At the end of the universe lies the beginning of vengeance.
Starring:
Directed by:
Nicholas Meyer
Rating: 7/10
Running Time: 112 minutes
Certificate: UK: 12
On DVD
Country: United States
William Shatner returns once more as Admiral James T Kirk of Starfleet. After his last outing in space, Kirk is back at a desk, this time as an Academy instructor – feeling old and starting to see his dreams slip away. Accompanying his old ship Enterprise with its current captain, the Vulcan Spock (Leonard Nimoy), on a training cruise with a group of cadets is doing little to improve Kirk's mood. Meanwhile, on the space station Regula I, scientists are conducting secret experiments under the name Project Genesis.
The starship USS Reliant has been assigned to the Genesis project, surveying planets. While inspecting an apparently lifeless planet, crewmembers of the Reliant – including Chekov (Walter Koenig) from Kirks' old crew – are surprised to find cargo containers. These house refugees from the Eugenics Wars of 1990s Earth, with the dangerous Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) in command. He has no intention of staying on his barren planet – he wants Genesis and he wants revenge on Kirk.
This film is a follow-up to the original series episode 'Space Seed', which also featured Ricardo Montalban in the role of Khan. It is a superior picture to the slow 'Star Trek – The Motion Picture', with much more pace and a more threatening villain. Shatner is now apparently more settled in the role of Kirk, and a fine hero/villain relationship develops between himself and Khan. However, the scientists played by Bibi Besch and Merrit Butrick are sadly two-dimensional – they are given a back-story with Kirk that is then never fully exploited.
The Director's Edition DVD features extra scenes and other improvements over the theatrical release.
It's Got: An outstanding performance from Ricardo Montalban as the likeably wicked Khan.
It Needs: Fewer errors, both of science and of continuity between the film and the episode on which it is based.
DVD Extras A decent collection of extras with this 2-disc Director’s Edition. Extras: Commentary by director Nicholas Meyer, Text Commentary by Michael Okuda. Retrospective documentaries with cast and crew interviews, Original interviews with cast, Theatrical trailer, The Visual Effects of Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, The Star Trek Universe. DVD Extras Rating: 7/10
Alternatives:
Independence Day, Star Trek - DVD Movies Collection, Star Trek III - The Search for Spock, Star Wars, Titan AESummary
Better than its predecessor, this is a significantly meatier film to get one’s teeth into and events proceed at a much better pace. Well worth the effort of seeing.
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