Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Wiz RECOMMENDS Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan The last time I remember a film series get so much better from one film to the next, it was the Harry Potter series when it went from Chamber of Secrets to Prisoner of Azkaban. Save for one issue, everything is a marked improvement from The Motion Picture to Wrath of Khan. There is a good story and plot that is paced real well: there's excitement, entertainment and intrigue throughout the film. On top of that, the characters are also very well done. In the last movies, everyone felt like Spocks: lifeless, husks of characters who barely show any difference between each other (save for Bones being a bit mean in spots or Scotty having an accent). In this film, all of the characters have interesting personalities that finally makes sense as to why people love these characters. Kirk's playful and reckless style is shown, Bones and his sarcasm....hell, Spock actually feels like a character in this! But the best character in the film is definitely Ricardo Montalban's Khan. Unlike the first movies' villain, Khan is an actual person! Ok ok...in all seriousness, it's a stark difference when the heroes have an actual good villain to bounce off of. Khan is deliciously evil and his overacting is actually quite fun when he gets into the film. But what's the one issue that Wrath of Khan doesn't do as good as The Motion Picture? The visuals, honestly. The film when it comes to special effects, models and the like aren't as visually compelling as the previous film. It's not terrible, but there is definitely a step down in the visual department. But man, it doesn't matter when the actual film in all other aspects are this good. From the exciting action to the heartbreaking ending, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is the movie that the Star Trek series should have started with in the first place. It's a highly entertaining and in the end emotional wallop of a film.