Film of the Day: 23
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
The original TV Show Star Trek was only aired for three years (1966-1969) but after it was cancelled, it became a cult phenomenon in the 1970s which even brought an animated series. The studios then came up with the idea to release a motion picture film on Star Trek with the same original cast and it was released in 1979. It was not a hit; both fans and critics were very disappointed with the result, so of course they decided to take another stab at it.
This time they brought in director Nicholas Meyer (Time After Time) to get the job done, only problem was he had never even seen an episode of Star Trek when he approached the project. Meyer not only changed the style, but he even changed the uniform (which later became an influence for The Next Generation) and wrote a truly solid script. It was called The Wrath of Khan and it was released today in 1982.
The change was so dramatic that even Gene Roddenberry (the creator of the original series) was forced off production, as they felt he was partly to blame for the failure of the original. The film also featured a full on battle of ship vs. ship which was never done in the original series or the first film of which everyone was a little weary about.
Going back to the original series, they grabbed an episode called 'Space Seed' which was aired in 1967. It features a genetically superior tyrant named Khan who was found onboard the SS Botany Bay, however after trying to take over the Enterprise; he was exiled to a baron planet and left for dead. Now Meyer has brought Khan back after fifteen years and he is madder than Peter Finch was in Network! When they asked the late Ricardo Montalbán to reprising the role of Space Seed, not only did he accept, he accepted the role for only $100,000 because he loved the role so much. And you can tell, as he really gives it his all, he's absolutely magnificent as a revenge seeking tyrant, and is the key element in the film, as every film like this needs a pure bad ass villain.
Khan's role in this film is not to kill Captain Kirk (William Chatner), he wishes to do much worse than that, he wishes to hurt him and keep on hurting him. As Khan said in the film (one of the film's most famous lines), "revenge is a dish that is best served cold". Quentin Tarantino also stated that not only does he love this film, it's one of his favourites and he used this line in his fourth film Kill Bill. However Khan also wants to gets his hands on the Genesis, a powerful terraforming device. Of course the crew must not let this happen, by any means necessary.
When released, not only was the film bigger and better than the original, it set a world record earning $97 million on the first day worldwide and earning some terrific critical reviews. Not only do Star Trek fans (and critics) consider this to be the best film in the series, but even non Star Trek fans were a fan of the film, unlike the original film which is strictly for Star Trek fans. Mark Bernardin (Entertainment Weekley) said, "The film that, by most accounts, saved Star Trek as we know it". It has also been known to be listed as one of the greatest Sci-Fi films ever made.
This time they brought in director Nicholas Meyer (Time After Time) to get the job done, only problem was he had never even seen an episode of Star Trek when he approached the project. Meyer not only changed the style, but he even changed the uniform (which later became an influence for The Next Generation) and wrote a truly solid script. It was called The Wrath of Khan and it was released today in 1982.
The change was so dramatic that even Gene Roddenberry (the creator of the original series) was forced off production, as they felt he was partly to blame for the failure of the original. The film also featured a full on battle of ship vs. ship which was never done in the original series or the first film of which everyone was a little weary about.
Going back to the original series, they grabbed an episode called 'Space Seed' which was aired in 1967. It features a genetically superior tyrant named Khan who was found onboard the SS Botany Bay, however after trying to take over the Enterprise; he was exiled to a baron planet and left for dead. Now Meyer has brought Khan back after fifteen years and he is madder than Peter Finch was in Network! When they asked the late Ricardo Montalbán to reprising the role of Space Seed, not only did he accept, he accepted the role for only $100,000 because he loved the role so much. And you can tell, as he really gives it his all, he's absolutely magnificent as a revenge seeking tyrant, and is the key element in the film, as every film like this needs a pure bad ass villain.
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| A scene from 'Space Seed' (1967) |
When released, not only was the film bigger and better than the original, it set a world record earning $97 million on the first day worldwide and earning some terrific critical reviews. Not only do Star Trek fans (and critics) consider this to be the best film in the series, but even non Star Trek fans were a fan of the film, unlike the original film which is strictly for Star Trek fans. Mark Bernardin (Entertainment Weekley) said, "The film that, by most accounts, saved Star Trek as we know it". It has also been known to be listed as one of the greatest Sci-Fi films ever made.
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