Country: United States
Genre: Science Fiction
Director: Nicholas Meyer
Year: 1982
Rating: 
TRASH CINEMA HIGHLY RECOMMENDED MOVIE
Let me say right off the bat that Star Trek: The Wrath Of Khan is not for everybody. In fact, it’ll work best for a specialized audience — the Trekkies that really loved the original TV series. Unlike the first Star Trek movie, which made the mistake of trying to be deep and appeal to a broad cross section of the general public, Star Trek: The Wrath Of Khan hits on all of the touchstones that made the TV series great: William Shatner’s unintentionally hilarious line readings as James T. Kirk; the conflict between ultra-humanist Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and the Vulcan logic of Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy); the cheesy quotes from great literature, in this case Moby Dick; the scenery chewing villains; and the big statements about Great Life Issues, in this case old age.
That’s right. It’s James T. Kirk’s birthday, and he’s feeling old. He’s now an admiral at Starfleet, and has given up his command of the Starship Enterprise. His good friends Dr. McCoy and Mr. Spock counsel him to take a demotion and become the captain of a Starship again. On a training cruise for new recruits aboard the Enterprise, Kirk unexpectedly gets his chance.
As it turns out, an old nemesis, Khan (Ricardo Montalban, with a face made of fine Corinthian leather and a hilarious he-man chest plate), has taken over the Starship Reliant and is preparing to ambush Kirk.
Now, viewers of the old series will be delighted to see Khan. He was the subject of one of the television series’ very best episodes. You see, Khan was genetically engineered to have superior intellect and superhuman strength. Watching those two hams William Shatner and Ricardo Montalban go at it is kitsch paradise.
But here’s the thing. If you are expecting Star Trek: The Wrath Of Khan to be cool or action-packed, you’re out of luck. It’s stagy and silly, just like the TV show.
Watching Star Trek: The Wrath Of Khan is like getting together with old friends and being delighted that they’re still the same old gang, just a little older.
Note: Since Star Trek: The Wrath Of Khan is so fun and goofy, there will be the temptation to minimize the skill with which it was created. As the other Star Trek movies have so able demonstrated, it’s not easy to get the tone of Star Trek right. Writer/director Nicholas Meyer pulls it off, seemingly without effort. I promise you, that’s an illusion.
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