Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

If a film is only as good as its villain, it’s no wonder that The Wrath of Khan is held in such high esteem by Trekkies and film fans alike. Ricardo Montalban delivers his performance as the violently estranged Khan with such a vigor as to set it quite apart from the Trek norm. Exiled to a barren rock some fifteen years prior by the now Admiral James T. Kirk (Shatner), he’s back for revenge and, holding the power of creation itself, will stop at nothing to make Kirk pay!

Old and tired, Kirk has taken an administrative job at Starfleet Academy. Spock (Nimoy) now commands the Enterprise: an Academy training ship, a mere shadow of her former majesty as the greatest ship in Starfleet history. Kirk is to accompany his old ship on a three-week training cruise - a prospect which isn’t making him feel any younger - when he’s thrust back in charge as the Enterprise is ambushed by Khan. Reinvigorated by the thrill of command and of the mission now at hand, it’s a race against time for Kirk to stop Khan before he can destroy life as we know it!

What elevated this film, though, from fantastic Star Trek to to true greatness, was the characterisation of Spock. Half Vulcan, with severely suppressed emotions, he has to make a choice. A choice which could only be made by a hero or a fool, this moment hangs with such poignancy as to add a whole new dimension to the finely crafted, though otherwise linear, plot.

Warwick Student Cinema is showing The Wrath of Khan in 70mm. With only a handful of establishments in the country capable of projecting 70mm film, this is a rare opportunity to see a true sci-fi great on the big screen, the way it’s meant to be seen.

Fergus Cooper

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is the second film spin-off from the popular sci-fi series, and widely regarded as the best. Featuring the main cast of the original series, but picking up their story many years after it left off, it starts with Kirk (Shatner) in the position of admiral, stuck in a rut and dissatisfied with his life. Spock (Nimoy) is now the captain of the Enterprise, and Chekov (Walter Koenig, formerly of the bridge crew of the Enterprise) has risen to the rank of first officer and is serving aboard the USS Reliant, which is testing an instrument known as the “Genesis” device, capable of transforming barren planets into rich, life-supporting worlds. The planet they pick to test it on is, however, unknown to them, the same planet where, many years earlier, Kirk as captain of the Enterprise left the dangerous Khan (Ricardo Montalbán) and his followers; a group of genetically engineered superhumans, to start a new life. Their stay on the planet has not been good, and now Khan and his followers are out for revenge.

Whilst sci-fi spin-offs are generally regarded as a fan-only affair, the Wrath of Khan has a great deal to offer the uninitiated. Although the cast is mainly made up of established characters, and the bad guy is taken from an episode of the original series, knowledge of the Star Trek back-catalogue is not needed, and there are enough new characters who need the history of Khan explaining to them that any newcomers to the audience need not worry. The Wrath of Khan is also free from the overblown acting that sometimes undermines William Shatner’s performances and puts off some viewers; reputedly director Nicholas Meyer over-rehearsed Shatner’s scenes to get him to relax into the part, an effort which seems to have paid off.

Beyond that, the Wrath of Khan has considerably more to offer than just being a story of spaceships and aliens. It is a film about characters as much as events, about their friendships, sacrifices and internal struggles. The final scene between Spock and Kirk is a truly touching portrayal of their friendship, and Leonard Nimoy’s majestic performance has rightly become an iconic moment in Star Trek history. The Wrath of Khan is a must for all fans and an engaging, moving story for those with no knowledge of the series at all; a sci-fi film with a heart.

Rachael Marshall