So I've been in something of a movie slump as of late. I have a whole whack of films lined up to watch and I just don't have the ambition for any of them.
I haven't even had the ambition for a computer game or silly television show.
So I think to myself ''I need to get back into the swing of things. At least to start and enjoy some entertainment again.''
Let's look through the big old catalogue and see if anything pops out to me. And Lord and behold what should it be but 'Star Trek The Wrath of Khan' one of the most easy to watch movies that's ever been.
Everything just works out so well.
Well-rounded established characters, small and large internal dramas. A great sense of atmosphere, exciting but contained action events, wonderful writing intermixed with fantastic performances from William Shatner, Ricardo Montalban, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley.
Mixed in with a interesting but not necessarily important story of scientific creation.
The whole Genesis plot is ultimately just an excuse to get Kirk and Khan into a unique situation so they can do battle with each other. And half of the time their battle is just witty dialogue. It's just such a frill to watch.
I love how the perspective of the film can change depending on if you've seen the original series or not.
The first time I ever watched this movie I had never seen any episode of Star Trek involving Khan. To me he was just some random guy that pops out of nowhere.
But now re-watching it and seeing the build-up it becomes all the more intriguing. As you see little hints of all the previous events from the original show culminating together in the reveal of what is arguably one of Star Trek's best antagonist*.
Also the whole reveal might have paid off better if you didn't literally have Khan's name in the title of the movie.
Imagine if you had no information on him and you just kind of stumbled into him halfway through the film like how are Star Trek crew does.
I think it would have had a more hard-hitting moment. But it also wouldn't have gotten butts in seats if you just had a random generic title that didn't give you any promise of something spectacular. Which is something Star Trek needed at the time given how Star Trek the motion picture turned out.
I can't think of a better ending for Star Trek. Having the Enterprise finally defeat Khan. Nearly escaped being destroyed from a self-destructive sequence and coming off with one final Victory but at a horrible price.
Spock's death is the end of the franchise in a lot of ways. Finally having to say goodbye to that old adventure and realise that spinning the roulette wheel again and again will inevitably end you on black even if you win on red every other time.
Finally symbolising that after 15 to 20 years of Adventures our characters are finally finished. Their aged, they're worn down, they had one last hurrah and now it's time to tie everything up and end on a sour but ultimately positive note as the Enterprise sales away one last time.
At least until the other four movies come out and everything else associated with Star Trek.
Making the final hurrah kind of pointless and continuing a franchise that will run out of steam down the road to become a husk of what it formally was. But that's not the fault of this movie that's the fault of franchises.
And I like most of the original series movies so I'm not going to complain too much. It only ruins the narrative flow throughout the film's. It doesn't hurt the movie itself. And I really wish people could get that through their head when evaluating one film versus another.
Also this is just a side tangent but I don't think there are any real aliens in this movie. Obviously you have the Vulcans but from a visual perspective they look almost identical to humans so I don't really count them.
I guess what I mean is we don't have any gleep-glop aliens. You've got a little brain slug they put inside Chekov brain but otherwise I don't remember seeing any particularly interesting looking creatures walking around the Federation. Maybe there's a few in the background but I didn't pay too much attention. I don't even remember seeing a Klingon.
*Subsequently I think he's also an overrated antagonist in the greater scheme of Star Trek but come on. Roberto Montalban how can you say no to that guy.
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