Official Synopsis
Captain Kirk’s Starfleet career enters a new chapter as a result of his most vengeful nemesis: Khan Noonien Singh, the genetically enhanced conqueror from late 20th century Earth. Escaping his forgotten prison, Khan sets his sights on both capturing Project Genesis, a device of god-like power, and the utter destruction of Kirk.
I remember watching Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in the theater back when it was released in the 1982. It was terrifying, unnerving and I never wanted to put anything in my ear ever again (including q-tips, but my mom made me). It still stands tall as a great example of good storytelling, creating a vicious antagonist (even if we knew his character already) and establishing once again the joy of watching Star Trek in motion. If you have never watched this Star Trek movie before because you’re more into Abrams’ line of work (which isn’t bad in this writer’s opinion), I think you should take a moment to reconsider. Yes, it has certainly aged in the special effects department and occasionally in the over-acting department, but the well embedded plot and larger than life enemies will help circumvent some of the 80s feel/look/style/acting.
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What I’m most impressed with in this film is how wonderfully smooth each point in the plot becomes as the story progresses. The three act structure is balanced when transitioning between each other. They’re balanced when it comes to the right amount of content and character development. Heck, it’s so good that you don’t really need to know that Khan was in an episode of the television show and that the film is harking back to that episode for reference. All of it is explained within the movie, kept within its confines, and all explanations given to drive the plot are perfectly planned out to make sure no stone is left unturned. Khan is rightfully vengeful in his plight to get back at Kirk for marooning him on a damaged planet, as well as killing his wife. The story makes sure that everything is perfectly, eloquently explained without much hiccup in the giddup. When you have to depend on random material to drive a film, material people may not have caught the first time around (and the show wasn’t readily accessible on Netflix or VHS at the time this movie was released), most of the time that means trouble. Director Nicholas Meyer and writer Jack B. Sowards made sure this movie catered towards the masses by keeping the story inside the film without using the television as a crutch. Catering to the masses and not just the fans, but maintaining respect for the source material was an impressive feat.
People, that’s a tough gig to accomplish (see J.J. Abrams haters for details).
Anyway, this wonderful revenge film that is filled with a bit more action, intention and drive than most Star Trek movies worked on so many levels. Because of that care in crafting this creation, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is still a classic despite its age. I was happy to relive that journey, though tragic, for this review.
Having said that, let’s get on to the technical side of the tracks with this release.
The director’s cut of the film had some extended scenes added, though some were more powerful than others. For example, there is a good scene between McCoy and Kirk where pair are pretty much resigned to the fact they’re getting older and closer to the end of their careers. Touching? A little, and it does add some context to Kirk’s place in starfleet, but nothing terribly exciting or story changing.
On the flip side, there is a wonderful scene where Scotty introduces his nephew to Kirk and counters that later in the film with the tragic death of his nephew. Those are some meaningful and endearing scenes added that drive up the terrible reality of Khan’s power and revenge. Overall, the director’s cut doesn’t change the movie one way or another, as it’s still the best Star Trek film on the market (it truly is). The director’s cut doesn’t go Ridley Scott’s Bladerunner on the additional footage, changing the entire aspect and meaning of the story, rather Nicholas Meyer’s additions simply give a good story a little bit more spice.
The added bonus to this release is the 4K mastering that went on with it, which turned out spectacular, as well as the 7.1 Dolby TrueHD sound upgrade (which sounds fantastic). Those are good reasons to have this one on your shelf, as well as the bonus commentary from Nicholas Meyer and the additional new feature called The Genesis Effect.
Speaking of features, here is the list of features included:
· Director’s Edition in high definition
· Theatrical Version in high definition
· Commentary by director Nicholas Meyer (Director’s Edition & Theatrical Version)
· Commentary by director Nicholas Meyer and Manny Coto (Theatrical Version)
· Text Commentary by Michael and Denise Okuda (Director’s Edition)
· Library Computer (Theatrical Version)
· The Genesis Effect: Engineering The Wrath of Khan
· Production
o Captain’s Log
o Designing Khan
o Original interviews with DeForest Kelley, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Ricardo Montalban
o Where No Man Has Gone Before: The Visual Effects of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
o James Horner: Composing Genesis
· The Star Trek Universe
o Collecting Star Trek’s Movie Relics
o A Novel Approach
o Starfleet Academy: The Mystery Behind Ceti Alpha VI
· Farewell
o A Tribute to Ricardo Montalban
· Storyboards
· Theatrical Trailer
Definite rehash here, but still a solid list.
Overall, if you have never owned, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, in this reviewer’s opinion the best Star Trek film of the bunch, then this is probably the one to snag. It looks great, sounds great and has some added value to make it worth your time.
