--- title: "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/star-trek-ii-the-wrath-of-khan/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/star-trek-ii-the-wrath-of-khan" critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982): what the critics said Critics' score 83 from 11 reviews: 10 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics like it, and nearly all of them like it for the same reason: it is the film the first one should have been. Nicholas Meyer’s direction is credited again and again with getting the pace right, restoring the wit and warmth of the television series, and putting the cast ahead of the effects. Ricardo Montalban’s Khan is the performance singled out most often, a vengeful, Melville-quoting villain who gives Kirk something to push against. Several reviews note how well the script wears its themes of ageing and mortality, and most treat the final reel as the emotional high point. The spread is narrow at the top and then falls off a cliff. Ten of eleven reviews are positive. The Los Angeles Times is warm but cooler than the rest, approving mainly of Meyer’s affection for the characters. Time Out is the lone dissenter, finding it low camp and the ageing crew faintly embarrassing, a view no other critic shares. ## The AV Club — Zack Handlen Rating A. 3 April 2009. The critic praises the film's expert pacing, sense of adventure, terrific script, superb performances (especially Shatner's), and iconic action set pieces, calling it the best Star Trek film and something one never tires of watching. The emotional weight of Spock's death is singled out as what elevates it beyond typical Trek. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/star-trek-space-seed-the-wrath-of-khan-1798205985) ## Empire — Angie Errigo Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The review praises Nicholas Meyer's direction for balancing character interplay with effects and highlights the return of Ricardo Montalban as the vengeful Khan as energizing the film. It singles out the story's focus on aging, comradeship, and a shocking self-sacrifice for praise while noting the film's witty, literate script. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/star-trek-2-wrath-khan-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1982. The review praises the strong villain performance by Ricardo Montalban as Khan and the film's focus on character relationships and sacrifice over special effects. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-trek-ii-the-wrath-of-khan-1982) ## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 June 1982. The review finds the film invites wonderful callow dumb fun with the right amused self-mocking note from director Nicholas Meyer, praising the cast's toned-up energy and the inexpensive epic's yarn-spinning. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1982/06/28/the-only-logical-thing-to-do) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 June 1982. The critic calls the sequel swift, droll, adventurous and gadget-happy, a vast improvement over the first film with a stronger plot and peppier direction by Nicholas Meyer. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/04/movies/new-star-trek-full-of-gadgets-and-fun.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 17 June 2022. The second and finest Star Trek movie is a low-budget corrective to the first film, delivering a slick and seductive cat-and-mouse narrative between Kirk and Khan. The critic singles out the emotive finale that restates themes of ageing and mortality, along with slick effects and the memorable villain quoting Melville. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/star-trek-ii-the-wrath-of-khan-1982-review-a-slick-and-seductive-cat-and-mouse-game-8dv9l7w3g) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1982. The review deems it a very satisfying space adventure closer in spirit to the TV series, highlighting the revenge plot, emotional final reel with Spock's sacrifice, and effective direction by Nicholas Meyer. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1981/film/reviews/star-trek-ii-the-wrath-of-khan-1200425117/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2022. The 1982 sequel directed by Nicholas Meyer is a brisker, brasher work than its predecessor that returns to the crowdpleasing energy of the TV series. The critic highlights the heroic and tragic sacrifice of Spock as a standout moment of raw emotion that influenced later franchises, while praising the film's charm and innocent idealism in the Kirk-Khan duel. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/01/star-trek-ii-the-wrath-of-khan-review-spock-and-kirk-shine-in-charming-enterprise-revisit) ## Los Angeles Times — Kevin Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 June 1982. The critic finds the ride much smoother than the first film, crediting director Nicholas Meyer for preserving the series' essential squareness with affection and respect for the characters and actors. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-star-trek-wrath-khan-review-19820603-snap-story.html) ## Time Out — PT Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 21 July 2014. The film is a low-camp humanoid melodrama that follows up the TV episode 'Space Seed' with Kirk facing Khan's revenge via the Genesis device. The ageing crew's antics produce a mix of embarrassed guffaws and incredulity in a movie that feels post-TV and pre-D.W. Griffith. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/star-trek-2-the-wrath-of-khan) ## Den of Geek — Adam Sloman Rating 5/5. 6 May 2009. The critic calls it one of the best entries in the franchise and a great action film with real emotional impact, crediting Nicholas Meyer for getting the source material right despite never having seen the show. They single out the strong performances and character interactions, especially among Kirk, Spock and McCoy, along with the tense nebula battle. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-trek-ii-the-wrath-of-khan-retrospective-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/star-trek-ii-the-wrath-of-khan.md