Osmosis Iron The best Star Trek movie, and among the finest of the genre! The effects and look still hold up today, but the main draw here is obviously the plot! A tale of revenge and and sacrifice, that plays out much like a Greek tragedy in space. With plenty of memorable characters and quotable lines! If you wanna know what all the fuss is about Star Trek, see this film!

Matt Greene "Of all the souls I've encountered in my travels, his was the most...human." In this line, we witnessed the birth / re-birth of a space-opera that was long thought dead, yet has become one of the longest-lasting franchises ever. Wrath of Khan, A well-directed, thrilling and surprisingly artful sequel, boldly moves this frontier into the future, all while staying true to the ethos of the classic series. Most importantly, it reminds us that it isn't our agendas, but our relationships that make life worth exploring. In 1982, audiences weren't expecting much from this franchise, after the TV series was unceremoniously canceled years earlier and the first film was such an uncharacteristic slog. Maybe the cool sets, practical effects, corny posturing and brilliant score were of no surprise. Maybe even the great correlation and juxtaposition between our hero and villain may have been inevitable, with Khan and Kirk basically being two sides of the same bloated-chest coin. However, to get a Star Trek film that's such a dark and powerful metaphor for the hardships of war must've been a watershed moment, especially within the Spock-Kirk arc. What especially surprises me is this film's status as a bonafide classic of the genre. Like other so-called "Trekkers", I love it, but how much of that is helped by my pre-existing fandom? Wrath… makes the decision not to waste time with character introductions or clunky backstory exposition; it assumes our knowledge of these things. Instead, it allows its strong script to stand on its own. The humor-injected dialogue, the consistent character moments, the straightforward plotting, and the wide-reaching themes connect us to these characters, whether for the first or hundredth time.

TheLittleSongbird Having been one of the shows that was part of my childhood and growing up, the original 'Star Trek' still holds up as great and ground-breaking, even if not perfect.'Star Trek: The Motion Picture', to me, is a better film than its reputation but was also a disappointment and could have been much better. Every film franchise has to start somewhere, and 'The Motion Picture' paved the way to better films. Of which the second film 'The Wrath of Khan' is among the best, a strong contender for the best. Much appreciated its darker tone, emotional wallop and that it was much better paced and action-oriented than 'The Motion Picture'.It may not be as visually stunning as 'The Motion Picture' (the production values is one of only two areas that is done better in that film to here), and William Shatner still goes overboard in his acting. Then again Shatner was never known for subtlety and when he was restrained (like 1958's 'The Brothers Karamazov') those instances were rare.'The Wrath of Khan' is hardly cheap-looking though, having better production values generally than the original series. The sets are more elaborate, the photography is moody and stylish and the special effects are hardly hokey. While Jerry Goldsmith's music is missed a little, James Horner is more than up to the plate, not as rousing but typically beautifully orchestrated and high in the thrills factor. The sound effects are suitably eerie.Writing is an improvement, getting to the point more and less talk heavy, it is very intelligent and thought-provoking without being overly serious. The story has no pacing issues, being much tighter and with much more going on. Credit is due too for exploring (beautifully) dark and universal themes. Nicholas Meyer is a more than welcome replacement, showing more of a sense of loyalty to the original series while bringing his own style without being too ambitious.Acting, with the exception of Shatner, is good. Leonard Nimoy has rarely been more moving, with a truly powerful final scene, and Riccardo Montalban rarely so deliciously campy (without ever hurting the film's tone and still being entertaining) and also menacing. No pointless or underwritten characters here.Overall, great and one of the best 'Star Trek' films. 9/10 Bethany Cox

FlashCallahan As Adm. James T. Kirk and Capt. Spock monitor trainees at Starfleet Academy, another vessel from the United Federation of Planets is about to try out the planet-creating Genesis Device in a seemingly deserted portion of space.In the process, two of Kirk's officers are captured by Khan, an enemy Kirk thought he'd never see again.Once more, Kirk takes the Enterprise's helm, where he meets Khan's ship in an intergalactic showdown.......It's easy to see why this is regarded as one of the finest Star Trek films ever made, it's a classy affair, and all the cast know that they are making something rather groundbreaking.Whilst the first film isn't as anywhere near as bad as you may have heard, the makers were basically cashing in on Star Wars, and the film is nothing more than a psychedelic experience featuring the cast spending the majority of the film in awe of special effects.Now this is way darker, and from the moment the credits roll, this is more of an adult orientated affair.Shatner is pretty restraint in this, taking the film and narrative as serious as the writers, but in hindsight, he was no match for Montalban.In his role as Khan, not only is he the most formidable villain in Trek law, he is also one of cinemas most notorious villains to boot.Every syllable he utters is delivered with so much class, so much flamboyance, he absolutely obliterates everybody else on screen, no wonder Shatner doesn't share any scenes with him, other than that of a monitor.It's surprising that Montalban wasn't nominated for an Academy award, prosthetic chest or not, he is the reason why this film works so well.Take away the science fiction elements of the film, you have a classic western, good guy versus bad guy, featuring a wonderful stand off in the final act.The rest of the cast are as good as you'd expect, and the final fifteen minutes of the film are just cinematic gold.