Artist Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

Because getting Star Trek fans to agree on any issue tends to be an elusive goal, it would take an exceptional project to unite the bunch. Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan comes closest for several reasons. Ironically enough, a significant one is that even without the words “Star Trek,” the film would still be a space adventure of the highest order. Almost destined to look good by comparison, Khan followed 1979’s handsome, ponderous Star Trek: The Motion Picture by dispensing with the formalities and getting down to the business at hand: A genetically engineered superman, played by Ricardo Montalban, vies for revenge on Captain Kirk after living for decades in the aftermath of an ecological disaster. Not least among Khan’s pleasures is the way it continually veers toward, but never quite crosses, the neutral zone between space opera and interstellar camp.

Updated 12/19/2011