Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan (1982)

All Critics (45) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (50) | Rotten (4) | DVD (38)

There is something comfortable, even old-shoeish, about the new film, a sense, appropriate to its theme of coming to terms with middle age, that all aboard are pleasurably rediscovering their best selves.

May 3, 2009 Full Review

Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Top Critic

Star Trek II is a very satisfying space adventure, closer in spirit and format to the popular TV series than to its big-budget predecessor.

May 19, 2008 Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Top Critic

If only director Nicholas Meyer had grasped the implications of his tale more fully and enthusiastically, this might have become a classic piece of cornball SF poetry, but as it stands the tepid acting and one-set claustrophobia take a heavy toll.

June 5, 2007 Full Review | Comments (18)

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

The net effect, between embarrassed guffaws, is incredulity: a movie at once post-TV and pre-DW Griffith.

June 24, 2006 Full Review | Comments (8)

Derek Adams

Time Out

Top Critic

Although I liked the special effects in the first movie, they were probably not the point; fans of the TV series wanted to see their favorite characters again, and Trek II understood that desire and acted on it.

October 23, 2004 Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

Here comes a sequel that's worth its salt. The second Star Trek movie is swift, droll and adventurous, not to mention appealingly gadget-happy. It's everything the first one should have been and wasn't.

May 20, 2003 Full Review

Janet Maslin

New York Times

Top Critic

This isn't great "for a Star Trek movie", it's one of the best sci-fi adventure films of the post-Star Wars era.

May 21, 2013 Full Review

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

Infusing more humanity and character work in the first ten minutes than TMP managed in its entire duration, The Wrath Of Khan is a satisfying improvement in almost every respect.

October 28, 2012 Full Review

Stephen Carty

Flix Capacitor

Meyer does a superb job of bringing Montalban's sinister yet charming character back into the fold...

August 11, 2012 Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

"To boldly go" never went quite so boldly as it did here.

June 8, 2012 Full Review

Rob Vaux

Mania.com

Thrilling, philosophical installment of popular space saga.

December 15, 2010 Full Review

Charles Cassady

Common Sense Media

...the best Star Trek ever made, period, and that includes the newest Star Trek movie, no matter how much I liked it. (Blu-ray Collection)

May 16, 2009 Full Review

John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

If this is the supposed high point for the Star Trek movie series, it's still a low point for sci-fi.

March 24, 2009 Full Review | Comments (25)

Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

khaaaaan!

July 5, 2008 | Comments (2)

Stefan Birgir Stefansson

sbs.is

It's not Shakespeare, but it's certainly fun.

May 19, 2008 Full Review

Film4

This is one of the most popular in the series, thanks to a high action quotient (including a tensely staged space battle), a suitably campy turn by Montalban, and the shock value of Spock's 'death.'

June 5, 2007 Full Review

TV Guide's Movie Guide

Keep on Trekkin' ... The Star Trek TV series boldly went where none of its movie versions have gone before or since in Meyer's exceedingly space-worthy sequel.

August 7, 2006 Full Review

Thomas Delapa

Boulder Weekly

Many fans consider this the best of the series, and I like it very much.

May 26, 2006 Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

There's got to be some moral in the fact that the Star Trek movie with the smallest budget (by far) and fewest resources is still the dominant favorite...

April 8, 2006 Full Review

Mark Bourne

DVDJournal.com

• 1. Khan: Ah, Kirk, my old friend. Do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish that is best served cold? It is very cold in space.
  – Submitted by Rick S (52 days ago)
• 1. Mr. Spock: I have been, and always shall be, your friend.
  – Submitted by Karen M (4 months ago)
• 1. Mr. Spock: The needs of the many outweight--
  2. James T. Kirk: The needs of the few...
  3. Mr. Spock: Or the one.
  – Submitted by Karen M (4 months ago)
• 1. James T. Kirk: A no-win situation is a possibility any commander may face.
  – Submitted by Karen M (4 months ago)
• 1. Khan: To the last I grapple with thee. From hell's heart I stab at thee. For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee.
  – Submitted by Grant B (7 months ago)
• 1. Khan: I've done far worse than kill you. I've hurt you. And I wish to go on... hurting you. I shall leave you as you left me, as you left her. Marooned for all eternity, in the center of a dead planet... buried alive. Buried alive.
  2. James T. Kirk: KHHHHAAAAAAAAN!
  – Submitted by David F (8 months ago)