Review of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) by Phillip M — 30 Oct 2012

Not only is this my favorite Star Trek movie, but one of my favorite movies of all time. The first time I saw this film, I rented it from netflix, and I didn't like it as much as I do today. That was before I really got into Star Trek.

I started watching the series as a whole by watching all the films first. Then I started with TV with The Next Generation, followed by the Original Series, Deep Space 9, Voyager and Enterprise. When I watched this film a second time, I enjoyed it a lot more, having purchased the motion picture trilogy recently.

I understood what was going on more than before, and enjoyed it very easily. This is, with no doubt, the best Star Trek movie ever made. From the very beginning, we see director Nicholas Meyer's new approach to Star Trek, from the neat, naval-inspired crimson uniforms, to the aged but well maintained bridge of the Enterprise.

The performances were absolutely impressive, most especially by that of Ricardo Montalban, our villain for the duration of this film. His vigor and passion shows some of the best acting I have ever seen on screen, and his longing for vengeance and power is very convincing.

He is one of the best movie villains I have ever seen. The plot and story were excellent, from the suspense at the start of the movie till the shocking, tear jerking end. There's more action in this film than the first one, but not so much action that it over shadows the story.

The pacing is PERFECT. This movie saved the Star Trek franchise, and its everything the first movie should have been. Its classic trek as we know it, and remains a spectacle to this day. It sets a great example of what any Trek movie should be.

If you want to make a good Star Trek movie, there is no better place to look than this film right here. Due to Star Trek's closed fan base, this movie isn't as well acclaimed as it should be, and not many people recognize it as a must see film, and the great movie it truly is.

But as far as Star Trek fans and movie-goers at the time go, this was well received, and popular among that audience. As for today, not many people are watching it for the first time because it's not so popular today.

So if you haven't seen it, trekkie or not, I highly recommend it. Give it a watch. You won't regret it.