I was a teenager when this movie debuted and it was an exhilarating movie to see in the theater. There were two reasons I loved it. One, because it was a very good movie (especially for its time) and two, the anticipation Trek fans had for a new, quality Trek adventure (after the uninspired first film, but long before TNG and the rest) was nearly palpable. I believe this movie resonates much more with the long-time Trekkers, who waited throughout the 70's for Star Trek to be revived. Twenty years later, the film has aged fairly well and it presents the classic characters as larger-than-life icons, which they really are. I watched this again on the recently released DVD director's cut. This is a still a very taut film. There's a purpose for each scene, and this is a tribute to director Nicholas Meyer and also to Harve Bennett, the producer. The film is hindered by a lack of CGI technology, which could have made the Genesis Cave (among other things) much more impressive. Those who are thinking of watching this should rent "Space Seed," an episode of the original TV series, before watching this film. The story here, particularly Khan's obsession with destroying Kirk, will then seem like a natural progression. Montalban does great work, but I wish there were one or 2 more scenes with him. Nimoy is excellent as Spock and really has wonderful dialogue written for him. The themes of aging, mortality, obsession, sacrifice and rebirth are all present so this film
has a very meaningful subtext beyond the Khan-Kirk rivalry. A Tale of Two Cities is used as a literary reference and Khan quotes Shakespeare. Meyer
brings all these threads together beautifully. As an aside, I should mention TNG (especially the first 2 seasons) borrowed many plots and styles of presentation (including lots of Shakespeare) from the Classic Trek TV show and these early Trek movies. I loved Kirstie Alley as Lt. Saavik. Some of Kirk's best scenes are with her and the first meeting with Khan allows Saavik to show her poise. Saavik was intended to be a major new character in Trek, but when Alley declined to appear in the third film, Saavik was recast and given much less to do in The Search For Spock. I still wish Kirstie had stayed with Trek. I have to mention the James Horner score is positively brilliant. All of his music underscores the dramatic moments perfectly. He did a great job. All in all, this is still a fine film which, if made today, would have benefited from CGI technology. There is one computer graphic showing how the Genesis project works, but advanced CGI was not available. Hard-core Trek fans must own the new DVD version of Khan. It has excellent interviews (past and present) with the cast and 2 commentaries, along with other features. I give the movie 9 stars out of 10.
has a very meaningful subtext beyond the Khan-Kirk rivalry. A Tale of Two Cities is used as a literary reference and Khan quotes Shakespeare. Meyer
brings all these threads together beautifully. As an aside, I should mention TNG (especially the first 2 seasons) borrowed many plots and styles of presentation (including lots of Shakespeare) from the Classic Trek TV show and these early Trek movies. I loved Kirstie Alley as Lt. Saavik. Some of Kirk's best scenes are with her and the first meeting with Khan allows Saavik to show her poise. Saavik was intended to be a major new character in Trek, but when Alley declined to appear in the third film, Saavik was recast and given much less to do in The Search For Spock. I still wish Kirstie had stayed with Trek. I have to mention the James Horner score is positively brilliant. All of his music underscores the dramatic moments perfectly. He did a great job. All in all, this is still a fine film which, if made today, would have benefited from CGI technology. There is one computer graphic showing how the Genesis project works, but advanced CGI was not available. Hard-core Trek fans must own the new DVD version of Khan. It has excellent interviews (past and present) with the cast and 2 commentaries, along with other features. I give the movie 9 stars out of 10.