Very disappointing...

A lot of fun.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

I'm not a real fan of Star Trek; I saw a few episodes of the 1960's television series and found them amusing, which was the idea. The show was not a comedy or parody as such, but it kept the tone interesting. My favorite part when there was a shore leave fight between the Enterprise crew and some Klingons, and when Captain Kirk asks if the fight was over his being insulted, he is dismayed to be told no.I picked this one up because I heard it was supposed to be the best of the 1980's Star Trek movies, but found it disappointing and didn't finish it. It drags on, makes its points about Kirk being in a midlife crisis early on and goes on too long with the idea, and the villain Khan is not frightening like he should have been, I remember all the fuss by fans when the original movie came out and how that turned out to be nothing special. I had high hopes for this one because it was supposed to be the best, and learned the lesson that the other movies must have been even worse.

Despite the fact that the first Star Trek motion picture rekindled an interest in the show, there existed a disconnect between the style/feel of the Original Series TV show and the style/feel of the first movie. In The Wrath of Khan, however, the focus shifts back to what made the show a success in the first place: great acting and character development, subtle humor, action/adventure scenes, and some thought-provoking concepts.In this film, a few members of the U.S.S. Enterprise stumble across an old nemesis from the TV show...Khan, a ruthless dictator who will stop at nothing to get his revenge on Captain Kirk, the man who imprisoned him. At the same time, Kirk is struggling with his advancing age, coming to terms with the fact that he will not be a starship captain forever. The final showdown between Kirk and Kahn will have you on the edge of your seating, rooting for the swashbuckling Kirk more than ever before.The pacing of this movie is just incredible, the biggest departure from the often-stodgy "Motion Picture" original. Not a wasted scene here, yet one never feels cheated.This movie also does a great job of showcasing the "auxiliary" characters (Uhura, Chekhov, Sulu, Scotty, etc.), who more often than not got the short end of the spool in the TV show. For devoted fans of the show, the final scene is likely the most gut-wrenching of any movie or TV episode, as fan-favorite Spock must make a split-second decision that will alter his life forever.To conclude, this might just be my favorite Trek film of the bunch, as it remains true to the ideals/concepts that made Star Trek such a cultural phenomena in the first place along with providing some great human drama in the process. For those of you who watched the first Star Trek film and were disappointed, take heart, as this film will set things back on track.

There never was and never will be a Star Trek episode or movie that approaches this. It is the creative peak of the Star Trek saga, in fact this should fit very nicely into a list of the top ten sci-fi movies of all time even if you're not a Star Trek fan. Everything is right, from the special effects, the epic characters, the majestic musical score, through the dialogue and plot. And add to all that we get Kirstie Alley as a strangely alluring Vulcan officer. If one could complain, Ricardo's wonderful portrayal of Khan gets a tad shrill at the end, but whatever. Above all these other things is Nimoy's portrayal of Spock, a wonderful actor in a truly classic role, never done better or more effectively than here. This movie set a standard none of the sequels could match, it is one hell of a great movie from beginning to end.

I'll admit I'm no fan of JJ Abrams and his lazy, re-interpretations of the Star Trek franchise. Silly characters, bad acting and too much reliance on CGI action doesn't make up for poor script writing. For me, Star Treks II, III and IV comprise one of the best movie story-arcs in Sci-Fi. And Star Trek II: WRATH OF KHAN is the BEST chapter and best ST movie ever made. All the crew favorites were there - Kirk, Spock, Bones, Uhura, Scotty, Sulu and even Checkov - along with the best ST villain in Khan Noonien Singh, played with gusto by the late Ricardo Mantalban. The story is classic Star Trek, the pacing excellent and the space battles are epic. I have seen this movie many, many times since it was first made in the early 80's and it holds up with time. No CGI but the effects are good all the same. They made this movie back when blockbusters took time, effort and skill, not just lots of blinding CGI and "winging it" attitudes in acting. I encourage anyone who has never seen a Trek movie to pick ST II as your first venture into the Starfleet Universe. This is the quintessential Star Trek movie of all time. Still the best and still great to watch!