While I could continue in 1981 for a few more films, I better get going, considering how I want to go through about 3 more decades of films in under two months now. So this is the second in a series of now 11 Star Trek films. I'm not a huge Treker, but this is probably my favorite.
So here's a rundown:
We start the film with the Enterprise on a mission in the Cobiashi Maru, and it is shown attacked by Klingons. Almost all the crew die, but it is revealed this is a test as Captain Kirk makes an entrance. It is then revealed that this is Kirk's 50th birthday, and Bones, his trusted friend, tells him he shouldn't treat it "like a funeral" and suggests he gets back out into space.
Meanwhile, Checkov is on a mission with a starship called the Reliant, which is helping a project called Genesis find a test planet. We find out what Genesis is later. So he and Captain Terrell beam down to the planet, which has no life, or so they think. They find an old cargo ship, inside which are clues that Checkov recognizes. A book, Moby Dick, and a belt saying Botony Bay on it, signifying a return of the television series' worst villains, Khan.
Khan tells his two captives his story of how the planet was once living, but then another exploded and orbits shifted. Now there is nothing here except creatures that crawl into your ears and make you obey another. Khan does this to the two to make them work for him.
Kirk, after this, goes aboard the Enterprise out on a training mission with the crew. He hears from his old friend Dr. Carol Marcus that Genesis is being tested on the planet Checkov found, and asks what's going on. Before he can find out what she's talking about, the connection is broken.
Bones and Spock ask Kirk about Genesis, so he plays a tape made by Marcus for the Federation suggesting the idea. It is revealed that Genesis is life from lifelessness. A torpedo is fired at a dead planet and it grows life. However, if it is fired on a planet that already has life, everything there is wiped out.
Khan, meanwhile, hijacks the Reliant and goes after Kirk, the man who put him where he was. He finds the Enterprise and, they thinking they aren't enemies, no attack is made until Khan says so. Kirk, flabergasted when Khan reveals himself, strikes back with a phaser fire. The Enterprise, however, has taken damage, and some trainees are dead.
The Enterprise slowly moves to the station where Marcus is located. He, Bones, and trainee Saavik beam aboard and find some dead crew members. But they also find Dr. Marcus, and her son, David. This is also the first time that Kirk sees David, who is also his son. They also find Checkov and Terrell, who tell him of Khan.
Right before the Genesis torpedo can be beamed aboard the Enterprise, Checkov and Terrell, still under Khan's control, turn phasers on Kirk and company. Khan takes the torpedo and orders them to kill Kirk. But they resist, resulting in Terrell shooting himself and Checkov's ear creature breaking out of his ear, but it is destroyed and he survives.
But Khan has left Kirk and company alone on the planet the torpedo was located. Little does he know they tested the effects underground, and life is there. Kirk, after fooling Khan into believing the Enterprise is on her way back to Earth, saves them and they prepare for the final battle.
Knowing that they cannot destroy Khan without a near nuclear explosion, they try to persuade them to chase them, and Khan cannot resist. They enter the Mutara Nebula, where shields are useless and weapons cannot lock properly. After a few hits either way, the Enterprise experiences technical problems, with which Spock begins to help with.
Eventually the Reliant is heavily damaged and Khan nearly defeated. So he sets a self-destruct on the Genesis torpedo, which cannot be stopped. Kirk then sees only one opportunity: to Warp their way out of the area before it explodes, but it cannot happen. Spock sacrafices himself to get Warp Drive operation once again.
While the Enterprise nearly escapes, the torpedo explodes. The crew name it Genesis. Bones calls Kirk to come down to the engineering room. Spock is inside a radiation chamber, and is dying. Kirk cannot do anything and watches his life-long friend die. Spock's funeral follows, and his body is shot from the torpedo bay of the Enterprise into space.
He then has a talk with David before they start heading back to Earth. David never grew up with Kirk because his mother feared he would die in space travel, just like Kirk almost did many many times. He says he is proud of his father, and Kirk realizes that with the birth of this new planet, life is young again for him, even though he just turned 50.
The camera goes down to the surface of the planet, where Spock's torpedo tomb has landed, suggesting a sequel may be coming.
Now a quick grading scale:
Acting: 9 out of 10. William Shatner and Ricardo Montalban do great as Kirk and Khan.
Entertainment: 10 out of 10. Action-packed and rivetting.
Sceenplay: 10 out of 10. Character speeches and lines are very smart.
Directing: 6 out of 10. Standard.
Technical Credits: 10 out of 10. Fantastic visuals, music and production design.
Genre Fit: 6 out of 10. Sometimes tries to be a little bit of a character drama and action fest as well.
MPAA Rating: 7 out of 10. Some moments are a little more graphic than you’d think, and other parts more violent for PG.
Stupid Scenes: 9 out of 10. It is so smartly written that anything is almost unnoticeable.
Deeper Message: 8 out of 10. It shows that age doesn’t matter, and even with the lower technology victory is possible.
Beginning: 22 out of 30. A little slow, but that’s ok.
Middle: 30 out of 30. Khan’s first attack is thrilling and well done.
Ending: 30 out of 30. One of the best endings for a film in the sci-fi genre.
Final Score: 157/180 or 87%. An A- well deserved to a great film.
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