A vengeful enemy from Captain Kirk's past returns with
plans to use a terraforming device to conquer the universe. ACTION/SCI-FI
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Star Trek II:
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The Wrath of Khan was the first Star Trek movie I ever saw, back when I was a kid. And even then, I knew this was something special. Widely regarded as the best film the franchise has ever produced, The Wrath of Khan remains a badass revenge flick and a great example of what this franchise is capable of when the chips are down. Featuring a frightening performance from Ricardo Montalban as returning Trek villain Khan Noonien Singh, this film is one that longtime fans adore and casual movie fans enjoy.
Admiral Kirk (Shatner) is feeling old. He no longer commands the Enterprise, and he feels like he has no purpose. While accompanying the Enterprise and Captain Spock (Nimoy), they encounter the sadistic, vengeful Khan (Montalban), who was marooned on Ceti Alpha V fifteen years prior after an attempted mutiny on Kirk. I recommend watching the original series episode "Space Seed" prior to viewing, as that was Khan's first appearance. Khan now seeks the Genesis Device, a terraforming machine that can wipe out entire worlds in the wrong hands. Now, Kirk and his crew must stop Khan at all costs. The action scenes have held up, and you feel the emotional stakes the whole time. It's really good work. The Wrath of Khan is a great movie, mostly because it has a story that builds on existing lore, but is easy enough to enjoy if you aren't a hardcore Trekkie. Personally, I have a soft spot for the Abrams reboot trilogy, as that was my intro to Trek. But I'd be foolish to ignore decades of storytelling, most of which is still critically acclaimed. This is the film that set the standard for Star Trek on the big screen. |