Friday, June 12, 2009

Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

Seeing Abrams Star Trek made me remember how much I loved going to see the original Star Trek movies with my parents, and it made me all nostalgic. As such, I went out and bought the Kirk & Spock 3 pack of DVD’s that was just released and then sat down and watched The Wrath of Kahn.

Wrath of Kahn picks up after the first Star Trek movie that is downright near-unwatchable. Kirk is now an admiral and Spock is the captain of the Enterprise. While his success should be a good thing, Kirk is facing a birthday and begun to feel like he is a relic of Starfleet instead of the active participant he used to be and despite the efforts of Bones, Spock and his friends he cannot snap out of it. Kirk goes aboard the Enterprise to inspect the new crew and instead they decide to take the ship out for a test run. While on their training voyage they receive a troubling transmission from Dr. Carol Marcus, furious that Kirk is taking her Genesis experiment away from her – Kirk has made no such order so the Enterprise rushes to get to the scientists. Once there they discover that Kahn, a genetically engineered man, has returned from the exile Kirk imposed on him to seek his revenge.

This is by and far one of the best Star Trek movies ever made. Up until the new Star Trek I would argue that it was the best, now I am still deciding which is better.

This is Starfleet as a military organization and Enterprise as a peacekeeper and Kirk as the badass we all remember him to be. Kirk and Spock drive this movie with Spock trying to make Kirk feel relevant again until Kahn takes over that job by seeking Kirk out for his revenge. The relationship between Kirk and

What makes Wrath of Kahn truly amazing is the ending. Without giving too many things away Kirk and Spock each have life altering moments. Kirk is known for taking no-win scenarios and turning them into winnable situations; however, at the end of the film there is a no-win scenario that Kirk cannot find a way out of…until Spock makes a decision that saves the Enterprise.

Those that want to pick on William Shatner for his acting capabilities can stuff it. While Star Trek may not hold the same prestige as playing Hamlet, if you’ve seen the end of Wrath of Kahn you cannot deny that Shatner has some acting chops and he knows how to use them.

Director: Nicholas Meyer
Writers: Jack B. Sowards
James Kirk: William Shatner
Spock: Leonard Nimoy
McCoy: DeForest Kelley
Scotty: James Doohan
Checkov: Walter Koenig
Sulu: George Takei
Uhura: Nichelle Nichols
Lt. Saavik: Kristie Alley
Khan: Ricardo Montalban

Kirk: I suppose you're about to remind me that logic alone dictates your actions?
Spock: I would not remind you of that which you know so well.

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