Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan was released about 2 1/2 years after Star Trek - The Motion Picture. This movie picks up over ten years after the events in the previous film. Admiral James T. Kirk is training new cadets. One of them is a young half vulcan, half romulan cadet named Saavik. The cadets are undergoing the simulation called the Kobayashi Maru. Which is a no win situation test which is designed to test an officers response to loss and the possibility of death.

Meanwhile, Dr. Carol Marcus and her son David, who is also the son of James T. Kirk, are conducting an experiment called Genesis, a process that brings life to a lifeless planet. The U.S.S. Reliant, headed by Captain Terrell is scouting a planet called Ceti Alpha VI. Capt. Terrell and Checov decide to beam down there and check it out as a possible candidate for the demonstration of Genesis. There, they bump into Khan, an old acquaintance of Kirk's. Khan is looking to settle a score with Kirk because of the way things turned out in the last encounter. (Space Seed) So in order to get the two crew members of the Reliant to play a part in setting Kirk up, he used little slug-like creatures that entered in through the ear making them vulnerable to suggestion.

Kirk and crew board the enterprise for an inspection. After the inspection, they launch the enterprise for a cadet training exercise. During the exercise they run into the Reliant, hijacked by Khan and his crew. They launch a surprise attack on the Enterprise and they inflict major damage to the ship. After the attack, Khan reveals himself to Kirk. Kirk outsmarts Khan and manages to fight Khan off.

Kirk and crew beam over to Regula 1 to find most of the scientists dead. Kirk runs into a few survivors, among them are Terrell, Chekov, Carol, and David Marcus. They stay down in Regula I until the enterprise can recover. Then they re enter the enterprise and go for a final round with Khan.

Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan is a fast paced film with unexpected turns. It is a big improvement over the previous film which would drag, putting you to sleep. Ricardo Montalban delivers a good performance as Khan, Kirks old enemy, making him a memorable villain in the series. The movie is available on DVD and Blu-ray in its Director's Cut version, and its theatrical edition.

Run Time - 113 mins Theatrical Version 116 Director's Cut

Aspect Ratio - 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen

Sound Mix - Dolby Digital

Rating - PG

Directed by Nicholas Meyer

Cast

William Shatner - James T. Kirk

Leonard Nimoy - Spock

DeForest Kelley - Leonard McCoy

James Doohan - Scotty

Michelle Nichols - Uhura

Bibi Besch - Dr. Carol Marcus

Merritt Butrick - Dr David Marcus

Kirstie Alley - Lt. Saavik

Ricardo Montalban - Khan

Directed by Nicholas Meyer

Picture

The DVD presents the film in its original theatrical 2.35:1 anamorphic Panavision aspect ratio. This is a good transfer of the film. The picture is sharp with good color reproduction and great black levels. Star Trek II has never looked better.

Audio

The sound has been mixed in Dolby 5.1. The soundtrack is pretty good for an older film. The sound field is good. Directional effects aren't the best but still good, the bass works wonderfully in this film. James Horner's score is mixed well into the film and the dialogue is always clear and never drowned out.

Features

The DVD's extras include a director's commentary, and a text commentary. On disc 2 there are new interviews with the filmmakers, documentaries detailing different aspects of the production, and finally the film's theatrical trailer.

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