Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - Ultimate Trek

While many will hail the 2009 Star Trek reboot as the best ever outing of the franchise, it may have the special effects and the adrenaline rush to even rival Star Wars, but, somehow, it doesn't have the sheer dark moodiness of The Wrath of Khan.

The second Trek film is helped by the fact that it follows a not particularly well-received first movie, therefore many considered that anything was a step up. However, the franchise seemed to step too far (where no man has gone before, perhaps?) and created a movie that has yet to be topped. Here we see Kirk up against an old foe from the TV series, genetically-engineers super psycho, Khan. It's a homicidal game of cat and mouse as they constantly chase and elude each other until they come to the ultimate climax - the death of one of the regular cast members (I'm sure you know which one!).

Whereas one of the Star Wars franchises main strengths is its sheer `mass appeal.' It's hard to find anyone who hasn't at least watched (and most likely enjoyed) one of the films. However, Star Trek will always carry more of a stigma about it and there are connotations of nerdy geeks wearing tight-fitting costumes at science-fiction conventions. That's the reason that, no matter how good a Trek film is, it's unlikely to win over many new fans.

The Wrath of Khan will always live as the fans' favourite, until you come to the next generation (of us fanboys, not the cast from the eighties) who may well choose the 2009 reboot.

If you like your sci-fi a little more moody and intense than simply a little pointy-eared green man talking backwards and then whacking a bloke in a cloak with a glowing stick, then you may just enjoy this, too.

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