Rating: 
Summary: Almost perfect except.....
Review: I enjoyed this movie and until the new improved DVD version of Star Trek The Motion Picture came out I rated it as the best of the Star Trek movies. Now of course Motion Picture is far away the best with the new effects and editing but Wrath of Kahn is still second best. Two BIG problems with Wrath of Kahn which seem totally inexcusable since this movie is a sequel to the original episode Space Seed from the T.V. series. In Wrath during the Kobayashi Maru test it is said that the event takes place in the Klingon/Federation neutral zone. There is no Klingon/Federation neutral zone, it is and has always been a Romulan/Federation neutral zone, and even more dumb is Kahn remembering Chekhov when he sees him again. Hello Paramount, Kahn never met Chekhov, Chekhov was not in the episode Space Seed, he never met Kahn and Kahn could not remember someone he never met! Do you guys even watch the original series before you start writing stories that make no sense? Geez, really. Those gripes aside, Wrath is a fun movie and the director's cut restores some critical dialog and the DVD transfer is beautiful. But if your a Trek fan then please check out the new version of Motion Picture on DVD. It is a totally different movie, way better!
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best Trek films to date!
Review: Clearly Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan is, in my opinion, one of the best Star Trek films. It certainly did a lot more to please long time fans and draw in new ones, than did The Motion Picture. Drawing on a very powerful character from the original episode, Khan Noonien Singh. Ricardo Montalban delivers a powerful performance. William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForrest Kelly and all the other original characters do a wonderful job of bringing their characters to life in this film.The Director's Edition is a true joy, containing everything that should've been put on this DVD when it was originally released. Being an avid fan of the Star Trek books, the feature with Greg Cox (one of the best trek authors) and Julia Ecklar (half of the LA Graf writing team) was a pure joy. Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan is a pure Sci-Fi, genre masterpiece and the Director's Edition DVD is a must for your collection!
Rating:
Summary: Great Film, only OK DVD
Review: I was slightly disappointed with the extras on this set. I would like to have seen (heard, actually) additional commentary by Harve Bennett and perhaps from the cast as well (although Nick Meyer is a treat to listen to). The new interviews reveal nothing that hasn't been covered in William Shatner's "Star Trek Movie Memories" book and there's only one trailer included (and not the one I remember, possibly a TV spot, with the great legend, "Somewhere at the darkest reaches of the universe a battle is about to begin...a battle between good and evil...between a warrior and a madman...between the awesome power of the starship Enterprise and the wrath of Khan. For some it will be their first mission...for others it will be their last.") Considering how successful this film was, it should deserve the same treatment ST:TMP Director's Edition scored.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Star Trek Movie Ever
Review: Enough good things have been said about this movie that I won't waste the time of anyone reading this, I'll get straight to the new Director's Edition DVD review. The video is very good for a low budget movie from 1982 and it even surpasses the previous Wrath of Khan disc in terms of detail and color. Seeing this movie in widescreen is definitely a treat after watching it on my pan&scan tape for all these years. The 5.1 sound is pretty active, but it still sounds old. It's unfortunate that The Motion Picture got a brand new sound mix and The Wrath Of Khan didn't, but the sound in this new disc is more than adequate. One thing about this disc that is clear is that there are a TON of extras. It took me almost a whole day to go through them all. The featurettes are all pretty good, and there's even original interviews from the early 1980's. The commentary with Nicholas Meyer is really good and you can also turn on the text commentary at the same time to pull double duty. I learned a lot I didn't know about the film by watching these two commentaries. By all means, pick this new disc up..... the best Star Trek movie of the franchise finally gets a decent release on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Kirk vs Khan: The Ultimate Showdown
Review: As a major Star Trek fanatic here in Las Vegas NV USA Home of Star Trek:The Experience, I have to highly recommend Star Trek II:The Wrath of Khan (dir.ed.)or to us fellow "trekies" or "trekers" ST II:TWOK. The added footage which was cut out of the original and now replaced along with the text comentary option from Micheal Okuda (when selected) made this DVD a MUST have to any Star Trek movie collection. This version is so much better than either the origianl VHS video or the orginal DVD which was no more than a straight video to DVD transfer. All the extras that have been included on the bonus disk (disk 2) are well worth it. I have now purchased both Star Trek:The Motion Picture and now Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. In November Star Trek III:The Search for Spock is scheduled for release as a "Special ed. or Dir's. cut. I can hardly wait for that.
Rating:
Summary: The royal treatment comes to the most famous TREK film
Review: In the wake of Robert Wise's "director's edition" of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE, it was only a matter of time before Nicholas Meyer's STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN was awarded the same treatment. Half a year later, KHAN does indeed get the royal treatment with a 2-disc set loaded with extras and fan tidbits galore. The package includes a slightly extended "director's cut" of KHAN that restores a critical plot point (namely, the young cadet who dies in Scotty's arms is actually Scotty's nephew) and a few brief clippings of dialogue (mostly back-and-forth exchanges among the main cast); a commentary by Meyer in which he discusses both the film and his approaches to filmmaking; a text commentary by STAR TREK's long-time technical point man Michael Okuda that's packed with more fanboy knowledge than a game of Trivial Pursuit; cast interviews from 1982 (in which Leonard Nimoy wears a pink and white striped suit that makes him look like a pimp); three documentaries covering the making of the film; "A Novel Approach," a documentary where TREK authors Julia Ecklar and Greg Cox discuss how KHAN's plot elements spun off into the TREK novels; the film's FX storyboards; and of course, the theatrical trailer. Let's look at each of these: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT OF KHAN - the film makes a bit more sense now that the scenes establishing the doomed cadet as Scotty's nephew have been restored, and the restored dialogue adds a little extra kick to the proceedings (it's especially funny to hear Spock respond to Kirk's telling him about his son with a disinterested "Fascinating"). But the film is still as tightly structured and fast-paced as it's ever been; the added footage does nothing to slow the film down or to harm the story (although some nit-pickers will make the hilarious claim that the whopping THREE minutes restored to the film "butcher" it and ruin the pace-how can this be when the added three minutes are spread out over the whole film?). Rather, it gives it a bit more punch. As for the look of the film, it's certainly a lot cleaner and brighter than most other prints, but even with the digital re-mastering, there's still a lot of visible film grain. Like STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE before it, KHAN looks its age regardless of the print quality. But this is a minor detail. Overall the film looks pretty good. COMMENTARIES - both interesting and enjoyable. Meyer's regular guy vibe and insights into the making of the film are engaging, and Okuda's trivia-heavy text comments are a joy for anyone who thrives on knowing useless fanboy tidbits. CAST INTERVIEWS - a unusual time capsule in which the film's leads plug the film. But let's face it; the coolest thing about this insert is seeing Leonard Nimoy dressed like a pimp. Spock in a pink suit is perhaps the greatest source of laughs you'll ever find. DOCUMENTARIES - by far, the coolest of these is "Where No Man Has Gone Before," which covers the stylish FX work ILM did on the film. The giddiness with which the film's FX crew recalls their work on the film is enormously contagious. "Designing KHAN," about the film's costume and set designs, is pretty good, too. "Captain's Log," about the overall making of the film, is uneven though. Where Meyer, producer Harve Bennett, and Ricardo Montalban are discussing what went into the making of the film, William Shatner spends his time being a total wiseacre, either mercilessly razzing his pal Nimoy ("I think the death scene would have been better if we DIDN'T see him thru the glass!" and "Oh, he knew he was coming back, he set me up to think he was leaving...I'll get him one day!") or joking about how he used women's cosmetics to look younger. And Nimoy is no better, cracking wise about how much older Shatner is than he. (For those of you wondering, this is how they act around each other all the time.) The insight/clowning-around mixture simply doesn't jell. But to be fair, at least Nicholas Meyer is finally acknowledged as the author of KHAN's shooting script, not Jack Sowards as has been erroneously credited. "A Novel Approach" is interesting, but dry; it bogs down when the authors recite passages from the novels. The moments where they discuss how KHAN formed the backbone of their work and display their fan knowledge are the most enjoyable, even if the supertitles used during the film clips steer too much into jokiness. STORYBOARDS - mind-blowing. We're treated to the conceptual sketches of the film's FX shots (including the combat sequences, which match those in the finished film almost exactly), as well as some terrific concepts for the opening title sequence and the "Spock monologue" finale that really should have been used in the film. Illustrated by the late Mike Minor, these storyboards read like a really good comic book. THEATRICAL TRAILER - pretty dramatic for a teaser, and it gives a good idea of what the film was going to be. Despite a couple of rocky patches, the "director's edition" of STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN is a worthy package to a really good film. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: I am laughing at the Superior Intellect!
Review: This is a great Star Trek DVD! The Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan Director's Edition DVD has many new features that the regular Star Trek II DVD doesn't have! The Disc 1 has feature were you can get Commentary from Director Nicholas Meyer! Micheal Okuda provides the Text Commentary for Disc 1 also! The Star Trek II film has additional restored footage and scenes from the ABC Broadcast of the film back in the 1980s. Disc 2 has some really interesting features too! There are new interviews with William Shanter, Leonard Nimoy, Nicholas Meyer, and Harve Bennett! Also Disc 2 has the special effects of Star Trek II, Designing Khan, The Star Trek: Universe and theatrical Trailer! This Movie is the sequel to the 1967 classic Star Trek episode "Space Seed." Ricardo Montlban reprises his role as the Super Genetically enhanced Tyrant, Khan Noonien Singh. Kirk banished Khan to a Barren Planet, Ceti Apha V. Khan's wife was killed by the animal creatures that inhabit the planet. Khan blames Kirk for the death of his beloved wife. Khan wants revenge on Kirk for banishing him and his people to a waste land that no life and was not habitable. This is a great sequel for Star Trek fans! If you want the "Space Seed" episode, I recommend that too! Buy it! Highest Possible Recommendation! A must have for any Star Trek fan!
Rating:
Summary: You could write a paper on it...I did!
Review: Of all the movies to pick to write a final paper about, I chose Star Trek II. The best of the Trek films (I'd put VI in second place), I was stunned to find that this movie I watched over and over growing up had an incredibly moving and thoughtful subtext when I watched it again in college. ST II has some of the best moments in the long history of Star Trek, including what I feel to be Kirk's two greatest moments in his two confrontations with Khan. But the strategies and explosions aside (and those are great in this flick), it goes much deeper. I invite everyone to rewatch The Wrath of Khan purely for the parable about aging, death, and rebirth. Kirk's final words (which I won't reveal here) on the bridge of the Enterprise bring the parable full circle. The film is remarkably deep, I continue to be surprised. Finally, a quick note about the Director's Cut DVD -- it is a gem. The video and audio transfers are great, and definitely take advantage of 5.1 digital surround at a few points in the movie. The picture quality is quite good, and improves by leaps and bounds over that widescreen VHS and the early DVD. The extras are interesting to a point -- the old trailer is hilariously bad, but I could easily do without the "Hi, I'm a professional Trekkie" short film. It felt like being cornered for 20 minutes by the guy wearing Spock ears at a Trek convention. Overall, I am pleased to recommend this new packaging of Star Trek II on DVD. I think you will be pleased and, when you look a bit deeper into the film, moved.
Rating:
Summary: KHAN!!!KHAN!!!(ECHO)- Kirk
Review: What else can be said... The quality has been restored 100% 4 minutes of footage has been added... The graphics our outstanding... They really did a decent job on this... Honest.
Rating:
Summary: At the End of the Universe, Lies the Beginning of Vengeance
Review: Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan succeeds because it strikes the perfect balance of drama, action, humor, pathos, and depth. After the critical failure of the first Star Trek movie (which hit movie theaters before being properly completed), the producers took the trouble to view every episode of the original series to figure out what made it enduring. They replicated it successfully in The Wrath of Khan. Unlike the first film, the plot is driven by the actions and motivations of the characters. This is not a story about spatial anomalies or an excuse for technobabble and flashy special effects. This story is about the classic themes which have served drama well since ancient Greek theater: the quest for vengeance; lost loves; the alienation, anger and reconciliation of fathers and sons; and the realization of mortality. Of the many science fiction films I have seen, few have tugged at the heartstrings as deeply as The Wrath of Khan. The most powerful moments are the bittersweet reunion between Kirk and Carol Marcus, the death of Spock and Kirk's eulogy, and the long delayed embrace between Kirk and his estranged son David. These moments are so universal that any "science fiction" label for this film seems limiting. The script is helped by what is undoubtedly William Shatner's finest performance as James T. Kirk. Shatner brings the perfect balance of bluster, brio, and vulnerability to the aging Admiral. Toward the end of the movie, Kirk, shattered by Spock's death, tears down his defenses and allows us to see the human being behind the uniform. Ricardo Montalban, in a blood thirsty, Ahab-like performance, proves that there is much more to his acting than what was seen on Fantasy Island. The special effects, which are entirely at the service of the story, for the most part hold up remarkably well--two exceptions are the Ceti Eels and the Genesis Cave Waterfall, which look rather primitive by today's CGI standards. James Horner's crisp, vibrant score hints at the great things which were to follow from him--it's a pity he has not been used in more recent Star Trek fare. This Director's Edition contains some additional footage which was not in the theatrical release. Among this are scenes which reveal why Scotty was so upset over the death of the Cadet in Engineering, as well as some minor additions. Unlike the DVD release of the first Star Trek movie, there have been no enhancements to the few dated visual effects, such as the Genesis Cave Waterfall. The bonus material features interviews with Shatner, Nimoy, Montalban, and Bennett, as well as several behind the scenes looks at the visual effects (this was the first film to make use of computer graphics) and production design. Less interesting is an extended look at the Trek universe as seen through various novelizations (which, as every Trekker knows, are not considered "canon.") The picture and sound quality are identical to the earlier DVD release, a definite improvement over VHS and laserdisc, but not spectacular by DVD standards.
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