Wrath of Khan viewed for the first time...my emotions! MY EMOTIONS!

[Riverside2233]

So as I have made abundantly clear I am new to the Trek universe. I only saw shows and newer movies in passing, but my love of science fiction has grown every since watching Firefly on a deployment.

I am making my way through the shows and LitVerse, starting mostly with the shows and movies first. I recently binged all of TOS and TAS and the first two films.

I didn't know how attached I became to the TOS characters until I saw them revived for the silver screen and "big budget" feature films. I crushed The Motion Picture and Wrath of Khan today and IT. WAS. GLORIOUS. I love seeing the old TOS stories woven into everything. Just wanted to share my appreciation for the imagination and creativity that went into it. Wrath of Khan is older than I am, but the emotions and themes of it stand the test of time. That final scene between Spock and Kirk (although I know how later films and story lines play out) was great.

Just my two cents. So far between the two films I have watched I would say I like Wrath of Khan better.

 

[gottacook]

Can you be specific about why you think TWoK is "glorious"? Not arguing, it's just that I saw it on opening day with an enthusiastic audience and literally cannot imagine what it's like to see it for the first time in 2016.

 

[Riverside2233]

I'm not trying to claim that it is a piece of cinematic genius, but I think - for me personally - I just really enjoyed seeing the characters brought back to life after the break in time from TOS. I think the writing and acting were top notch. I have not seen too many science fiction movies from the early Eighties, but I think with The Motion Picture and WoK they had some effects that were great for that time. More than anything, I just was not sure what to expect with the films and I really enjoyed those two.

 

[RColtrane]

I think the writing and acting were top notch.

Yeah! Specially the "KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNN" line

I have not seen too many science fiction movies from the early Eighties, but I think with The Motion Picture and WoK they had some effects that were great for that time.

They were and still are great indeed! The only other movies from that period of time that have the same VFX quality are the Star Wars movies. The rest of the sci-fi movies made at that time were very far behind.

 

[jaime]

Yeah! Specially the "KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNN" line



They were and still are great indeed! The only other movies from that period of time that have the same VFX quality are the Star Wars movies. The rest of the sci-fi movies made at that time were very far behind.

Blade Runner. Alien. Aliens. Practically anything Doug Trumbull worked on. Don't know how far the line is for 'at that time' or 'very far behind' is, and I haven't seen some of the films I can visualise in my memory, but could also throw in battle beyond the stars, space hunter: adventures in the forbidden zone, Tron, and Android. (though some of those vary from the extremely good to not so great within the same film..as do star wars and Khan though) That's not to downplay the effects in TMP and star wars (I don't entirely think of TWOK as doing a lot Vfx wise...it recycles shots and models from TMP so much, though the mutara nebula sequences are really well done..the reliant is the only thing built for it I think.) but they were part of that period, not the leaders for more than a moment before the next film pretty much the same people worked on. (ILM basically. Or mates thereof....is there a missing link I can't think of that basically goes back to Thunderbirds in the sixties? 2001 perhaps. Basically a load of inspired brit model makers getting together with younger beard wearing Americans and getting high on glue fumes at pinewood and Shepperton.)
Some films were cheap attempts at the same kind of stuff, but it was a golden era for special and visual fx.

Edit: haven't seen some of the films I can visualise in my memory *in years* damn phone screen. Grumble.

 

[sbk1234]

TWOK was what made me into a Star Trek fan. Great film.

 

[publiusr]

There was a sense of danger in the early 80's. Less bright--less antiseptic than today's fare.
I've said for awhile that STII:TWOK is a slasher film. We see the Enterprise and Reliant bleed. McCoy finding the corpses.

 

[sbk1234]

There was a sense of danger in the early 80's. Less bright--less antiseptic than today's fare.
I've said for awhile that STII:TWOK is a slasher film. We see the Enterprise and Reliant bleed. McCoy finding the corpses.

Plus, Spock dies. People may not remember, but back when TWOK first came out, nobody knew for sure if anything more was going to happen to Spock after his death. Many people, myself included, thought for a long time that that was the end of Spock for good.

 

[gottacook]

Many people, myself included, thought for a long time that that was the end of Spock for good.

This would have been reinforced for fans who were into the Trek novels and adaptations/novelizations that had been published at the time. Specifically, the Vonda McIntyre novelization of TWoK has Spock's coffin/torpedo burn up in the atmosphere of the Genesis planet, observed by the remaining bridge crew plus the two Dr. Marcuses. No resurrection there.