Captain's Blog - Entry #02

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

The Wrath of Khan is so firmly ensconced as the best Trek film that it's basically this franchise's The Empire Strikes Back: anyone who doesn't name it their favourite can certainly lay no claim to being a full(-green?)-blooded Trekkie. Going by the reputation, half of me was expecting really good things, and the other half was getting prepared for disappointment.

I was not disappointed.

Even though I liked The Motion Picture more than it seems most viewers do, my thorough enjoyment of Khan proves that appreciating one does not preclude enjoying the other. They are certainly very different approaches to the material, but, to my eyes, both have definite distinct merits.

The virtues of Khan presumably stem mostly from its director, Nicholas Meyer, who has since been crowned the man who resuscitated Star Trek. The two main attributes that Meyer brings to the film that were lacking last time round are drama and emotion - not insubstantial elements in any successful film, one would suspect. Throughout there is a greater sense of dramatic momentum and immediacy, while the actors are given some opportunities to really stretch their thesping muscles, making a change from their continual gawping at the view screen that they were doing for much of TMP. It has the effect of making the film pass much more quickly; though 18 minutes shorter than TMP (going by the PAL runtimes), the difference feels much greater.

Right from the get-go, there is an evident deference to the source material - the film begins with the familiar notes of the Alexander Courage's theme from the original series - and the characters are given much more time to play off each other. The dialogue is much wittier this time, with several great lines (particularly from Bones, but Kirk is certainly more lively this time too) and a general sense of playfulness pervading the whole enterprise (if you'll pardon the unintended pun). Despite the more playful tone, this Trek is also simultaneously harder-edged than its predecessor. Although hardly extreme, there are some icky moments (space slugs!) and some scenes of injuries of the sort the U-rated Motion Picture shied away from.


The titular Khan, embodied by the supremely watchable Ricardo Montalban, is certainly a great villain and suitable foil for Kirk. His backstory is very interesting and gives him very logical and compelling motivation, which enhances him further as a great antagonist. Khan first appeared in an episode of the original series, a viewing of which I'm sure would help me appreciate this film even more. I would admit, though, I had expected Khan to have more screen time - once he hijacks the Federation ship Reliant and begins pursuing Kirk, he's only really seen fleetingly during the space battles.

Apparently, despite not featuring the direct involvement of Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, Khan manages to be much closer in spirit to the series than TMP was, which I'm sure is one of the main reasons it's thought of so fondly by fans. And while I certainly enjoyed the banter and byplay between the crew and the greater ease at which all the actors seemed to be, I did also enjoy the more cerebral aspects of TMP, which were replaced here with slightly more visceral, if not exactly Star Warsian, thrills. Another element I missed was, of course, Jerry Goldsmith's music. In the attempt to sever all ties with the previous film, Goldsmith's score was jettisoned along with everything else, and while James Horner proves to be no slouch (he's particularly good with action scenes, his score here sometimes reminding me of his Aliens work), the themes he pens are not nearly as memorable.

The markedly reduced budget is quite evident at times too - some sets look rather cheap and over-lit, and the re-using of effects shots from TMP did not escape my attention. But in truth the tighter reins probably helped everyone, forcing more focus to be placed on the story and characters, to the benefit of the film. And the new effects, though fewer in number, are still very good, thanks to the team at Industrial Light and Magic.

A word on the ending (spoilers!): I knew beforehand that Spock dies in an act of self-sacrifice, but it was well handled and did hit the right emotional and dramatic notes. Of course, I also know that he doesn't stay dead for long, as the title of Star Trek III rather clearly suggests. I anxiously await The Search for Spock.

4 out of 5