Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie, Adequate DVD
Review: Like most Star Trek fans, I believe "The Wrath of Khan" to be the greatest in the series of Star Trek feature films. The DVD does a wonderful job of enhancing the video and sound, but Paramount...where are the extra scenes? In the ABC televised version of the film, there are added scenes that really help the movie move along better and explain certain elements that are left out without these scenes. I'm tired of Paramount just adding a theatrical trailer or two and thinking that it is giving its fans "something extra." All-in-all, I would happily recommend this DVD to any Star Trek fan despite the lack of extras. Looking forward to the release of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" to complete my DVD collection of Star Trek feature films.

Rating:
Summary: After All These Years, Still the Best Star Trek Movie
Review: "Men make history, not the other way around." Harry S Truman

Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan strikes the perfect balance of drama, action, humor, pathos, and depth. After the critical failure of the first Star Trek movie, the producers took the trouble to view every episode of the original series to figure out what made it special--they replicated it successfully in The Wrath of Khan. The plot is driven by the actions and motivations of the characters, not the other way around. This is not a story about spatial anomolies or an excuse for technobabble and flashy special effects. This story is about the classic themes which have served drama well since ancient Greek theatre: 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 powerfull 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 there is 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--one exception is the Ceti Eels, 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.

Paramount's transfer is good, but not quite on the same level visually as the other entries in the series. The print, in a few places, shown signs of wear. The sound is very well balanced, with plenty of impact during explosions. The theatrical trailer is included.

Rating:
Summary: Easily the best Trek
Review: In all the other Trek movies,is there really any moment to match Spock's burial as Horner's orchestration of Amazing Grace comes out of the rear speakers?I think not.Worth buying the disc for that moment alone.

Rating:
Summary: The only Star Trek movie I'll ever own!
Review: I hate Star Trek movies but I love The Wrath Of Khan. In my opinion it's the best of the bunch.

This anamorphically-enhanced DVD seems fairly well produced.

The image is rendered well on NTSC (regular TV) monitors. Owners of progressive scan systems will notice fewer motion artifacts but greater pixelization and decompression noise than on NTSC -- especially in background objects. I prefer to watch this DVD on an NTSC system.

The video transfer feels a bit muddy to me. The colors are a bit, well, muted and the image is the tiniest bit blurry in places. But, if I remember my theatrical experience with this movie, the film was never that sharp to begin with so these anomalies are nothing to do with the DVD.

The image is pleasant so long as your moitor is correctly calibrated. Viewers whose displays have the contrast and brightness cranked-up will definitely see posterization. Turn the brightness down and it goes away, though.

The remixed soundtrack is adequate but lacks the dynamics a movie of this caliber demands.

Overall, this DVD does justice to the theatrical release. I am very pleased with it. Minor decompression artifacts and an uninspired sound mix are the only things preventing me giving this DVD five stars.

Paramount did a good job on this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: If you want the best picture quality and sound, this is IT!
Review: I'm surprised how clean the print is! It is the best picture quality EVER! Better that VHS and LD! The sound is good, too!

Rating:
Summary: DVD is superior to all previous video releases of the movie
Review: This is the first Star Trek movie I have purchased on DVD. And I was quite impressed.

As far as I can tell, the entire movie panarama is restored within the 2.35 letterbox. Apparently this was *not* the case with the laserdisc and VHS widescreen versions, as this DVD has more material in the frame. Even the closing titles are authentic letterbox (not the vertically cropped, horizontally-compressed pan-and-scan version titles that were coppied onto the laserdisc).

Picture quality is also improved. Starfields are actually black this time instead of grey. Images are cleaner and sharper. The spaceships are more intense-looking than ever before, and I finally understand what's in the Genesis cave. The video transfer is darker, hiding some of the now-familiar film artifacts but also revealing a few new ones. Then again, even the cleaned-up special edition of Star Wars still had its film artifacts.

Sound is improved. I noticed some background effects I had never heard before.

Extras on this disc are limited to the theatrical trailer, which is letterboxed in 1.85. Personally, I would have liked to have seen the extended scenes from the ABC broadcast version of Star Trek II -assuming those can be restored in widescreen. The main menu looks like the menus for the TV episodes and does not capture the personality of the film.

Overall, a good disc. Buy it.

Rating:
Summary: Best Trek Ever!
Review: Finally, the best Trek brought to the silver screen using the old formula from the classic Trek shows. Great director in Nick Meyer, best script concept, best special effects by ILM. The original cast are in rare form. I would recommend the STTOS: Space Seed DVD to complete the set.

Rating:
Summary: "I'm laughing at the superior intellect." - Cpt. Kirk
Review: If you don't care much for any Star Trek related movie, you should take a look at this one. It will definitely surprise you. The triumph of the human spirit against all odds, the perils of manipulating nature, are just some of the ideas presented in this exquisite feature length episode.

Star Trek the Motion Picture was grandiose in scope and visuals, but Wrath of Khan is true perfection. It is the perfect balance of story, visuals, music, and everything else Star Trek is wonderful at. James Horner (Titanic) adapts Jerry Goldsmith's original score from 1 and turns it into his own personal masterpiece, especially noteworthy is Spock's theme.

The wonderful music rounds out what is probably the greatest Star Trek episode, appealing to both fans and those who have never cared for Star Trek. My own sister who hates the series, loved this movie as do I. I highly recommend it. You may want to look at Star Trek the Motion Picture first to get a better feel for the characters, but it is not necessary to enjoy this wonderful film.

Rating:
Summary: DVD - Video and Audio Transfer are excellent
Review: This newly released DVD is extremely well done.

The audio is 5.1 dolby. The video transfer is excellent.

One of the best Star Trek movies.

I recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Paramount saves money again: No special DVD features
Review: With the sole exception of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Paramount has been notoriously skimpy in providing any special DVD features in Star Trek releases. And in some respects, why should they -- after all, we're just dumb Star Trek fans who will buy whatever they put out, regardless of the quality.

I had hoped that for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, perhaps the best of all the Star Trek movies, and certainly the most exciting and visually stimulating, Paramount would have looked beyond the balance sheet and issued something that they could be proud of and fans would snatch up.

But I guess since this is the best of all the Star Trek movies, they felt even less reason to give us something extra. Thanks for nothing Paramount -- great way to engender bad feelings towards a movie studio.