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Show NOW Plflvillff A functional space odyssey, but don't expect magic' Star Trek II: The Wrath Khan never really had to face death on a personal level before. He's always managed manag-ed to "cheat" it until now. . He shows his agony as Spock instructs him not to grieve and reminds him "I have always been and always will be yours'. The, message is in the true logic xVulcar tradition of friendship. Killing off Spock carries with it the risk of offending Trekkies everywhere but without giving away the ending I'll say while Spock doesn't exactly come back to life like E.T. or Tinkerbell there is as Spock notes "always the possibility". You can find out why at the Holiday Cinemas in Park City. The film is a functional . space odyssey but don't expect the "magic" of Spielberg or Lucas. - 'kYhLI ,,e-r ST ' i i by Anne L. Burnett "Hopping around the galaxy gala-xy is best left to youngsters" says the former commander of the U.S.S. Enterprise, or is it? James Kirk (William Shatner) is now an admiral in the starfleet Command in Paramount Pictures' latest offering STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN. Kirk's new post has put him in a supervisory position and taken him out of the realm of "combat" so-to-speak. It is within this predicament that screenwriter Jack Sowards and co-story author Harve Bennett have been able to touch a sensitive chord shared by many over the age of forty. We meet Kirk as he supervises the crucial test for cadets under a simulated Enterprise attack. Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has placed fellow Vulcan Lt. Saavik (Kirstie Alley-she sports those famous Spock ears) into the captain's chair and we watch her make decisions causing the death of her crew and possibly her ship. Officer Uhura (Nich-elle (Nich-elle Nichols) is then prompted promp-ted to say "wouldn't it be better to have an experienced exper-ienced crew on the shipr ' I couldn't agree with her more. The strongest acting and the well-done special effects are donated by the experienced in this film. Alley isn't bad at what she does, in fact, when you consider her bio states she was an interior designer before landing her first acting job in this film her performance may be a decent one. But she is made to look foolish in at least one instance. After seeing her talking with Admiral Kirk during the opening segment of the film she later sees him aboard the Enterprise and her expression and dialogue are those of someone who'd never seen the man before--a bit confusing. There are also some confusing confus-ing editing cuts. In a clever, but somewhat hard to swallow bit, Dr. Leonard "Bones ' McCoy (DeForest Kelley) presents Kirk with eyeglasses. Later, we see a closeup of him with his glasses on, the camera cuts to a long shot and the glasses have disappeared. There are several such goofs in the film and while they're hardly damaging to the story it does lead one to wonder about the professional standards attached at-tached to a multi-million dollar production of this calibre. Though not as imaginative as the effects in Star Wars, the special effects are well done in this film and they should fce Jhey-weredone Light and Magic who did the Star Wars series and "Raiders "Raid-ers of the Lost Ark". Despite its weaknesses, it is the story that stars in this "trekkie" episode which many find better that Star Trek I. Kirk makes no attempts to hide his depression depres-sion in "being put out to pasture." But, like the rest of us, he is the last to know why he feels that way. Bones is the one who asks the crucial question "Other people have birthdays, why are we treating yours like a funeral?" He then tells Kirk he should "get back your command before you grow old." He, of course, does that though it's not clear whether he " was Visiting the' ship when the emergency assignment assign-ment came up or whether he was about to. take command again. In any case the 'superhuman" Khan has managed to take over a Starfleet ship, the U.S.S. Reliant and he wants Kirk. Khan (Ricardo Montalban) means to revenge the death of his wife after being abandoned on planet Alpha 5 by Kirk years ago. Somehow Montalban's performance regulates the film to a glorified TV movie though " Paul Winfield does his best as the Reliant's captain to bring the standard back up. It is then we meet these wonderful little creatures that crawl inside people's earsI won't give details but it's enough to make you squirm in your seat. These charming pincher bugs give Khan the power to attack the starship Enterprise and capture cap-ture the secret of the universe coded "Genesis". "Genesis" is an intriguing idea. It's a missile that when exploded reorganizes matter turning wastelands into par-' adises. The only problem is that it has to kill whatever' s living in order to recreate something else. Somewhere among Khan's former love and the mother of his son David (Merritt Butrick) now grown and also a scientist. The situation brings Kirk face to face with his son reminding him of what he's missed as a father. An interesting situation is treated here in movie shorthand short-hand and therefore left virtually unexplored. What is treated with a little more depth is Kirk's relationship rela-tionship with Mr. Spock. Shatner and Nimoy are at their dual best in creating the deep and honest bond that exists between the two characters, the tears are hard to hold back (I gave up trying) as Kirk, his battles showing in every line on his face, watches Spock give his life for the "needs of many oyer, the needs of one. Virk has adifttWYPW The Garage Sale at Kimball Art Center last Saturday netted the gallery over $1900 so far. There are still some items for sale so the staff expects their profits to exceed. $2000. |