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THE MOVIE
The Star Trek film franchise did not get off to a terrific start. Despite some solid box office receipts, executives and the public alike could not help but feel disappointed by Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Although it ambitiously tried to raise the Star Trek series from high camp to high art, many audiences found the film alienating and too abstract to support the length of the piece. They missed the clear antagonists present in the original Star Trek series, and the guns-blazing Captain Kirk at the helm of the Enterprise. Boy were they going to be pleased with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
It has been several years since the events of the first film, and Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) is facing aging and the future for the first time. Longing for the adventures of the past, Kirk jumps at the chance to take the Enterprise on a training cruise with a group of new recruits. However, plans change when a space station researching the top-secret Genesis Project is attacked by one of Kirk's old enemies, Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán). So it is off to save the day against the odds once again...
From the opening scenes of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, we know this is not going to be the same beige exercise as the first theatrical outing. Opening with a training exercise that sees all of the major characters "killed" off, the scene sets the tone for the rest of the film. The screenwriters have literally gone back to basics, taking plot threads from the 1967 episode "Space Seed" in which Khan is first introduced. This move could have pushed non-fans even further away, but the connection becomes almost irrelevant as the film hurtles action scene after action scene at us, with the battling wits of Khan and Kirk at the centre of it all. This formula worked so well in the original series, and the "Captain versus Foe" motif would be used again in later films (including Star Trek: Nemesis and the most recent reworking of Star Trek). The rivalry takes on Shakespearean proportions, or more accurately an Ahab/Moby Dick relationship that is referenced a number of times through the film. It makes for nothing less than a thrill-a-minute rollercoaster, punctuated by some brilliantly timed pieces of humour and drama.
What was particularly bold about this film is that it didn't try and ignore the fact that the cast was aging. Instead, it embraced it and focused the attention on it. Much of the humour from this and subsequent Star Trek films comes from the aging cast, and this instantly allows audiences to connect with the twenty-third century crew. The Kirk/Bones/Spock mixture of close friendship and grumpy indignation is there from the start, and like Star Trek: The Motion Picture it manages to take aim at some of The Big Questions on the nature of existence. This time, it manages to do it with a permanent arched eyebrow. There is an episode of The Simpsons where the later Trek films are parodied with (the very clever) Star Trek XII: So Very Tired. However, looking back at these movies it becomes clear that Star Trek beat them to the self-parody by years.
While some may make an argument for the later Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan stands out from the original set of films as the best. It not only began a near-perfect story arc that would end with the aforementioned Voyage Home, but it set the template for future Trek films to come. By doing so, it ensured the future of a franchise that continues to this day.
THE TRANSFER
Video:
Unlike some of the other Star Trek releases that have come out of this first wave of Blu-rays, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan has actually been restored rather than simply remastered. This makes the second film in the series the best to watch in every sense of the word. Having seen this movie many times over the years, it may not be the revelation that Blade Runner: The Final Cut was, but Khan is a far down-to-Earth (so to speak) film than that. Very few blemishes spoil this 1080P release, and it is certainly the best that it has ever looked to my eye. Note that this is the theatrical cut, and not the more recent Director's Cut.
NB: The images in this review do not represent the quality of the Blu-ray. I dug these images up from the equivalent of a shoebox at the bottom of a wardrobe.
Audio:
As with the other Star Trek Blu-rays, the audio is where this Blu-ray really excels. For the first time, the film is presented with Dolby True HD 7.1 audio. It sounds absolutely amazing, with every scrape and explosion felt in the room. While screens may never quite be able to compete with the cinema experience, the audio is getting very close. Or at least close enough to annoy your neighbours. The wealth of mono and stereo tracks also available confuses me, but hey - I'll go with it!
THE EXTRAS
The Blu-ray carries over the complete collection of bonus features found on the Director's Cut DVD from a few years back (erm...wow...that was 2002), as well as some bonus HD features for this new release.
There are two commentary tracks on this Blu-ray both feature director Nicholas Meyer, although one commentary track is new to this release and also features producer Manny Coto.
A section labelled Production contains most of the stuff ported over from the DVD, and a few extra bits. Most of the original DVD features are in SD, with the newer materials in HD. Captain's Log (27:21) is a good all-round retrospective 'making of' piece, interviewing all of the principle cast and crew. Although it contains almost everything the casual fan would want to know, the bonuses don't stop there. Designing Khan (23:54) focuses on the production design and art direction, significant because it set the naval tone for future Trek films and TV series. Almost worth the price of the disc alone is the Original Interviews with William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelly and Ricardo Montalbán (10:56). These vintage interviews were recorded on the publicity trail back in 1982 and a great historical document. Topping this is Where No Man Has Gone Before: The Visual Effects of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (18:14). Before CGI, folks with models; fluff; crazy lights and string had to make us believe chunks of metal could soar and fight in space. This is an excellent look at how the film's still impressive special effects were made. Completing this section is the new James Horner: Composing Genesis (9:33, HD), which looks at the main musical themes throughout the film.
Over to the Star Trek Universe, and we get another new featurette. Collecting Star Trek Movie Relics (11:05, HD) looks at those really dedicated fans who collect props from the films. A Novel Approach (28:55) is back from the DVD, and is a lengthy featurette at the writers of the expanded Star Trek novel universe, where gaps are filled between the on-screen adventures. As with the other rereleases, we get Starfleet Academy SCISEC Brief 002: The Mystery Behind Ceti Alpha VI (3:08), which doesn't really tell us anything we don't glean from the film.
There is also a Theatrical trailer found in there.
On to the Blu-ray exclusives, and these once again include the BD-Live feature, Star Trek I.Q and the Library Computer Access. The latter is actually quite a good interactive trivia track. While not quite picture-in-picture, it does provide a wealth of additional information at the click of a button on demand. All sorts of Trek trivia will be listed in an on-screen menu designed to look like the computers in the Trek universe.
SUMMARY
While Star Trek: The Motion Picture may be credited with kick-starting the Star Trek movie franchise, it is Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan that made them work. Setting the template for all the films that were to come, it brought the sheer joy and exciting of Trek to the big screen while embracing the fact that nobody was getting any younger. Starting a trilogy that would encompass Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is near-perfection.
This digitally restored Blu-ray stands out from the other 'merely' remastered discs, although frankly they all look pretty good. An already amazing collection of DVD extras is built upon here, making this a must-own disc for Star Trek fans with Blu-ray players. This is also available as part of a 7-Disc box-set with the other 5 original films, and a bonus Blu-ray.
Highly recommended.
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