This is one of those sequels that had everything going for it and succeeds on all counts, possibly because the original itself was such a let-down, or maybe it just stands on its own for one good reason--great plot and a powerful villian.
The storytelling and the characters really worked splendidly together and they must have known they were a part of something special. There are times when it makes for fascinating viewing and there are times when it's funny and there are times when it is downright sinister. But it's always dark and epic, mostly because of the incredible performance by Ricardo Montalban's vicious but brilliant Khan. The greatest asset any kind of suspense can have is a great villian. This has it and he's more than a match for poor Kirk. 'We're alive only because I knew something about these ships that he didn't'. He feels he was caught with his britches down! Then of course there's the ending.
This is where I feel that the fans themselves were to blame for… more »

This is one of those sequels that had everything going for it and succeeds on all counts, possibly because the original itself was such a let-down, or maybe it just stands on its own for one good reason--great plot and a powerful villian.
The storytelling and the characters really worked splendidly together and they must have known they were a part of something special. There are times when it makes for fascinating viewing and there are times when it's funny and there are times when it is downright sinister. But it's always dark and epic, mostly because of the incredible performance by Ricardo Montalban's vicious but brilliant Khan. The greatest asset any kind of suspense can have is a great villian. This has it and he's more than a match for poor Kirk. 'We're alive only because I knew something about these ships that he didn't'. He feels he was caught with his britches down! Then of course there's the ending.
This is where I feel that the fans themselves were to blame for the poor films which came after. This was the peak of their time and it was time to say goodbye to someone much loved. They were not afraid to do it. Thankfully the ending was moving and it gave a ray of hope that spock was out there. But bringing him back because the fans wanted him back was their biggest mistake. Be thankful for the time he had and the fact that he went out in a blaze of glory. That's what made the film so special. I have a copy and I still think they never bettered it. Not even close. In that respect, it kind of reminds me of The Empire Strikes Back. Dark, powerful, awe-inspiring, and epic. Sounds familiar. Funny how when they're dark , they're a lot better.

One of the truly memorable feature film successes of this series "Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan" excitingly pitted our heroic Enterprise crew against former TV series villain Khan (brought to life with so convincingly by Ricardo Montalban) and led to Kirk and his crew dramatically 'paying with their dearest blood' at its conclusion. It's a great film and although I enjoy and have enormous respect for its predecessor I share the opinion that this is better in emulating the fast paced suspenseful aspects found in the original TV series. On Director's Edition 2 disc DVD release we gain the extended 112 min length cut of this 1982 film and although director Nicolas Meyer provides a solo commentary his insight is welcome and understandably well informed about the feature. The second disc offers a much healthier selection of extras than the preceding 2 disc film release headed by the 'Captain's Log' making of feature at about 27 mins. Further production details are offered in 'Designing… more »

One of the truly memorable feature film successes of this series "Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan" excitingly pitted our heroic Enterprise crew against former TV series villain Khan (brought to life with so convincingly by Ricardo Montalban) and led to Kirk and his crew dramatically 'paying with their dearest blood' at its conclusion. It's a great film and although I enjoy and have enormous respect for its predecessor I share the opinion that this is better in emulating the fast paced suspenseful aspects found in the original TV series. On Director's Edition 2 disc DVD release we gain the extended 112 min length cut of this 1982 film and although director Nicolas Meyer provides a solo commentary his insight is welcome and understandably well informed about the feature. The second disc offers a much healthier selection of extras than the preceding 2 disc film release headed by the 'Captain's Log' making of feature at about 27 mins. Further production details are offered in 'Designing Khan' (24 mins) and 'Visual Effects' (18 mins) whilst Paramount have appreciably raided the archives with intriguing (now) historic interviews from the films stars around the time of original cinematic release running to about 11 mins. Essentially focusing on the paperback/hardback exploits of the original series crew accompanied by various TV episode clips the 29 min 'The Star Trek Universe' is more a fan appreciation extra which although is interesting may for most be viewed as rather dry stuff. As with the previous release the menus on both discs emulate the films central premise/location in this case it's the Genesis planet where you can select whichever option or feature that interests you. A great film backed up by a more substantial collection of extras make this a more appealing purchase.