Movie · 1982 · Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Thriller · 1h 53m · PG · English
Curator score: 7.6/10 (231.2K ratings)
At the end of the universe lies the beginning of vengeance.
Overview
The starship Enterprise and its crew is pulled back into action when old nemesis, Khan, steals a top secret device called Project Genesis.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.6/10
IMDb: 7.7/10
Letterboxd: 3.94/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Metacritic: 68
TMDB: 7.5/10
Director
Nicholas Meyer
Production
Paramount Pictures
Cast
William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Bibi Besch, Merritt Butrick, Paul Winfield, Kirstie Alley, Judson Scott, Ike Eisenmann, John Vargas, John Winston, Paul Kent, Nicholas Guest, Russell Takaki, Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Where to watch
fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
Curator Review
Verdict
A lean, emotionally charged sci-fi adventure that turns franchise lore into a first-rate duel of wits, regret, and sacrifice. It works as both a muscular naval-style space thriller and a surprisingly moving story about aging, friendship, and obsession.
Best for
fans of character-driven science fiction
viewers who like tactical cat-and-mouse thrillers
people who enjoy emotional franchise sequels
audiences drawn to old-school practical effects and model work
fans of Shakespearean villainy and heightened melodrama
Skip if
you want a standalone movie with no prior context
you dislike earnest 1980s genre acting
you prefer fast-cut modern action over dialogue-heavy tension
you need a purely lighthearted space adventure
Overview
Nicholas Meyer turns a TV-born franchise into something crisp, tense, and genuinely cinematic. The movie has the structure of a submarine or naval war picture, but it’s powered by grief, pride, and the fear of getting old. That gives the action real weight: every maneuver matters because the characters matter.
Worth noting
Khan is one of the great genre antagonists because he feels both theatrical and personal, a force of pure vengeance who also exposes Kirk’s blind spots. The film’s pleasures come from that clash, but also from the ensemble’s chemistry and the way the script keeps finding emotional pressure points inside the machinery of a chase.
Bottom line
What lingers most is the ending, which lands with unusual force for a blockbuster sequel. It’s a movie about legacy, sacrifice, and the cost of command, and it earns that seriousness without losing its sense of adventure. Even if you’re not a Trek devotee, this is one of the rare franchise entries that plays as a great film on its own.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Kelebek 🦇 on break! (5★) · 1187 likes
I hate Star Trek. What the fuck is "You are my superior officer. You are also my friend. I have been, and always shall be yours"?? Bitch I'm gonna cry my eyes out.
Branson Reese · 1123 likes
Everybody's dressed so well in this one. It's winter on the Enterprise.
It's very funny that the conventional wisdom is that Shatner can't act. He can. He just acts in a way that makes boring people feel embarrassed. Good.
Will Menaker (4★) · 744 likes
The one that takes place in San Francisco.
The best Star Trek movie, even Shatner is genuinely moving at the end of this one. I'd like to make special acknowledgment of the amazing original score by James Horner and how beautiful the special effects look, especially during the thrilling climax where the Enterprise and Reliant battle in the nebula. Ricardo Montalbán is so sick as Khan, A+ ham acting, riffing on Moby Dick "He tasks me! I'll chase him round… more