Review of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) by Eric W — 15 Jun 2010

When the first film of the Trek franchise named Star Trek The Motion Picture hit cinema screens, the Trek franchise looked out of date and old fashioned. This consensus was no doubt down to the arrival of Star Wars just two years earlier which made sci-fi more about fast paced action. Star Trek took it all on board, and then came back with a second film that became the best the franchise has ever had.

Director Nicholas Meyer (who directed two more good Star Trek films) decided to make this film a character based piece, which was a very smart move. Fans of the franchise want to see their favourite characters, such as Dr. McCoy in his usual "are you out of your Vulcan mind?" mood and Spock in what appears to be a crossroads for the character. I don't want to spoil the film for people, who haven't seen it, but Spock does play a key part in the film's finale, and that's all I'll say.

At the start of this film we are almost fifteen years after the original series concluded. Everyone has moved on, Kirk has become an Admiral and spends most of his time behind a desk, Spock has become captain of the Enterprise, and Chekov is now second in command of science vessel U.S.S Reliant. It is the Reliant that stumbles across a lifeless planet to test a new experiment on. The experiment is called Genesis, and the clue to its purpose is in the name; it is a missile that is fired into a lifeless planet or moon that can create new life in a matter of months.

When Chekov and his captain head down to the planet, they discover that it is in fact not lifeless at all. They find a marooned colony of humans, which are commanded by Khan (Ricardo Montalban) who was left on the planet for dead by, you guessed it, Admiral James T. Kirk. So basically Kahn is pissed and wants revenge. Kahn then takes command of the Reliant and sets off on a revenge mission against Kirk.

Every Trek films have an issue at its heart, and in this the issue is old age. It is quite an apt issue, given that most of the cast have long since left the Enterprise and making the films must have been a nostalgic experience for them. What really gets the point across though is when it is Kirk's birthday, and McCoy buys him a pair of reading glasses as a present. Kirk is slightly offended by it, but he spends most of the film trying his best to hide the fact that he does need them. Spock, who is also getting older but because he is Vulcan will live until he is six hundred, is also getting on a bit. What makes Spock such a significant character is how he is able to discard most human emotions, and yet in the finale he embraces many different things that make humans what they are; such as friendship, love, and honour.

The Genesis device of course has plenty of contextual references. Mainly is how McCoy spouts to Spock about how wrong the experiment is, because human beings are playing God. "God created the world in seven days, well look out here's Genesis, we'll do it for you in seven minutes" is quite a notable line from McCoy, and how he describes it as 'universal Armageddon'. It would have been quite fitting when it was released, but probably has more effect now with cloning becoming easier as the technology continues to improve.

Overall this is a superb game of cat and mouse between Kirk and Kahn, and despite the special effects slight dip from the previous film, there is plenty of cinematic suspense to keep people firmly glued to the screen. Ricardo Montalban has the standout performance as Kahn, and almost pirate like Shakespeare villain in a genre that is only as good as its villains. It is a classic entry into the genre, and it always worth a look just for Shatner's infamous "KAAAAAHHHHHNNNNN!!!".