Star Trek II - The Wrath Of Khan!

Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan is often cited as the favorites of folks who pay attention to the original series of movies. And it is a entertaining and sometimes thrilling entry, but a smaller budget and a less idealistic vision make this movie less than its predecessor, if admittedly more accessible in classic movie style. Gene Roddenberry had been forced out of control of the series after critics were lukewarm on the initial movie. None of the sequels sold more tickets, but success wasn't enough for Paramount. 

Otherwise, all our favorites are back, albeit in brand new outfits. The sleek modernistic look of the first film has been thrown over for costumes and clothing which are filled to be utter brim with pockets. Everything in this movie seems to have pockets. This is a darker world than the one we left last time, a tad gloomier and a bit more in keeping with the sci-fi designs made popular by Star Wars. This is not a gleaming universe, but one filled with shadows. And in those shadows, we find Khan Noonien Singh. 

Ricardo Montalban is outstanding in the role of Khan, the time-lost 20th century genetically enhanced superman who along with is minions were deposited on a rough-hewn planet decades before by Captain Kirk and his crew. The movie does a grand job of welding itself to the continuity of the original series, though I am always at a loss watching it how Star Fleet lost track of the number of planets in the Alpha Ceti system. The threat of Khan and his supermen is almost unleashed once again, but this time, as the title suggests, wrath gets in the way. 

The story waxes upon the notion of aging and since we have a veteran team of actors, it's a reasonable choice for thematic development. There's a generational shift in this story as Kirk meets his son, and the woman who gave birth to him. Both are scientists working on a project dubbed "Genesis" which is all about renewal and rejuvenation. The desire for the vigor of youth and the regrets which come inevitably with age and the choices made are not insignificant themes. Not as sci-fi worthy in their own right as the absolute seeking of knowledge from the first movie, but not bad. 

The final battle between Kirk's Enterprise and Khan's own stolen starship is phenomenal and the scene of the Enterprise looming up out of the mists of space behind Khan's vessel is my favorite moment in the movie. It's a scene which evokes the submarine battles of war pictures past. The contest between Kirk and Khan is a costly one, and the death count is high and those deaths are bloody. This is a more traditionally violent movie than its predecessor. The sacrifice of Spock is considered by many an emotional high point of the series and I don't disagree. 

With a new production team, this movie is really presented (following the Star Wars model yet again) as the first part of an ongoing story which will occupy to various degrees the next two installments of the movie series. We will learn more about Genesis and what it is capable of in the next flick. For all its virtues, I rate Star Trek II my third favorite of the original spate of movies. Next time we join the Search for Spock. 

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