2017 marks the 35th anniversary of the release of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, widely considered to be the finest
film in the franchise. While it isn't my personal favorite (that would be the
follow up Star Trek III: The Search for
Spock), I can't deny the greatness of this film. To commemorate the
anniversary, Paramount, through Fathom Events, released the director's cut into
theaters for a limited two day engagement on September 10th and 13th. It
doesn't matter that I've seen the film countless times and have it on all
variety of home video. The plain fact is, if a classic Star Trek film is being
run on the big screen, you will find me there.
A decently filled, albeit small, theater with reclining seats faced a
nice sized screen. Since I waited too long to order my tickets, I wound up in
the very last row to the right. But there really weren't any bad seats in the
house. The event kicked off with an interview with William Shatner by film
critic Scott Mantz, a self proclaimed die hard Trekkie. He was exuberant and,
well, annoying. However, Shatner was a delight as he joked and gave insights
into the making of the film. Many of his statements were inaccurate, but the
guy's in his mid-80's, so I just went along for the ride. It was a jovial, fun
15 minutes, but Mantz was too eager to allow spoilers. I realize it's a 35 year
old film, but more than one parent I've spoken with was showing their kids the
film for the first time. Running the interview at the end would have been a
better choice.
The preamble concluded, the film proper kicked off. I must admit to
some genuine excitement. I have only seen this film twice before in the cinema;
once during the original run in 1982 and a second time in 2012 in a small
Manhattan revival house, which was packed with fans. That night was glorious as
a scratched and cruddy 35mm print unspooled. The audience was into it then,
almost too much. I don't like shenanigans in the theater. This time, we got a
silent enraptured audience and a crisp 4k digital projection.
The film itself is classic. They truly don't make them like this
anymore. Instead of wall to wall action, a shaky bobbing and weaving camera and
rapid fire edits, we were treated to a slowing unfolding dramatic space opera.
It took literally 45 minutes for the action to truly kick in. Yet none of it
was dull. The pacing is crisp as we are introduced to all the players. Kirstie
Alley's debut as Vulcan Lt. Saavik, a command trainee, is impressive. During
the combat simulation, she fails to save her crew, unable to comprehend it was
a no win situation with no correct resolution. Meanwhile, the USS Reliant, with
first officer Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) is looking for a lifeless planet
with which to test the new terraforming technology, Genesis. They discover a
lifeform reading and Captain Terrell (Paul Winfield) and Chekov investigate.
There they find Khan (Ricardo Montalban) who has been stranded for 15 years. Kirk,
back in the original series episode "Space Seed," left Khan there
with his people, to tame a garden planet for their own. A calamity caused the
orbit of the planet to shift, laying waste to the surface. Having lost his wife
to indigenous ear crawling eels, Khan was driven quite mad in the process and
now sees his opportunity to leave and take his revenge on the man who left him
there.
Back on the Enterprise, Kirk is feeling the pull of age. His usefulness
and youth are gone. Now an administrator, he yearns for command again. Saddled
with a crew of cadets, he isn't even in command of the Enterprise during academy
training cruise. Not until a distress call from the inventor of Genesis, old
flame, Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) alters the Enterprise's mission from training
to investigation. Spock (the always great Leonard Nimoy) relinquishes command
to Kirk, who immediately comes to life.
This is without a doubt William Shatner's film. Everything revolves
around Admiral Kirk's story as his old foe Khan hunts him as a 23rd century
Ahab (Star Trek would wear out the Moby Dick references, but for this film it
was fresh). Shatner takes the ball and runs with it, giving the right amount of
layering, making Kirk a real person. However, he's lost his edge, as he is
outmaneuvered by Khan in their first battle. Meeting his own son, who blames
him for the death of his friends, doesn't help. David (Merritt Buttrick) is a
reminder of an unfulfilled life and of time going by. Yet, as the film
progresses, Kirk is rejuvenated. He turns the tables on Khan, finds his groove
and wins the day. However, in the process, his dearest friend is lost while
saving the ship. Spock, in his own no-win scanerio, passes his test and pays
the ultimate price.
The effect Spock's death had on the fanbase can't be underestimated.
Fans were in an uproar and in real tears over it (even my icy cold mom cried).
At the time, Nimoy had no intention of coming back. So he was pretty dead.
However, he had a change of heart at the end of filming and certain
"trapdoors" were left over for his return.
As this is the Director's Cut of the film, a handful of minutes have
been put back in, not enough to alter the story, but they do break up the flow
a bit. Most of these scenes are inconsequential and add nothing to the film but
running time. A few, however, are of note.
The first is in Kirk's apartment when Bones (DeForest Kelley) gives
Kirk glasses for his birthday. The DC specifically has McCoy state the frames
are an antique. This would pay off in Star
Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Later, in Engineering during the Enterprise
inspection, we meet Peter Preston (Ike Eisenmann), who Scotty (James Doohan)
introduces as his nephew. This ties up during the initial battle with Reliant,
when the boy is killed. An additional scene in Sick Bay plays off Scotty's
intense grief. It's one of Doohan's best moments. However, the coda of the
scene is badly acted by Shatner. It has been alleged by Doohan that Shatner
would intentionally fluff scenes where someone was doing good work, or took the
spotlight from him. While I can't confirm this is the case, Shatner's performance here is well off his norm.
None of the additional scenes are of any significance. Just the
opposite, as they were well cut out to begin with. Some performances are
awkward or the editing is off. They make a nearly flawless film occasionally
clumsy.
However, none of this impacts the film in the long run. All of the
power remains. The film ends sadly, but not oppressively so. Kirk's rebirth, the restoration of his youth
and vitality, and the addition of his new family, offsets the loss of Spock.
Kirk's final words, responding to Dr. McCoy's question of how he feels, are
beautiful: "young...I feel young."
As a teenager, I didn't appreciate this ending. It felt corny. Now, however,
as a man about the same age as Kirk is here, I get it completely. Seeing it now
with a whole different set of eyes really hit home for me. Kirk is back doing
what he loves; commanding a Starship. He lost his friend, but gained so much
more. The gorgeous music by the late James Horner seals the deal as we go from
Kirk's epiphany to the final shots of Spock's coffin, soft-landed on the
surface of the new planet. The tears this film earns are as much from joy as from
sadness.
There was a time when character was king. Star Trek was about
character. Today, even in modern Trek films which still tend to be pretty thoughtful, these beats are generally obscured in the flash and dazzle in an attempt to appeal to as many non fans as possible. However, in 1982, they just made the
best Star Trek movie they could. The result was a truly classic film
that was a massive box office success. It resuscitated the franchise and paved
the way for a plethora of films and television series. Whether you choose the Director's Cut or the
theatrical version, both thankfully on Blu-Ray, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a trek well worth taking.
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