I
am by no means a Trekkie, but I have to admit I have enjoyed, to some extent, both
the movies and the various series that have existed in diverse forms and
manifestations. Of the myriad of nerd cinematic fare, my two favorite
flicks in the Roddenberry Universe are Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home and the true
sequel, The Wrath of Khan, of which this movie appears to be somewhat of a
reboot. Not being a purist when it comes to this franchise it is easy
for me to recognize the need to refresh the chronology in a fresh, edgy, almost
revolutionary way as the lineage of the tale has been nearly exhausted.
Abrams does something with the revamp that Lucas failed to do with his very own
product as he furthered his continuum. Which baffles the imagination? Abrams builds his stories around a solid cast
that demonstrates a genuine sense of camaraderie and chemistry among the
characters. Which is why I am delighted that he has taken the helm of the
Star Wars mythology, of which, I have been a fan since I was just a laddie.
Abrams effectively develops his characters in an incredible short span
of time, creating depth of relationships with very little opportunity to generate
lengthy back-stories. A feat not many could achieve. He could not have selected a better cast to
both celebrate and refresh their predecessors, with each delivering authentic
and engaging performances. With all of that said, this second installment
takes one of the darkest and most violent in the original set and successfully
gives it a new, exciting, and innovative take. The story is solid, not
entirely original as expected, but flows well, has real moments to call its own,
and in the end, positively delivers. There are a few cool twists, not awe
inspiring or jaw dropping, but they inject the plot with energy, and the nods
to some of the vintage voyages are quirky and slick. The FX are
absolutely stunning, again filling me with confidence that the next generation
of Jedi, Rogues, and Dark Forces will be the nerd's version of off the chain.
So, in conclusion, Khan gets a definitive face lift, in some ways it shies
in comparison to its predecessor, but in others it deservedly improves
upon it. I have to say I do miss some of the camp of Ricardo Montalban's
incarnation and Shatner’s reaction to it, but the high tech enhancements and
the story’s overall strength, quickly soothe the geekiest of beasts. I have to
mention, I did enjoy Abrams’s sneak peak of his envisioning of the Klingons,
not to give any spoilers away. 3 out of 5 Kernels: A top notch sequel,
now it’s time for the crew of the Enterprise to venture out into uncharted space
and come up with some new and original frontiers to solely call their own.
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