In the annals of modern science fiction entertainment, 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan stands as one of the genre's signature entries.
On Sept. 10 and 13, Fathom Events will bring Star Trek II back to the big screen, in a re-mastered "director's cut" of the movie. If you're in Omaha, we recommend you check it out at Aksarben Cinema.
This new cut of the movie was released on Blu-ray last year. Prior to this release, the only place you could see this version of the movie was an airing in the mid-1980s on ABC. (I actually recorded that version on our family's first-ever VCR -- a top-loading Panasonic player.)
I ordered a copy of the 35th anniversary director's cut on Blu-ray so I could review it for all my loyal readers. (These are the sorts of "sacrifices" I'm willing to make for this blog.) I have owned various copies of this movie on VHS, DVD, and now Blu-ray.
Director Nicholas Meyer's narrative is pitch perfect in this tale that is as much a classic cat-and-mouse naval battle as it is a thought-provoking science fiction adventure.
On a new documentary included with the Blu-ray, Meyer opines, "The French director Robert Bresson said, 'My job is not to find out what the public wants and give it to them... my job is to make the public want what I want.' And that's the way I sort of think, rightly or wrongly. I've never been very interested in what the public wants. So I made the Star Trek movie that I wanted to see. On the assumption that if I liked it, other people would like it."
Rehashing the plot seems pretty pointless with a popular 35-year-old film like The Wrath of Khan. So I won't. Instead, I'll focus on some of the lesser-known facts that you might not know.
Star Trek II faced a number of hurdles coming to the big screen. In fact, it almost never got made. The film followed 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture -- a film that went over budget and cost $43 million to make (a significant amount at the time).
By contrast, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was given a budget of $11 million, and was developed by the TV division at Paramount (with the idea that they could do things "leaner and meaner").
Also of note is the fact that the film is essentially a sequel to the 1967 Star Trek episode "Space Seed" (where Ricardo Montalban also played the character Khan Noonien Singh), and takes place 15 years after the events in the episode.
Star Trek II is to its parent franchise what The Empire Strikes Back is to the Star Wars franchise -- arguably the best in the series, and a film where "less is more" in terms of narrative, effects, and style.
I remember seeing "Star Trek II" at Indian Hills as a kid. Last year, my brother-in-law Sean and I were posting on Facebook about seeing the movie in the theater's old Cinerama auditorium back in 1982:
Unfortunately, my brother-in-law died earlier this year. I felt wistful as I watched Star Trek II yesterday because I knew if Sean was around he would suggest we go see this re-release at Aksarben Cinema.
The 35th anniversary Blu-ray's transfer looks better than it ever has, despite the inherent limitations of films released in the 1980s. It contains both the director's cut and the theatrical version (the additional footage in the extended version primarily focuses on Mr. Scott's nephew Peter Preston, an engineering cadet on the U.S.S. Enterprise).
If you do decide to order this film on Blu-ray, please be aware that Paramount has released an updated version of the "director's cut" on disc (fixing an error involving a line of dialogue by Mr. Sulu in the film). Be sure to check the back of the packaging to see if the movie has a "yellow" UPC barcode -- that is the "corrected" version.
Fathom Events is bringing this week's screenings of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to theaters around the country. As an added bonus, you get to watch an exclusive interview with William Shatner. (If you don't follow Shatner on Twitter, he is pretty prolific...and funny.)
The chance to see Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in a movie theater again provides a terrific opportunity for long-time fans -- along with those unfamiliar with the film -- to experience one of moviedom's benchmark science-fiction adventures on the big screen.
Several years ago, a writer named Ray Oldenburg wrote a book called The Great Good Place, a book focusing on the notion that everyone needs a "third place" -- those spots in a community "where people can gather, put aside the concerns of work and home, and hang out simply for the pleasures of good company and lively conversation."
When I hear people talk about their fondness for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (including the comments of my brother-in-law above), it serves as a reminder about the power of experiencing a movie in the theater, and how those moments stick with you.
"Star Trek" fans take note: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer is currently a producer on the upcoming CBS series Star Trek: Discovery, and is rumored to be working on another Star Trek series focusing on the character of Khan.
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