Star Trekking - Redux

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Now that's more like it.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is one of those sequels with the reputation of being better than the original, and it's hard to argue against that. In fact, I almost wish this could've been the film Star Trek made its cinematic debut with instead of The Motion Picture, because it basically does everything I wish The Motion Picture would've done. The Wrath of Khan has a tighter and more balanced screenplay, an interesting villain, a pretty compelling plot and a better grasp on its characters. In fact, Wrath of Khan feels more like Star Trek's response to Star Wars, but at the same time, still maintains what seem to be the core elements of what make Star Trek, well, Star Trek.

I mean, how much do I really need to say here? It's obvious that the producers took all the criticisms of The Motion Picture and found ways to improve those aspects with Wrath of Khan without having to compromise the core values of the franchise. There's a well-struck balance between action/suspense and exploration/ideas throughout, and the film always moves along at a nice pace without it ever feeling like it's wasting time.

Ricardo Montalban makes for an intimidating and powerful presence as Khan. Now, of course, the comparison between Montalban and Benedict Cumberbatch is inevitable, and when comparing the two interpretations of the character, I have to give the edge to Montalban. In essence, Montalban's Khan feels like a more fleshed-out character than Cumberbatch's; we more fully understand his backstory and Montalban's performance feels more layered in some ways. Khan is very much in the tradition of great/memorable on-screen villains.

If there are any complaints I have about The Wrath of Khan, it's actually one of the same main complaints I have with Into Darkness: the impact of the film's big death feels lost on me. It's easy to understand why, though. Seeing as how I'm not a longtime Star Trek fan and thus this is only my second time seeing Leonard Nimoy as Spock, his death scene honestly really didn't affect me. It's well-acted, sure, but I just can't get invested in the death of a character whom I've only seen twice now and who didn't seem to have that much screentime to begin with.

So, overall, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is very much an improvement over The Motion Picture and some clear evidence as to why this franchise has endured for so long.

***1/2 /****

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

So from what I can tell, The Wrath of Khan was the beginning of a trilogy of Star Trek films within the ongoing franchise. That actually makes sense, considering that The Motion Picture was an extended pilot episode rushed into production. Anyway, coming off the high of The Wrath of Khan, we have The Search for Spock, an installment that mostly seems to have been met with a chorus of "meh", but I actually found myself enjoying this film fairly well.

Now, is it as good as The Wrath of Khan? Not really, but there's still quite a bit in The Search for Spock to get on board with. For one, the plot feels fairly tightly-structured and the film doesn't overstay its welcome. The screenwriters are able to pace the plot at a good pace and ensure that the film is never boring. It's also clearly a continuation of The Wrath of Khan in more than just the obvious way, and seeing some of the plot points from that film continue on is interesting. Obviously, I think the most compelling aspects of the plot are the ones involving Spock, in both body and mind. The thread involving his body is a natural continuation of the Genesis arc in Wrath of Khan, while the thread involving his mind is a really intriguing one that also involves my favorite Star Trek character, Bones. These are some emotional/human-driven elements that help balance out the more lofty science fiction elements, and it all helps the film retain an overall tone that I imagine classic Star Trek fans would appreciate. Speaking of the more humanistic elements of the plot, another thing about the film I liked is how we see all the other main characters deal with the loss of Spock. It provides a number of strong scenes throughout.

So, all of the aspects relating to the titular search are pretty well-done. However, not everything work. Specifically, there's a subplot involving another villainous Klingon (played by Christopher Lloyd) that feels like it's in the movie solely for there to be an antagonist to have to fight. I'll admit it does provide the film with some good-enough set-pieces, but at the same time, it pretty much just feels like a retread of stuff we've already seen done better just one movie ago. Also, the character isn't that compelling.

Directorially, Leonard Nimoy shows some skill, though. While it may not be as strong as its predecessor, The Search for Spock is still good overall and a nice addition to the franchise.

***/****

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

After two films that were structured more as action-adventure films, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home marks a change in pace temporarily for the franchise. Here, the emphasis shifts more to character, plot, ideas and especially comedy in what's considered to be the wrap-up film to the trilogy that began with Wrath of Khan. And I have to say, this mini-trilogy within the larger franchise has been pretty damn good overall.

The Voyage Home has no villain to defeat. Rather, the conflict of the plot comes from an ecological threat posed by the mysterious arrival and intentions of a new alien presence that's sending out signals which are threatening to permanently destroy Earth's ecological system. The crew of the Enterprise soon take it upon themselves to stop this from happening, and they must do so by traveling back in time to 1986 and retrieving a humpback whale, which Spock determines to be the origin of the strange alien signals.

I'll admit, when I first read the basic synopsis of this movie's plot, I was concerned that it might either come off as dull or hokey (in terms of the cultural clash), but fortunately, neither was the case. Instead, the script is able to maintain the right tonal balance of keeping the stakes prevalent while incorporating comedy and more light-heartedness than the last two films. Actually, The Voyage Home kind of resembles a heist movie in a way, given how the Enterprise crew has to find a way to snatch up a whale and get it back to their time. Seeing how the crew goes about trying to accomplish their mission is interesting, plus the script peppers in some good character moments and interactions, not to mention natural flourishes of comedy, and of course those lofty Star Trek ideas. Clearly, the filmmakers were using the plot as an indictment for the state of our affairs when it comes to treating the planet right, and it never feels too heavy-handed.

Once again, the cast does solid work, but it's Leonard Nimoy who especially deserves praise here, given the state of Spock at this point and how he's attempting to regain his locial/Vulcan tendencies, but as a director, Nimoy wisely never tries to go too far in showing that, nor does he overexaggerate the cultural humor of the crew being out of time. It's all smartly done.

Overall, I'd say The Voyage Home is another worthy entry into the franchise -- three in a row, starting with Wrath of Khan -- but I'm aware of the reputation that the next film, The Final Frontier, has.

***1/2 /****