Rating of
4/4
First great Star Trek film
JTurner - wrote on 05/31/09
With this sequel, STAR TREK proved that it could indeed be a viable franchse for the film format. Unlike its predecessor, STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN is not dull in the least. It is a gripping, dramatic, skillfully directed (by Nicholas Meyer) feature with an engrossing plot and a memorably exciting (and heartbreaking) climax. In this "trek", a villain from an episode of STAR TREK, the super-human criminal Khan (Ricardo Montalban, in a memorably scene-chomping performance--although William Shatner's Kirk does to get do one overacted scream of "KAHN!" midway through the film), returns from five years of exile to exact revenge on Admiral Kirk and the Enterprise. Some parts of the film may be too intense or grisly, notably one sequence where Khan places disgusting eels in two officer's ears, but at the same time, the "shock" value of that moment gives a gritty edge to THE WRATH OF KHAN. The special effects are provided by George Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic, and are a huge stepup from those of THE MOTION PICTURE. James Horner's thrilling score is also a fitting compliment. Considered by fans to be the best of the STAR TREK movies (although I will debate that point since I've enjoyed III and IV--which happen to form a long arc equivalent to a trilogy), this is a great place to start if you're not familiar with STAR TREK.
