First off, im not a hard, hard core Trekkie, but As a lifelong fan of Star Trek, ive seen almost all the series' in the mythology (except Deep Space Nine), and ive seen most of the films, and i have to say....ill always love the original, hands down. Kirk, Spock, McCoy, all the original crew members, to me, nothing ever beats the feeling of adventure and heroism one experiences when one watches the original crew in action...i know some fans debate whos a better captain, or which series was better or worse, to me, the original started it all, and when it comes to comfortability, thats what ill take. The second film in the big screen series, "The Wrath of Khan", demonstrates the best of what the legend of Trek is about....people. Sure, dont get me wrong, i love the spaceships, the epic battles, the alien races the crew encounter...but most of all, at its best, Star Trek is about people, and emotions, and the sense of human unity. This is what Gene Roddenbury strived for when he first thought of the idea of the saga. Essentially, its a continuation of the 1967 original series episode "Space Seed", in which Kirk and crew meet Khan, a genetically engineered superhuman/conqueror from Earth's past. In the film,which takes place 15 yrs later, Khan is seeking vengeance against Kirk for sending him and his followers into exile following an attempted coup against the Enterprise crew. This film was and is always one of my personal favorites due to the fact it touched on human frailty, humanity, the lust for vengeance and the sin of such lust, and most of all, the value of all against the need of just one or a few ( a bit of paraphrasing of an old Spock saying...youll know it when you hear it). The dvd itself contains lots of great features: extended director commentary, a look at the visual effects used in the film, interviews with cast and crew, etc, etc....overall, an amazing piece of pop entertainment that doesnt insult its fans, but embraces them and their love for that entertainment.

After the disaster that was Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Wrath of Khan was a breath of fresh air and complete opposite.
Lots of great characters, action and special effects added up to a great movie.
I cried he first time I saw Spock die and it still gets me a little sad when I watch it today!

All the elements needed for a Star Trek movie quality epic. Since then very few of the rest have been cinematic enough to match to STII.

The Good Things
*Excellent action and some gorgeous special effects (including a very early example of CGI effects).
*Filming style is great and very original.
*Production design is a vast improvement over the first "Star Trek" film.
*Sound design is splendid too.
*The storyline is great. It takes after the episode "Space Seed" in the original series, but it's not entirely necessary to watch it in order to understand the movie.
*The characters are awesome. Kahn (Ricardo Montalban) is one of the best bad guys ever, and his performance is so dramatic. Kirk is very compassionate. Everybody else is good; great acting.
*Good writing. Lots of memorable lines.
*Strong themes about life and death, birth and rebirth, and growing old.
*Good music.

The Bad Things
*A few bloody bits (mostly involving alien bugs that burrow into people's ears); probably not for young kids or the extremely squeamish.

Definately the best of the "Star Trek" film saga. It does away with the dull space-opera elements of the first film and provides a smashing extravaganza of space battles, epic story-telling, and intense character conflicts. The writing is totally awesome, and presents loads of great lines and dramatic acting. It's a classic in every sense.

The original one-disc release has okay video and sound quality, and includes a trailer. The newer two-disc set has good quality and sound, and a bunch of fascinating featurettes and trailers.

Take a classic television series with a dedicated fanbase, insert one of its most popular villains and toss a major motion picture budget at it and what do you get: "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan."

Perhaps the closest film in the "Star Trek" catalogue to the original televison series, "Khan" finds Kirk as the admiral in charge of assessing a green crew on routine training maneuvers. They happen to be aboard his old ship, the Enterprise, and the crew includes most of his key past crewmates. In another part of the galaxy, former crewman Chekov and his new captain are investigating a planet that may be used for Project Genesis, a device that could literally give new life to a planet. What Chekov and his captain actually find is a man hungry for revenge: Khan.

Having been exiled years ago and blaming Kirk for the death of his wife, Khan puts a plan into action to bring Kirk back into his clutches in order to get revenge.

Falling for Khan's trickery and with an inexperienced crew in tow, Kirk takes the Enterprise to Regula One, home of Project Genesis. He hopes to find out who used his name in order to get their hands on Genesis. Instead, he finds an ex-wife, an estranged son and one of his greatest enemies waiting to strike. What happens next is, simply put, a wonderful blend of drama, suspense and humor as Kirk and Khan battle each other to the death.

For a film released in 1982, "Khan" has excellent special effects. Granted, there are a few miscues, but the story more than makes up for them. Director Nicholas Meyer paces the film with perfection, utilizing the musical score and the individual performances of the players in order to build tension on the screen. He guides the games between Kirk and Khan with precision. All of the original crew do superb jobs, but I must point out that William Shatner gives his best performance ever. Ricardo Montalban's over-the-top performance as Khan makes this film worthy of five stars. Kirstie Alley makes her first big screen appearance and adds quite a bit of sex appeal to the film as Lt. Saavik. That's a tough job for a person playing an emotionless Vulcan to do.

As for the DVD, this two disc set makes up in quality what it lacks in quantity. The digital transfer of the film is excellent. It's one of the best transfers of a film including the original cast. Only "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" has a crisper looking transfer. The sound is also very good. There aren't as many special features included with this set when compared to the other films in this series, but they are some of the best extras you'll find. Highlights include original interviews with DeForest Kelley, Leonard Nimoy, Shatner and Montalban as well as new interviews with Shatner, Nimoy, Montalban, Meyer and executive producer Harve Bennett. There's also an interesting segment involving "Star Trek" authors Julia Ecklar and Greg Cox.

Fans of "Star Trek" have most likely viewed this film already. For those folks who haven't or for people who aren't fans of science fiction, I highly recommend "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" for its drama, wonderful suspense and overall story. For fans of military films, the calculated tactics of both Kirk and Khan should keep them interested. These are just a few of the reasons that have made this film one of the most popular of the "Star Trek" pictures.