5 out of 5

Director: Nicholas Meyer

So maybe it’s not truly a five star film, but rated against the series – new, next gen, and the originals – Wrath of Khan still holds its own, and I’m continually surprised on each viewing how entertaining and effective it is throughout the entire movie… no easy feat for a flick that has to overcome some major plotting milestones with significant runtime remaining.  Nicholas Meyer takes the shell from film one – Kirk wants to pilot a ship, finds a reason to, ends up getting wrapped up in a bigger deal than expected – this time it’s an old nemesis out for revenge – and improves upon it in every way.  Clever, then, that as part of its many invisible budget-saving methods, it wends in some of the excruciating setup shots from the first movie but drums them up with some much more moving swoops and pans and Horner’s incredibly energizing score.  Goldsmith’s bombast might’ve done much to sell the Enterprise as a BIG DEAL in Motion Picture, but here Horner works every moment with light thrills and playful variations on that familiar theme and is a big part of what keeps the flick moving along so well.  The scripting and acting are much more confident.  Khan’s backstory is a little murky and is helped along by some show history, but you fully get the gist and Montalban is THE definition of how to chew scenery and sell it.  Meanwhile Meyer’s pacing/framing guides us and our leads’ performances are the friendly faces in a crowd – at once accepted as old friends.  We get their parts on the ship without having to be told, and we understand their history without having to be shown, and we believe in the grace and effectiveness of the craft and crew (vs. Motion Picture, that had a sort of bumbling feel to it).  The script is also nigh perfectly balanced for drama, comedy, and character development, working important elements into Kirk and Spock’s lives without getting too heavy handed.  It’s simply a winning sci-fi film, rewarding to both new viewers and returning fans, and holds up well.  The core weapon / tool that the plot dances around – the Genesis Machine – is a lasting concept and is couched in a way that makes its development seem worthwhile and not just “oh, it’s the future and we have these things.”  So thank goodness film one – which isn’t a great flick, most of us can agree – had enough of a following to get us to Khan.  It’s not exactly epic, but it’s wisely not presented as such, and thus can focus on doing exactly what it wants to do pretty damn well.