Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan: The Director's Edition DVD Review

Title: Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan: The Director’s Edition

Region: One

Genre: Science Fiction/Action

Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Bibi Besch, Merritt Butrick, Paul Winfield, Kirstie Alley and Ricardo Montalban

Writer: Jack B. Sowards

Based On A Story By: Harve Bennett and Jack B. Sowards

Director: Nicholas Meyer

Feature length: 116 minutes

Extras: Feature Length Audio Commentary By Director Nicholas Meyer, Text Commentary By Michael Okuda, Co-Author Of The Star Trek Encyclopedia, The Captain’s Log Documentary, Designing Khan Featurette, The Visual Effects Of Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Kahn, Original Interviews From 1982, The Star Trek Universe: A Novel Approach By Authors Julia Ecklar And Greg Cox, Storyboard Archives, And The Theatrical Trailer

Languages: English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Surround 2.0, and French Stereo

Subtitles: English Captions and Closed Captions

Packaging: Double Alpha Keep Case

Chapter Stops: 17

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Stereo Surround Sound, and Stereo Sound

Year of Theatrical Release: 1982/DVD Release: 2002

Theatrical Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Home Video Distributor: Paramount Home Video

MPAA Rating: PG

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

Of all of the Star Trek feature films, "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan" is considered a favorite by many fans. Interestingly, despite the popularity of this installment in the film series, I have heard that Gene Roddenberry felt " Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" was when the studio "finally got it right." Set years after the events in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," we find Kirk still in personal conflict over his desire to be Captain again aboard a Starship, which is amplified by his birthday. Kirk is still an Admiral as introduced in the previous film and the newly overhauled Enterprise is due for an inspection by Kirk with McCoy present while the ship is largely populated by trainees with Captain Spock in command on the bridge.

Meanwhile, the Federation has been developing a prototype invention that instantly terra forms uninhabitable areas of space debris or moons and planets into Class M worlds. The Starship Reliant has been searching for an uninhabited planet for a test of this project to take place. Coming across what appears to be a lifeless world, Chekov and Captain Terrell (Paul Winfield) beam down to the surface after picking up a slight life form sign on the planet. To their shock, they encounter the last remaining survivors of "The Botany Bay," a sleeper ship that had left the Earth in the alternate Star Trek reality of 1996 at the close of the Eugenics Wars.

The survivors are all genetically altered specimens lead by Khan (Ricardo Montalban reprising his role from the Star Trek: The Original Series Episode "Space Seed" available on DVD in Volume 12.) Six months after his encounter with Kirk, Ceti Alpha VI exploded in some cosmic disaster shifting the axis of Ceti Alpha V and virtually laying the planet to waste. Khan has gone insane with the idea of vengeance against Kirk who he blames for the death of his wife. Hijacking the Reliant, he sets out to thwart Kirk at any cost or measure. When the Genesis Device comes to his attention, Khan steals it; making the confrontation between the two ships even greater for the stake have now been elevated to possible galactic Armageddon.

In many ways "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan" sets up the look, conflicts, and consequences that follow the rest of film series through "Star Trek: Generations." It has about the most action of all the films involving the original crew and is overall a great flick on it's own merits.

It is hard for me to believe that two years have past since Paramount originally released “Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan” to DVD as a standard edition and now here were are with Paramount about to follow-up their stellar “Star Trek: The Motion Picture: The Director’s Edition” with the upcoming Two-DVD set release of “Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan: The Director’s Edition” just a week away as I write this DVD review.

Approximately 4-minutes of footage previously seen only in syndicated television broadcasts have been put back into the film and thus we now have a brand new anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) aspect ratio presentation. The transfer is noticeably better than the previous transfer due in part to the leaps in technology that have occurred in the mere two years that have passed between the original DVD release of the theatrical version of “Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan” and this new “Director’s Edition.” There are still some scenes that reveal some grain that is a product of the source print itself, but on a direct side-by-side comparison regardless of whether you have a 16 by 9 TV or 4 by 3 TV, I think anyone can see the improvement between the two discs. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound appears to be the same mix as the previous DVD, but I think that when one watches a DVD it is both a visual and acoustic experience so for me it seemed that the improved picture made me appreciate the English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack more so than on the previous release and I think it is a much more full soundtrack than the original English Dolby Surround Soundtrack, which is also included here too. A French Language Stereo Soundtrack and English Captions and Closed Captions for the hearing impaired are encoded on to the DVD as options English Captions are also encoded on to the featurettes on the second disc.

I have to state that I am not sure if anyone appreciates Filmmaker Nicholas Meyer’s talents enough because after recently reviewing his directorial debut “Time After Time,” which streets on the same day as Paramount’s “Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Kahn: The Director’s Edition,” but from a different studio, and listening to the commentary on this DVD set as well as the other, I have to state that Meyer is so damn articulate and talented that I am almost jealous were it not that I love and appreciate the work that I have seen from him. He gives a screen specific audio commentary that is like attending a lecture without the chilly distance between the speaker and his audience. It felt more like he was one of my college professors talking to me the listener personally than just another DVD fan listening to the commentary. This is supported by a text commentary track by “Star Trek Encyclopedia” Author Michael Okuda, who like he had for the previous “Motion Picture Director’s Edition” DVD provides so much background relevant to not only what is on screen, but what was behind-the-scenes and how it relates to the “Star Trek” franchise as a whole and whatnot.

Disc two contains the rest of the extra features, which begins with the 27-minute “Captain’s Log,” with brand new videotaped interviews with Actors William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban, Writer and Executive Producer Harve Bennett, and Director Nicholas Meyer. The documentary covers the genesis (no pun intended) of the film and is very interesting. Videotaped interviews recorded in 1982 with Deforest Kelly, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and Ricardo Montalban, which I think adds a great texture to the new interviews on the “Captain’s Log” documentary are also included. The 1982 interviews are presented as one reel with some publicity photos at the end and has a running time of about 11-minutes. There is a 23-minute production and costume design featurette, a visual effects featurette with effects footage and new-videotaped interviews with the ILM wizards behind the magical effects seen in the film. The final documentary is a combination of interviews with Authors Julia Ecklar (A Test Of Character: The Kobayashi Maru Scenario) and Greg Cox (The Eugenics Wars: A History Of Khan Noonien Singh.) What I liked about this documentary was that it gave the viewer an understanding of how these Authors develop their stories from the “Star Trek” programs and go so far as to maintain continuity with each other, but are also aware that while the books expand upon the universe created in “Star Trek,” they are not necessarily cannon that is adhered to in the television programs and feature films, which is the same case with the “Star Wars” novels. This is the longest of the documentaries/featurettes in this set with a running time of approximately 29-minutes. Thirteen storyboard galleries and the widescreen (1.85:1) theatrical trailer with Stereo Sound wrap up the extra features on this two-disc set.

The menus are well rendered with full motion animation depicting the Enterprise, the Regula One Space Station, and the Genesis Planet collectively. An insert with scene selection and contents information as well as an insert advertising the “Star Trek: Eugenics Wars” novels and “Star Trek” encyclopedias and companions as well as a plug for the upcoming holiday season theatrical release of “Star Trek: Nemesis” and a CD-ROM for Earth Link’s “STAR TREK.NET” ISP were included within the Double Alpha DVD Keep Case.

An excellent release, “Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan: The Director’s Edition” will debut on DVD-Video on Tuesday, August 6, 2002 from Paramount Home Entertainment.

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