Review of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) by Austin B — 11 Nov 2012

Despite being set-bound (mostly starship-bound) and the two principle characters never meeting face-to-face, this is the Star Trek film that has it all. It's William Shatner's equivalent of Burt Reynold's turn in 'Deliverance' (he can ACT!) and the mature script is pitch-perfect.

Although a little backwards in its vision of the future, the spirit of 'II' is much truer to the original TV series than the first Motion Picture. This film also marks the first use of CGI SFX on the big screen, and it's the only sequence that shows any sign of dating.

Exciting, sometimes violent, and often sad. A haunting score by James Horner is the icing on the cake.