Fathom Events, through TCM, presents the big-screen return of one of the all-time great sequels, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (the director's cut) on September 4, 5 & 8.
This limited-engagement release presents William Shatner's Admiral James T. Kirk and crew, along with Kirstie Alley's exotic Lt. Saavik, as they reengage a seasoned foe: Ricardo Maltaban's ambitious-to-an-unethical-fault Khan Noonien Singh. In this instance, the genetically engineered ubermensch seeks revenge on Kirk for not checking on his exiled progress, though considering Khan's brash move to hijack the Enterprise, it's easy to argue he got all he deserved.
Director Nicholas (Time After Time) Myer and writer Jack B. Sowards inject lots of grand and humble characterization for the principals, as well as a cosmic, nautical backdrop for the cat-and-mouse spree. Soward's script also places Leonard Nimoy's Captain Spock in a sacrificial turn, which at the time of its 1982 release, made Wrath of Khan the talk of the galaxy.
Supplemented by Industrial Light & Magic's enriching effects and James Horner's sprawling score, Wrath of Khan raked in big bucks despite its fruitful competition: E.T., Blade Runner, Tron, The Thing and Rocky III. On this basis, the movie's stellar success proved that Star Trek was programmed to prevail.
If the truth be known, Wrath of Khan is more a companion piece to Marc Daniels/Gene L. Coon/Carey Wilber's "Space Seed" than Star Trek: TMP, thanks to producer Harve Bennett's appreciation for the engaging, television episode, but the movie more than holds its own, its influence strong enough to have prompted the acclaimed "Genesis" trilogy, which includes Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Wrath of Khan is an important, pop-cultural component in Gene Roddenberry's "Wagon Train to the stars", and who doesn't think of the Kobayashi Maru test at least once every hard work day? That allegorical allusion alone entrenches its classic status, which continues to soar forty years after its blockbuster premiere.
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