The Wrath Of Khan

Author: Vonda N. Mcintyre (adapter)

In a sense, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is Moby Dick if the whale REALLY wanted to fight back. It is a revenge tale, and it has what has to be the most downer ending of any film in any series ever. It is breathtakingly beautifully shot, and the music is the best of all the Star Trek films, and while you can fault Ricardo Montalban's performance for occasionally being over-the-top even by Star Trek standards. He presents what is essentially the greatest villain Kirk & Co. have ever encountered. And then there's the Genesis effect. Designed by the Computer Graphics group of Lucasfilm, it is a sixty second effect that represented the most advanced computer generated sequence ever seen in a feature film. The group that developed the segment spun-off of Lucas and found themselves a new company – Pixar. It was also not only technological advance presented: computer company Evans & Sutherland created realistic computer graphics displays that were used in the film, making them far more realistic than those used in most science fiction films. Why it's on the list Technically brilliant, and incredibly powerful, it features the best acting of all the Star Trek films.