Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

THE MOVIE: Certanily one of the best Star Trek movies. Although the main plot about revenge is a bit too basic, the sub-plots, including the addition of Kirk's ex-wife and son, makes the movie better. The action is well paced and the special effects are marevelous. Also, the "expanded director's edition" featured on this DVD adds about 5 extra minutes to the movie. The added footage does little to help the plot, but does a great deal to flesh out more of the minor characters, such as Kirk's son and Lt. Saavik. Also, the last 15 minutes of the film (some added dialogue was put in there to have a little bit more emotional impact at the end of the film) made me jump the grade of the film from a "B" to an "A+."

THE DVD: In addition to having a crisp, clear picture transfer of the film with oustanding sound, the first disc has a nice audio commentary from the director and an even nicer text commentary from Michael Okuda, co-author of the Star Trek Encyclopedia. (That guy knows EVERY SINGLE LITTLE DETAIL THAT OTHER PEOPLE WOULD NOT EVEN KNOW A THING ABOUT that regards to Star Trek.) The second disc contains the following:

1) The Captain's Log: A 27-minute documentary featuring brand new interviews with Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, director Nicholas Meyer, Ricardo Montalban, and others. They talk about how they originally intended to put the film together, how they eventually ended up completing that task, and other things.
2) Designing Khan: A 23-minute documentary that features interviews with director Nicholas Meyers, the costume designer, and the production designer. They discuss the transitions they made in costume and production design from the ST:TMP to ST2:TWOK.
3) Visual Effects: An 18-minute featurette that has interviews with the FX crew. They explain how they executed and completed the FX shots. (Big surprise there)
4) The Star Trek Universe: A 28-minute documetary that features interviews with two Star Trek novel writers. They discuss how they fill in the gaps between the movies with their books and where they get their ideas.
5) Original Interviews: Basically 10 minutes of interviews (from 1982) featuring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban, and Deforest Kelley.
6) Archives: The archives feature 10 original storyboard sequences. (That sure beats the storyboard archives on the ST:TMP DVD, which features a mere 3 storyboard sequences.) There is also a thatrical trailer.

So, there you have it. A great movie with a packed DVD equals a great purchase. Buy as soon as possible.

1982; 116 minutes; Rated PG for mild obscenity, some sequences of sc-fi action/violence, and brief shots of the aftermaths of brutal murders.
(I DO think this movie should have been rated PG-13, but the rating didn't exist then. See and judge for yourself.)...


The royal treatment comes to the most famous TREK film   August 28, 2002
James Mason (Dearborn, MI United States)
20 out of 21 found this review helpful

In the wake of Robert Wise's "director's edition" of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE, it was only a matter of time before Nicholas Meyer's STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN was awarded the same treatment. Half a year later, KHAN does indeed get the royal treatment with a 2-disc set loaded with extras and fan tidbits galore. The package includes a slightly extended "director's cut" of KHAN that restores a critical plot point (namely, the young cadet who dies in Scotty's arms is actually Scotty's nephew) and a few brief clippings of dialogue (mostly back-and-forth exchanges among the main cast); a commentary by Meyer in which he discusses both the film and his approaches to filmmaking; a text commentary by STAR TREK's long-time technical point man Michael Okuda that's packed with more fanboy knowledge than a game of Trivial Pursuit; cast interviews from 1982 (in which Leonard Nimoy wears a pink and white striped suit that makes him look like a pimp); three documentaries covering the making of the film; "A Novel Approach," a documentary where TREK authors Julia Ecklar and Greg Cox discuss how KHAN's plot elements spun off into the TREK novels; the film's FX storyboards; and of course, the theatrical trailer. Let's look at each of these:

THE DIRECTOR'S CUT OF KHAN - the film makes a bit more sense now that the scenes establishing the doomed cadet as Scotty's nephew have been restored, and the restored dialogue adds a little extra kick to the proceedings (it's especially funny to hear Spock respond to Kirk's telling him about his son with a disinterested "Fascinating"). But the film is still as tightly structured and fast-paced as it's ever been; the added footage does nothing to slow the film down or to harm the story (although some nit-pickers will make the hilarious claim that the whopping THREE minutes restored to the film "butcher" it and ruin the pace-how can this be when the added three minutes are spread out over the whole film?). Rather, it gives it a bit more punch. As for the look of the film, it's certainly a lot cleaner and brighter than most other prints, but even with the digital re-mastering, there's still a lot of visible film grain. Like STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE before it, KHAN looks its age regardless of the print quality. But this is a minor detail. Overall the film looks pretty good.

COMMENTARIES - both interesting and enjoyable. Meyer's regular guy vibe and insights into the making of the film are engaging, and Okuda's trivia-heavy text comments are a joy for anyone who thrives on knowing useless fanboy tidbits.

CAST INTERVIEWS - a unusual time capsule in which the film's leads plug the film. But let's face it; the coolest thing about this insert is seeing Leonard Nimoy dressed like a pimp. Spock in a pink suit is perhaps the greatest source of laughs you'll ever find.

DOCUMENTARIES - by far, the coolest of these is "Where No Man Has Gone Before," which covers the stylish FX work ILM did on the film. The giddiness with which the film's FX crew recalls their work on the film is enormously contagious. "Designing KHAN," about the film's costume and set designs, is pretty good, too. "Captain's Log," about the overall making of the film, is uneven though. Where Meyer, producer Harve Bennett, and Ricardo Montalban are discussing what went into the making of the film, William Shatner spends his time being a total wiseacre, either mercilessly razzing his pal Nimoy ("I think the death scene would have been better if we DIDN'T see him thru the glass!" and "Oh, he knew he was coming back, he set me up to think he was leaving...I'll get him one day!") or joking about how he used women's cosmetics to look younger. And Nimoy is no better, cracking wise about how much older Shatner is than he. (For those of you wondering, this is how they act around each other all the time.) The insight/clowning-around mixture simply doesn't jell. But to be fair, at least Nicholas Meyer is finally acknowledged as the author of KHAN's shooting script, not Jack Sowards as has been erroneously credited. "A Novel Approach" is interesting, but dry; it bogs down when the authors recite passages from the novels. The moments where they discuss how KHAN formed the backbone of their work and display their fan knowledge are the most enjoyable, even if the supertitles used during the film clips steer too much into jokiness.

STORYBOARDS - mind-blowing. We're treated to the conceptual sketches of the film's FX shots (including the combat sequences, which match those in the finished film almost exactly), as well as some terrific concepts for the opening title sequence and the "Spock monologue" finale that really should have been used in the film. Illustrated by the late Mike Minor, these storyboards read like a really good comic book.

THEATRICAL TRAILER - pretty dramatic for a teaser, and it gives a good idea of what the film was going to be.

Despite a couple of rocky patches, the "director's edition" of STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN is a worthy package to a really good film. Highly recommended.


KHAAAAAAAN! KHAAAAAAAAN!   April 24, 2000
Mistrmind (MA)
20 out of 22 found this review helpful

Considered the best Star Trek film to date. The film is a virtual Horatio Hornblower in outer space. Wrath Of Khan is a gripping adventure reminisent of a 1957 WWII film "The Enemy Below." Ricardo Montalban is superb at Khan Noonan Singh, genetically modified super madman from the late 20th century. Awoken on a sleeper ship in the 23rd century by Capt Kirk and crew, only to be exiled on unstable planet. Khan seeks revenge on Kirk in the worst way, as he hijacks a Federation starship as well as a device that could literally destroy the galaxy. The best line in the film:

Admiral James T. Kirk: Khan, you bloodsucker! You're gonna have to do your own dirty work now, do you hear me? Do you? Khan: Kirk! You're still alive, old friend! Admiral James T. Kirk: Still, "old friend!" You've managed to kill everyone else but like a poor marksman, you keep missing the target. Khan: Perhaps I no longer need to try, Admiral. [beams the Genesis device away] Admiral James T. Kirk: Khan... Khan, you've got Genesis, but you don't have me. You were going to kill me, Khan. You're gonna have to come down here. You're gonna have to come down here. Khan: I've done far worse than kill you, Admiral. I've hurt you. And I wish to go on hurting you. I shall leave you as you left me, as you left her: marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet, buried alive. Buried alive. Kirk: KHAAANNNN! KHAAANNNN!

Wrath Of Khan also stars Kristie Alley (of Cheers, and Veronica's Closet). It was Krisitie's 1st roll on the big screen, playing Lt. Saavik, Spock's protegee. Great acting by Montalban and terrific over-acting by Shatner. Star Trek II is a tour de force. A must have for the Trekkie and sci-fi collector.


The Best Trek Film Deserves A Better DVD Package (It got it)   July 29, 2000
Erik Rupp (Southern California)
32 out of 40 found this review helpful

STAR TREK: THE WRATH OF KHAN (it didn't have the II in the title when it first came out) is far and away the best Trek film. William Shatner gives his best performance as Kirk, and Ricardo Montalban is incredible as the revenge obsessed Khan. The story is excellent and well paced, mixing small doses of humor in just the right places. The special effects are the best of the series up to INSURRECTION, and Nicholas Meyer's direction is excellent on all levels. The DVD transfer of the film is beautiful - by far the best version of the film visually. Sadly, however, the only extra we get is the original theatrical trailer (and it's not exactly a spectacular trailer - I seem to remember another trailer that was better...). They should have restored the film to include the footage seen on ABC when they broadcast the movie back in the 80's. That version has several extended scenes that help make certain angles in the story make more sense. They also should have done a documentary on the making of the film, like the documentaries on the James Bond DVD's. All that may yet happen, but until then this is still an excellent transfer of the original film, in it's original theatrical form. STAR TREK: THE WRATH OF KHAN is still most die-hard Trek fans' pick as best Trek film, and I would agree with that sentiment. Even though the lack of extras is disappointing, I would recommend this DVD to both Trek fans and non-Trek fans alike. One of the best Science Fiction films of all time.

(Update: An extended edition of Star Trek II ended up released as part of the 2-Disc Star Trek special edition series that Paramount released a few years ago. It is a great set, and is definitely a, "Must have.")


Star Trek II still the best Trek   July 22, 2000
Ralph Fontcuberta (Little Rock, AR USA)
15 out of 18 found this review helpful

Like most fans, I recommend STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN as the best of the Trek film franchise, including the Next Generation films. Despite the lackluster STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE, Paramount knew it had a franchise to compete with STAR WARS on its hands, and put Nicholas Meyer at the helm of the series' comeback.

Originally conceived as STAR TREK: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY (a tip to Spock's death -- the undiscovered country is the place where no traveler returns from -- and a title Meyer liked enough to resurrect for the sixth (and final) original cast Trek installment), the film had just about everything going for it: plot, acting (yes, I said acting), special effects, and an incredible sweeping musical score by James Horner.

The DVD is pretty much perfect, with some caveats. I agree with another reviewer about the lack of additional scenes on the DVD. What happened, Paramount? We know these additional scenes to exist (via network screenings of the film). One should note, however, the sound quality. It's stunning, especially in surround. Almost worth it for that alone.

It was also interesting to see the Trailer for the film again; I'd forgotten how cheesy it was. :)

Despite shortcomings (lack of additional scenes or any real extras on the DVD), this is one of the DVDs I've been waiting for a long time. A welcome addition to just about any DVD collection.