Review of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) by Valtteri M — 11 Jan 2011

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was finally the hook that rose the legendary Enterprise up from the ashes. After the uneven mess that the first film became, it was refreshing to receive a truly sensational adventure story.

Captain Kirk (William Shatner) steps aboard his starship once again. He has recently been promoted to Admiral and is haunted by the ghosts of his own personal mid-life crisis. On board we find the rest of the main cast; Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Bones (DeForest Kelley), Scottie (James Doohan), and so on.

The writers, Harve Bennett and Jack B. Sowards, took an interesting approach on the new story. Not only is Kirk facing the ghosts of his past, but also a nemesis from the past. The legendary guest character Khan (Ricardo Montalban) - who appeared in the "Space Seed" episode of the series' first season - is out for revenge.

The chemistry between the characters - and their actors of course - as well as the original and well-balanced direction by Nicholas Meyer make the film an exceptional experience. It ranks as one of the best parts - if not the best, as most fans see it - in the movie series. If we must look for something negative to say, naturally there are some mild clichà (C)s and elements that may push a little too far to be taken seriously, but look: it's a science fiction thriller from the 1980's Hollywood. We'd be shocked if it didn't try out the boundaries a little.