All the hands are here, in new, visually striking uniforms and a new interior of USS ENTERPRISE that looks more like a warship than it did in STAR TREK: THE ONE WITH THE BALD CHICK. We kick off a nice little subplot about aging and coming to grips with the passage of time, and then we’re off to the main show: Ricardo Montalban as Khan the Villain has been marooned by Kirk on a desert planet with limited food, but a kickass gym and a Vidal Sassoon franchise. Now he’s free, and he’s out for blood.
I know. “Yawn, another villain out for blood. We’ve seen this before.” Yes, but this is Ricardo Montalban, and he demonstrates why this type of character, when done right, has propelled film after film after film. He’s dangerous, charismatic, and just plain fun, and watching him try to outwit the Kirk/Spock team is treat.
Note that I wrote “outwit,” not “outfight.” STAR TREK II, like any good sea yarn, doesn’t culminate in a fistfight. Rather, its climax is one of dueling captains and crews trying to outmaneuver one another. Layer on the contrast between the leadership styles of hero and villain, and you have the delicious tension of watching hulls come about and wondering who’ll be first to bring his guns to bear. Oh man, this is so much more interesting than just another hand-to-hand stuntfest. Having seen the film before, I knew what was going to happen; yet it still put me on the edge of my seat.
I almost wish, however, that this film hadn’t been so successful. After retreading the “opposing captain out for revenge” angle in III, VI, NEMESIS, and the reboot, this franchise could stand to step away from II’s example. It’s not like they were ever going to top it, anyway.
3 comments:
since netflix employees obviously do not read their customer concerns, I'm hoping they read this. There is no sound when this movie is streamed. please do something about it.
Same here. No sound. I should call and request 50% off. Video is 50%, and so is sound.
How odd. The sound worked just fine when I streamed it in June.
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