Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
The list of movies about revenge who are as good as Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is short. Even if you're not a fan of Star Trek, it doesn't matter. The writing is so good it fills the holes and leaves you completely invested in this battle. Even coming in with high expectations, I was blown away.
Set some time after the events of the first film (and the series) the story begins when Commander Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) lands on the planet Ceti Alpha VI, a devastated world on which the criminal Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán) has been imprisoned for 15 years. After taking command of Chekov's ship, Khan and his people set out on a path of revenge against James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew.
The only major flaws are found in the performances. It's clear that when Star Trek was originally cast, that no one knew it was going to get this big. Ricardo Montalbán runs circles around everyone else. The strong writing and directing smooth out these flaws but there are some wooden deliveries found throughout.
Revenge naturally lends itself to exciting drama and action. Wrath of Khan gets every essential element of a revenge movie perfect. So much time is spent showing Kirk and Khan trying to one-up each other but neither ever actually see each other in person. They're generals aboard ships. They use their brains, their crew, their vessels and experience to fight. Ultimately, this is a battle of wits full of clever twists as Kirk, then Khan, then Kirk again constantly outwit each other, always circling to try and get the better angle of attack through deception and strategy. They're so evenly matched you can never look away. The longer it lasts, the more personal it gets. Slowly, the cool exteriors melt away and their rage is exposed. You know there's not going to be a peaceful co-existence at the end. It’s going to be a bloodbath - but not a conventional one.
While we’ve got this big storyline in the foreground, the smaller details offer a lot. There's a terrific story arc including Kirk and his crew and how their captain feels about a no-win situation and the story of friendship between Kirk and his best friend, Spock (Leonard Nimoy). The way they wrap up the complex theme of Kirk being unable to admit defeat even when faced with total annihilation is legendary. A lesser film would have handled this story in a way that would have been obvious. The way it’s done here, it’s powerful, far more realistic, and surprising. I doubt anyone saw it coming in 1982.
It's a well-thought-out picture with brains. When ships battle, director Nicholas Meyer thinks of space as an expanse that goes into three dimensions. It packs emotion and contains many great, memorable scenes. Several come courtesy of Ricardo Montalbán. He’s a memorable villain with a lot of screen presence and some great lines.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a favorite among fans of the series. You don't have to watch the show to enjoy it. Watch this movie before the best bits get spoiled for you through parody and reference. You'll be glad you did. (On DVD, May 8, 2015)
