Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - 1982

Director: Nicholas Meyer

Writer: Jack B. Sowards

Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban, DeForest Kelly, James Doohan, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Kirstie Alley

"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." Khan (Montalban), an old enemy marooned on a dead planet by Kirk (Shatner), returns to exact his revenge after fifteen years of exile.

As a self-described non-Trekker before the Abrams reboot happened, I can say this is a really good movie. The characters are well-developed (motivation beyond the main plot) and the mains all perform well, especially Montalban's effortless take on the antagonist. Despite being a continuation of a plot of an episode of the TV show, watching said episode is unnecessary, thanks to the skill of the writer. I only have two problems with this movie (aside from a couple issues solely attributable to the fact this movie is nearly 30 years old): Kirk and Khan never have a face-to-face combat scene, which I was really hoping for after the "KHAAAAAAN!" scene, and the film's climax includes a scene with Spock that I didn't feel was properly explained. Otherwise, it's a spectacular film that I wish the Trek franchise began and ended with.