planet. Also, seems strange that Chekov never thought to himself, ‘Hey, wasn’t Khan one planet over? Wonder what’s up over there.’ Seems silly that the Starfleet vessel didn’t notice that a planet was missing from the system. This stuff doesn’t distract very much. I count two cinematic classic moments here: 1, Spock’s death, and 2, Kirk’s insane, eye-twitching, vein-popping scream of ‘KHHHAAAAAN!” That along with the single-mindedness of Khan, actual costumes and sets, and the always fun experience of watching the Enterprise do hard battle and get messed up, makes this a great movie.
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Summary: From Science Fiction to Science Fluff
Review: Star Trek II is often heralded as the best of the Star Trek films. Not true. It seemed so good because Star Trek I seemed so bad. With time and future movies, Star Trek II has looked increasingly bad. First, the good points. Star Trek II is a high paced action adventure sequel to one of the original episodes which I think was called "Space Seed." In that episode Khan, a genetically altered man from the past is awoken from a deep sleep by the crew of Enterprise. In the past Khan was a tyrant who had taken over Russia/Asia and who had attempted to take over the world. He lost and fled into space with some of his most loyal, and also genetically altered, followers. Once revived, Khan immediately took over the ship, tortured the crew, and made plans to conquer the Universe. He loses again, betrayed by his new love, a member of the Enterprise. Kirk drops all charges against Khan and proceeds to leave him and his followers on a primative world where they never will threaten others again. In Star Trek II, Khan gets off the planet, captures another ship, and again plans to take over the Universe. This time with the help of a new superweapon created by the Federation. Kirk, with a trainee crew, answers a distress signal and encounters Khan again. This time Khan has personal reasons, as well as his own ambition, for attacking Kirk. The duel is on. Well paced, with great acting by Richardo Montalban, everyone here does a good job. The special effects were/are superb. In addition, the ending has some surprises and shocks which I won't spoil. Why then, do I say the movie looks increasing bad with time? First, in Star Trek II, we met Kirk's bastard son. Kirk has always been a lady's man, but he has also always been loyal, honest and brave. Persoanlly, it bothered me then and now that the writers of Star Trek II had him get a women pregnant and then his son for 20 years. When Kirk finally mets his son, he has to ask his mother if "that's David?" after his son attacks his father. David, by the way, initially thinks Kirk may be involved with Khan. This is after David's friends were tortured to death. What kind of father was Kirk? Well, whataver type of father he was, Kirk has always been a loyal friend. So we were all touched when a close crew member dies in this film. At least until the writers cheapend that death by bringing that crew member back to life two years later in Star Trek III. Star Trek never had alot of hard science, but it was never so stupid or dishonest to its fans. Now, if anyone ever dies or is hurt in this series, why should anyone believe it? Not a fault of Star Trek II, really. Yet because Star Trek II set up this dumb trick, the drama of the moment is really lost. The genesis project itself, the superweapon itself, is also deeply flawed. This project was to recombine cells and DNA so that atoms would be changed/redesigned to whatever the federation desired. Okay... to a point. Without spoiling the ending, a fish out of water will eventually die as a man in the water will drown. What about a planet without a sun? Well, anyway, it is best not to think to deeply about science fiction or you will lose the fun. My problem was that the writers did so many things which were so off that I couldn't help thinking about them, especially when they were central to the story. Again, Star Trek II was a fun movie, it just had a little too much fluff which distracted from the overall effect.
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Summary: YESSSS!!!
Review: Wonderful story!! The tete-a-tete between Montalban and Shatner is truly wonderful, although there is one unintentionally funny element as Shatner is yelling "Khan!" into his comlink. Even as a kid, I thought his facial expression (trying to depict true rage) was kind of funny. Aside from that, it's a story that doesn't waste its time and the action was great! The final scene with Spock's death was especially heart-wrenching playing beautifully into themes established early in the film The power of Genesis is probably the only offsetting power element to the story that is saved by Star Trek III that thankfully goes to say: It doesn't work. Enjoy the film!
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