Rating: 
Summary: KHAN!!!
Review: I haven't viewed many a "classic" Star Trek movie (read: this is the first one I've ever seen), but I loved this movie. It was cheesy, it had overacting, it was great. Genesis Project-what's that?
Rating: 
Summary: Better than STTMP -- but that's faint praise.
Review: Although the movie had its good points, I subtract 2 stars for the ridiculous space battle that has the two starships tacking and maneuvering like the Bonhomme Richard going up against the Serapis. There hasn't been a sillier pseudo-sea-battle-in-space since that Original Series episode where the Romulan ship and the Enterprise engage in a destroyer/submarine duel.
Rating: 
Summary: FANTASTIC STUFF!
Review: A great business motivational film! I always show it to my students. The beginning training sequence test - THE KOBAIASHI MARU - the no win situation - that just says it all!
Rating:
Summary: DVD Makes Movie New Again
Review: I finally got this movie on DVD and it was terrific! It was like watching it new again! The scene's where Kirk and Khan duke it out in the nebula are awesome, special effects that still look great today. This is a must for any Sci-Fi or Trek fan. The movie offers more than great space battles, the character introspection is great, the tension is real, and (not to ruin the ending) it's a helluva thing when Spock dies. I know there are complaints that Paramount doesn't offer much in terms of special features, but DVD's were created for movies like this!
Rating:
Summary: De plane! De-- whoops, wrong pop culture phenomenon...
Review: Although 'TWOK' isn't my all-time fave Trek flick, it's definitely up near the top. And after the 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' near-debacle, this was just the kind of movie that was needed to keep the franchise going. Action, suspense, tragedy, an amazing operatic/adventure James Horner musical score... and beautifully over-the-top acting by both hero and heavy. It's almost like watching a really big episode of the original series, only with WAY superior optical & special FX, and a wider field of vision. Fortunately the folks at Paramount decided to release this DVD in its original aspect ratio. And even though I'm not a widescreen absolutist myself, in the case of this and all of the Trek flicks, it's an absolute necessity. There's just so much happening on both ends of the movie on several occasions that seeing it in its original format is the only way to go. In this case wider IS better!Originally, my only motivation to see this movie was to check out the CGI simulation of the Genesis sequence. Every time I saw it in the TV promos for the flick, I was ... um... blown away by it. Fortunately I found many other entertaining moments when I finally saw the whole movie. Like Chekov's little 'pet' exiting his right ear in a rather vile and bloody display of nastiness. Now THERE'S a moment that kept me up on school nights! Yeesh! Not only is TWOK a sequel movie, it's also a continuation of the original series episode 'Space Seed'. Although it's not absolutely necessary to know the backstory to this cinematic Trek-- it sets itself up rather well on its own-- catching Khan's first menacing of the Enterprise is a rather intriguing adventure of its own. So don't hesitate to check 'Space Seed' out as well. Speaking of 'Space Seed', Number II also contains one of Star Trek's most famous continuity errors based on that landmark episode. In one scene, where Chekov and his captain are captured by the baddies, Khan claims to recognize him. Strange thing is, Khan's first appearance was in the original show's first season, and Chekov didn't appear until the second year! Thanks to this little glitch, for the last twenty years the Trekkie nation has had ample fodder for many a heated debate. Was Chekov working as an unseen midshipman on board the Enterprise during the first year? Does Khan have some kind of prescient mental powers? A weird rift in the space-time continuum, mayhaps? These are the burning questions that keep many a hardcore fanboy up at night in a cold sweat, as well as prove Shatner's point to "get a life!" in that immortal-- not to mention infamous-- SNL Trekkie convention sketch. All right, lemme get back on track here. I found the DVD to have much better sound and picture quality than its VHS predecessors, which of course is to be expected. Not only is the sound crisper, I can also hear the more discreet background bits that I never picked up on before, the Starfleet Academy P.A. paging officers following the Kobayashi Maru "battle" being a good example. And the DVD picture quality is so superior to VHS, you can actually see the shortcomings of the special effects technology of the time with greater clarity. The matte "shadows" surrounding the ships and the Regula space station are more apparent, which was something I never noticed before I entered the digital video realm. I guess better picture resolution isn't all it's cracked up to be... Sadly, the special features are next-to-nonexistent. This has been the case with the DVD releases of all the other Trek flicks to date as well. There's only one trailer, and not a very exciting one at that. I guess you'll have to get your excitement from watching the movie instead... 'Late
Rating:
Summary: KKKKAAAAHHHHNNNN!!!!!!(The best Trek film to date)
Review: Like most science fiction fans, I find that Star Trek:The Wrath of Kahn to be the best Trek film to date. It has all the classic elements of a tragedy, with Admiral Kirk, feeling old and empty, reunited with his lover-not-meant-to-be Dr, Marcus, and his estranged son, David. He must face his past if he is to fight the future, namely, Kahn. I have only seen few sci-fi movies that move beyond the special effects and story, and delve in the hearts and souls of it's characters. This film is dark, tragic, full of anger and pity,and ultimately about hope, and a second chance. On a technical note, the DVD transfer is fantastic, with great picture quality/sound clarity. Unfortunately, there is only a trailer as a bonus feature, but eventually Paramount might release a more "loaded" version. A must own for anyone's DVD collection.
Rating:
Summary: Five stars, if you're a "Trekker"
Review: Ricardo Montalban can act. Although this role (along with his turn as Fantasy Island's Mr. Rourke) has made him a camp icon, if you overlook the wig and the rubber chest, and watch him without bias, you're in for a treat. Just rent "Battleground," and then watch "Wrath of Kahn" to bookend an underrated performer's career.
Montalban's Kahn is powerful in his vengeance and hatred for Capt. Kirk, but also wounded and sympathetic. This, as much as anything, makes the second "Star Trek" film an enjoyable, old-fashioned yarn in the manner of "Capt. Horatio Hornblower."
Anyway, this movie has charms for even the non-Trek fan. The performances are solid. Aside from Montalban's excellent portrayal, William Shatner is surprisingly subtle and warm here, until the story actually calls for over-emoting (and any film with a subtext so based on Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" is going to call for some grand gestures eventually). Also up to the task are Leonard Nimoy, who manages to find Spock's "humanity" (in a half-alien character known for his emotionless logic), and the always-delightful DeForrest Kelley as the very humane and human Dr. McCoy.
In cinematic history, the "Star Trek" movie series probably will never be seen as fine art, but if a non-fan approaches this particular one with an open-mind and leaves behind the baggage of what is and isn't "nerdy" or "geeky," he or she will find a fine adventure story which echoes great sea tales as much as it does the better episodes from the television series. There is genuine chemistry and emotion between the characters, and the final battle is rousing, top-notch entertainment. There's even a catastrophe of a very personal nature to the main characters that also elevates this entry- although subsequent films would undo it, much to fans' relief.
Hey, if you're not careful, you might even become one of the converted...
Rating:
Summary: The Best Star Trek Movie to Date.
Review: Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan was a great rebound after the fiasco of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. While the first movie seemed desperate and unending (and downright stupid at times) ST II was a joy to behold. The plot was solid, it had the best villian, and the special effects were wonderful by 1980's standards. The story is basically a sequel from an old Star Trek TV episode called Space Seed. In it Khan (played magnificently by Ricardo Montalban) is a leader of a small genetically engineered group of "super-beings" who had been left in hibernation for 200 years drifting in space. After trying and failing to take over the Enterprize he and his group are left on a deserted planet to build anew. The movie starts 15 years into the future. The planet had experienced an enviorement disaster, causing all life to perish. All that is left is Khan and his dwindling group barely surviving. By sheer luck they are liberated by a starship, which they take over, and Khan is unleashed to seek his revenge. The film plays out almost like a chess match. The battle of wits between Kirk and Khan goes back and forth, leading Khan deeper and deeper into madness. The highlight of this movie is quite simply: the cast. Of course all your favorite Star Trek crew members are here. The supporting cast include the aforementioned Ricardo Montalban, Bibi Besch as the old love interest of Kirk, Paul Winfield as the Captain of the U.S.S. Reliant, and a VERY young Kirstie Ally. I would HIGHLY recommend this to not only the Star Trek Fan, but to any sci-fi movie fan. It's action-pack from start to end.
Rating:
Summary: Thank YEW for making up for 'The Motion Picture'...
Review: As a long time Trek fan, I nearly fainted when I heard they were coming out with 'Star Trek The Motion Picture'. But my excitement quickly faded when I saw what they had done to my favorite TV series. C'Mon! After all those years, THIS is the BEST they could come up with??? Well I almost skipped 'The Wrath of Kahn' altogether, but boy was I glad I went to see it opening night! This started the whole craze of 'Only the even numbered Trek films are good'. What a GREAT idea to take a snippet from an earlier original episode and I believe they chose very well when they made 'Space Seed' the one they went with. I have to admit, Ricardo has held up well over the years, and his acting and madness is well portrayed as Kahn. From the best special effects (I believe) in the Trek films (yes, even the newer ones aren't any better) to a slam-bam plot that moves at warp speed, 'Kahn' is arguably the best of the Trek movies. Despite the death of Spock, which is dealt with in Trek III (so so in the Trek world of theatrical movies) my ONLY gripe with this movie (and see if you don't agree) is in the final moments before the Genesis Device goes off in the Nebula, the ONLY thing I wish HAD happened that DIDN'T was Kahn died believing that the explosion would at least kill Kirk...wouldn't it have been great to see Kahn's reaction when the Enterprise goes to warp JUST BEFORE the device detonated? Aside from that minor complaint, this is definitely one of the all-time great Sci-Fi movies and like I said, arguably the best Trek film-to-date (with Trek VI coming in a close 2nd). Rush out and grab this on DVD, although as one other reviewer mentioned, it did NOT have the added bonus footage that was shown on ABC back in the 80's (I kinda expect this sorta stuff in the DVD editions...) and that left me wanting a bit, but other than that, a well made film and well directed by Nicholas Myer (who also was at the helm of 'The Undiscovered Country'). Trek fans rejoice, this is about as good as it gets.
Rating:
Summary: AN ACTION PACKED TREK
Review: STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN- This is one of the most action packed Treks in the series. Nearly breaking the PG/PG-13 barrier with its violent sequences and nature. Khan [Ricardo Maltobaun} is ruthless in his attempts on seeking revenge on Admiral James T. Kirk. Based the the television episode "Space Seed" Khan and his people were left marooned on a desolate planet years ago by Kirk, for trying to kill him and the Enterprise crew. Now years later, a Federation starship lands on the planet, only to discover Khan and his malevolent men. Khan takes over their ship and the plot to take revenge on Kirk begins. The plot involves a new project the federation is working on called GENESIS, which creates life on planets that do not have it. It is described as a devise that will help overpopulation, and put life on lifeless planets. We also learn that this could be converted to a terrible weapon. Once Khan takes control of his new starship, he goes after Kirk in a deadly showdown, that is bloody and violent. There are awesome cat and mouse space battle sceenes. The sound and picture are commendable, however bare in mind this movie was made in the early 80's, so a little distortion may be seen. As far as special features go, we only get a theatrical trailer. Im assuming once they release all the film individually on DVD they will assembal a nice STAR TREK PAK involving more Special Features. Im sure it will be worth the wait, and that's all we can do right now.. so sit tight.
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