Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
March 13th 2010 08:56
It's lonely in space. There's millions of kilometres of sweet nothing between you and anyone else. It's a young man's game, gallivanting around the galaxy in the name of the United Federation of Planets.
Admiral Jim Kirk is no longer this young man. He's behind a desk at Starfleet Command. Spock is now a teacher, giving his wisdom to the next generation. Doctor McCoy is older and mellowing. They're all old, and they know it.
Unfortunately, the continuing Federation quest to colonise planets has resurrected an old foe; Khan. Exiled with his followers to the lush planet of Ceti Alpha VI, he is perhaps the only man to have outthought and outpunched the heroic Captain Kirk in his prime.
But now, Khan is unleashed. He's older, twisted and malevolent. His once lush home has become a barren wasteland with nought but danger and despair. He has but one thought, to find Jim Kirk and to make him suffer as he did.
Ultimately, the film is about loss and the isolation. Kirk's rank of Admiral has taken him away from the space adventures he loves so much. Kirk and Khan are never actually in the same room, all of their interactions being transmissions through the cold vacuum of space and the solid hulls of their ships. In Khan's quest to make Kirk experience loss, it becomes apparent that Kirk has never had to face it. He's always been able to outthink the enemy, overcome the obstacle or just plain cheat. Kirk has to face the fact that some challenges just can't be beaten and not all losses can be avoided.
A film of this nature is heavily reliant on the villain, to counterbalance the hero. Ricardo Montalban manages to be vile and twisted, but charismatic, even when he's only present in a scene via an audio transmission. Shatner's performance is really that of an old man, not quite what he was, but not realising it. Everyone else's performances are suitably muted, which elevates the leads.
Fantastic cinematography conveys the loneliness of space and the size of their characters. Small, fragile, star ships are cast against an infinite void, while their crews fill the screen.
This is by far the best of the Star Trek films. The plot is enough to carry the story, and the themes are powerful.
Admiral Jim Kirk is no longer this young man. He's behind a desk at Starfleet Command. Spock is now a teacher, giving his wisdom to the next generation. Doctor McCoy is older and mellowing. They're all old, and they know it.
Unfortunately, the continuing Federation quest to colonise planets has resurrected an old foe; Khan. Exiled with his followers to the lush planet of Ceti Alpha VI, he is perhaps the only man to have outthought and outpunched the heroic Captain Kirk in his prime.
But now, Khan is unleashed. He's older, twisted and malevolent. His once lush home has become a barren wasteland with nought but danger and despair. He has but one thought, to find Jim Kirk and to make him suffer as he did.
Ultimately, the film is about loss and the isolation. Kirk's rank of Admiral has taken him away from the space adventures he loves so much. Kirk and Khan are never actually in the same room, all of their interactions being transmissions through the cold vacuum of space and the solid hulls of their ships. In Khan's quest to make Kirk experience loss, it becomes apparent that Kirk has never had to face it. He's always been able to outthink the enemy, overcome the obstacle or just plain cheat. Kirk has to face the fact that some challenges just can't be beaten and not all losses can be avoided.
A film of this nature is heavily reliant on the villain, to counterbalance the hero. Ricardo Montalban manages to be vile and twisted, but charismatic, even when he's only present in a scene via an audio transmission. Shatner's performance is really that of an old man, not quite what he was, but not realising it. Everyone else's performances are suitably muted, which elevates the leads.
Fantastic cinematography conveys the loneliness of space and the size of their characters. Small, fragile, star ships are cast against an infinite void, while their crews fill the screen.
This is by far the best of the Star Trek films. The plot is enough to carry the story, and the themes are powerful.
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