The Sisters of Mercy - Vision Thing

Released November 1990
Merciful Release/EastWest

"Flowers on the razor wire..."

Of all The Sisters of Mercy's releases, Vision Thing is probably the hardest to truly grasp. Andrew Eldritch must surely have learnt his lesson when his witty, vitriolic attack on American politics was taken by many as the kind of cock-rock guitar anthem record it was supposed to be making fun of. The man's quote about "I don't believe in freedom of interpretation" makes all the more sense in light of this fact. It's WAY too easy to listen to this album and superficially pass it off as hair metal or just another American sounding heavy rock album. Dig deeper and you find some of the best and most powerful songwriting from our man in the Ray-bans.

The other main issue is of course, the production. The story goes that, after labouring away intensely for around 9 months, Eldritch reverted to earlier "monitor mixes" which according to him, retained the "immediate feel" of the songs. This is not entirely true. Being that monitor mixes are supposed to sound good on studio monitors (which are supposed to be transparent sounding so as to allow unbiased evaluation of a mix), the resulting final product sounds a little bit...flat. It could have been rawer and still have more impact. I have often wondered what the "finished" version of this album would have sounded like, also. Of course, nobody will ever know.

Oh, and for the first time since 1985, The Sisters of Mercy are a proper band again. Enter the German riffmeister Andreas Bruhn, Sigue Sigue Sputnik's Tony James on bass and top hat, and flower power goths All About Eve's Tim Bricheno providing additional swirly acoustic guitars. This meant that they were able to go out on the road again at long last and fan recordings from the 90/91 "Tour Thing" offer some real highlights for collectors of Sisters bootlegs. They even did Wembley Arena two nights in a row around this time, so clearly they were doing something right. It was also during the tour cycle for this album that the ill fated Public Enemy co-headline American dates were planned and cancelled before they could get off the ground, due to promoter's reservations about large congregations of mixed race audiences in the same venue. It would have been a groundbreaking event in music history, had it been allowed to go ahead.

So what about the songs? Lyrically, Andrew was never sharper. This album is a treasure trove of weapons-grade lyrical incisions. The two musical highlights of the album, the wonderful "Ribbons" (a detailed analysis of the theory of love being equatable to a minefield) and "I Was Wrong" are probably the best lyrically as well. Others such as "Doctor Jeep" and the title track are full to the brim with clever and cutting rhymes of the kind Eldritch specializes in. "Something Fast" and "When You Don't See Me" ("Rainbow In the Dark", anyone?) offer some powerfully emotional musings on longing and control. "More" marks the return of Mr. Steinman to the co-producer's chair for a bombastic slice of power rock, complete with soul backing vocals, that doesn't quite measure up to his previous collaborations with Eldritch, the epic "This Corrosion" and even more epic "Dominion". Nonetheless it remains a live favourite for many fans during concerts of the band's own equivalent of Dylan's "Never Ending Tour", with newer songs but no new studio output to promote, which has been going on in various forms since about 1996.

Contrary to popular opinion, this is not a rubbish album. Far from it. Ultimately however, "Vision Thing" falls slightly flat. It is probably the best example of Eldritch (arguably the most intelligent songwriter of his field) overreaching and overestimating his audience's ability to "get the joke". Those of us who have been deeply in love with The Sisters for years know full well the dichotomy of the dark and po-faced with the tongue in cheek. It's part of what makes their work so endearing and truly, all the more powerful at times. The riffing on Vision Thing is catchy, and sometimes amusing, but its hardly the magic of "First and Last...". The basslines are mostly so nondescript that they might as well not be there, don't expect anything like "Possession" or "Lucretia" where the bass truly drives the song. Doktor Avalanche sounds fine, just a little dry. Andrew's vocals are mostly more of a snarl which does fit the music just fine, though he occasionally bursts into that famous baritone wail of his.

So, for better or worse, this is the most recent work by which to judge The Sisters. Don't tell me you're still pretending there's going be another one (I personally gave up sometime around 2012, and I've only been into this band for about 8 years to date). Minus 1993's minor classic "Under The Gun" released to coincide with the "Overbombing" singles collection, it has now been almost 25 years since this last proper album. In a way I'm OK with that. I would rather the legacy of Eldritch rested on a mostly stellar body of work than him continually releasing albums that probably wouldn't be as good as the classic ones. As it stands, I think Vision Thing is a worthy final chapter. Recommend the remastered edition with bonus live tracks, including a hair raising performance of "Ribbons" that sounds like the apocalypse of the heart set to a dance beat.

Killing Joke - Brighter Than a Thousand Suns

Released November, 1986

E.G. Records

"As pain and joy and sorrow mingle..."

One of the “black sheep” of the Killing Joke discography, Brighter Than a Thousand Suns is in my eyes a vastly underrated and hugely powerful work. A true modern classic, if there is such a thing (a bit pretentious I know, but bear with me). It came out bang in the middle of the band’s “accessible” phase in the mid 80s, directly following 1985’s outstanding Night Time LP and the accompanying single “Love Like Blood”, which is still the most successful thing the Joke ever put out (criminally it only reached no.16 in the UK charts, not a flop by any means, but truthfully it deserved to make the top 5 at least) . Now when I say “accessible”, I mean it somewhat loosely. The Killing Joke of this period was still aggressive and powerful, just in a different way. Despite the strong commercial/new wave leanings of their 84-86 material, it is still true to the Killing Joke spirit. I doubt there’s a Joker out there who doesn’t worship Night Time, and rightfully so. Brighter, however, seems to get panned a bit more.

On Night Time, the band’s sound still had a lot of “impact” to it despite the heavy use of synthesizers and Jaz Coleman actually singing (something he is apparently rather good at doing) instead of roaring his lungs out. On Brighter, the aggression is toned down a little more for some tracks, the majority of the album is soaring and epic with some hints of the fury of old. Take the first song, “Adorations”. Its like “Love Like Blood” with the epic and romantic qualities intensified twofold into a soaring (you’ll see me using that word a lot in relation to this album), beautiful hymn to the decadence of humanity with a subtle, yet gravely sombre edge to it despite the uplifting motif of the chorus. “Sanity” follows suit, with wonderful haunting keyboards contrasting with Coleman’s powerful singing in the chorus, and overall a magnificently sad set of lyrics that seems to perfectly embody the concept of fading power and glory.

There’s plenty of variety to be found. “Chessboards” and “Twilight” are notably more propulsive and aggressive, the former being more energetic, the latter more contemplative. Both addictively catchy. Elsewhere, tracks like “Under a Southern Sky” and “Victory” show that Killing Joke can write a moving ballad as well as the best of them. These may not be to the taste of the rabid fan of the first 3 classic albums, or the later more metal influenced stuff, but taken on their own merits they are both brilliant songs. “Wintergardens” defines the term “dark funk”, with its stabs of icy guitar from Geordie Walker punctuating Raven’s deliciously moody slap bassline, over Coleman’s esoteric rambling. “Rubicon” brings the album to a terrifying finale, the sound of the world ending, of a man’s mind tipping over the edge. If this song doesn’t persuade you, then give up. One of the CD bonus tracks, “Goodbye to the Village”, is an incredibly powerful song about the fickle nature of progress and the destruction of places that dwell within our hearts, in the face of gleaming nightmares of modern architecture. The music and Jaz’s delivery of his impassioned lyrics are honestly tear-jerking. Not what you would typically expect from Killing Joke, but they pull it off so damn well here I can’t help but love it.

This album (the original version at least, more on that in a bit) does have a very “1986” sound to it. Lots of reverb on the vocals, keys, and drums. Geordie’s signature guitar is more textural than ever here, but no less effective as listening to any of the tracks will reveal. Paul Raven offers up some of his finest basslines, though they may not be as thunderous and raw as some fans may like they are technically sound and work fantastically well within the songs. Big Paul’s drumming is at its most “80s” sounding, with a machinelike precision more befitting the nigh-on synthpop style of the album. Purists may find themselves missing those characteristic tribal rhythms that Killing Joke are traditionally most loved for. Indeed, purists may dislike most of, if not all of this album on principle....but as fans of Killing Joke, they would be doing the band, album and themselves a serious disservice in my opinion. This, coming from someone who admits to being a purist about some things himself, should say something about the quality of this album.

When the Joke’s discography was remastered in the mid 2000s, Brighter Than a Thousand Suns was given a complete overhaul. Julian Mendelsohn’s final mix was replaced with an earlier mix from Chris Kimsey, who worked with the band on Night Time. In this “restored” version, the keyboards and reverbs are toned down noticeably in favour of an emphasis on guitar and bass. Some tracks, such as “Victory” were also edited. This version may appeal more to hardcore fans of the “classic” Joke sound, indeed it makes the album resemble Night Time soundwise a lot more. That version of the album was actually the first one I heard and bought, though I also made a point of getting a copy of the original too, because I like the album that much. Frankly, I do prefer the original. However, the alternate version is just that: an alternate look at the album which should not be discredited on that basis, as the music is still the same. The original has a more "wall of sound" feel, everything blended together richly. The restored version, more punchy and with better definition to the rhythm section.

There are albums that belong in people’s collections that are hugely important to them in a personal way, due to where and when they heard them, and other such circumstances. This is one of those for me without a doubt. It pretty much defined a period of my life, and to this day I still find inspiration and solace in its epic soundscapes and Jaz Coleman's poignant lyrics. I admit that this does give me a strong personal bias towards it, but frankly it is well founded. This is potent stuff. Give it a try if you haven’t already.

Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division by Peter Hook

Keep on demolishing those myths

Joy Division was without a doubt, one of the most important bands of the modern day. They practically invented goth, for better or worse, inspiring legions of clones who could only ever imitate them at the superficial “gloomy” level. Over the years, much has been written about the tragic story of this group and its late singer Ian Curtis. Films such as Anton Corbijn’s “Control” ( a fantastic piece of film making, it must be said) only serve to perpetuate the myth of Curtis being this T.S. Elliot type, a brooding poet who stood apart from his friends. That he was, but only to an extent. Peter Hook’s “Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division” does much to paint a far more realistic and believable portrait of the man as “one of us”, and offers probably the most vital account of Joy Division’s short career yet. He was the bassist, after all. I haven’t even finished reading this book yet but over the last 3 days I haven’t been able to put it down, and I just had to praise it.

Having found myself hooked on his “The Hacienda: How Not to Run a Club” I knew this one would be just as essential. Hooky takes us from beginning to end, growing up, meeting Bernard Sumner, founding the group, success, and the sudden jolt of the end while they were on the edge of a breakthrough American tour. This, apparently, was all that Curtis wanted all along, but as anyone who knows this band is aware, his personal circumstances became too much to handle. Given the fact that Hook and the other members of Joy Division/New Order are currently bitterly estranged (a frankly sorry state of affairs for what once was one of the very finest British groups), Hook does make a few personal criticisms of Sumner and the others throughout...however, he’s always quick to balance it out by praising them (especially Sumner) as musicians. He’s clearly proud, and rightfully so, of being a groundbreaking bass player with lines such as “She’s Lost Control” practically re-inventing the instrument in the context of modern rock, and its great to see his appreciation (in hindsight) of Martin Hannett’s genius production of their music. He also gives an intriguing track-by-track commentary to the albums which is like gold dust to fans like me.

However, what I admire most about this book is Hooky’s down to earth nature. Just as with his book about the Hacienda, reading “Unknown Pleasures” is like hearing him reminisce casually, yet thoroughly, about those times as if you were sat having a conversation with him. Despite their austere public image, these 4 guys got up to plenty of mischief on the road just like any other band and there are plenty of funny antics to read about. Its so refreshing to see the band’s story being told this way. There’s been so much pretentious nonsense written about Joy Division over the years, we really don’t need any more, especially not from one of the guys who was actually in Joy Division. I’m looking at you, Paul Morley. Now all that's left for Hook to do is publish the New Order book alluded to in the pages of this one. Can't wait for that.

Record Store Day sucks and so do you: a (somewhat) tongue in cheek rant

So, its that time of year again. The one official day in the year where you're supposed to make a huge deal about independent record shops. Personally I care about them on much more of a regular basis than that, so to me its kind of pointless: why can't every day potentially be a "record store day"? I don't need you to tell me when my "record store day" is supposed to happen, thanks. But this isn't the main issue. The main issue is: its a fucking stupid gimmick. Today, at popular indie stores all around the world (Rough Trade in London for example), vinyl obsessives and hipsters will be queuing round the block to purchase such things as an "exclusive" Nirvana 7", a 12" reissue of the first Oasis single (Christ, who the hell wants that anyway?), or a limited edition Sex Pistols 7" box set. I dunno how the hell much any of that costs at retail (probably too much!), but one thing is constant where RSD is concerned: as early as the following day, many of these releases will be showing up on ebay at stupidly inflated prices as "rare" items. Yeah, they're rare because some guy bought 5 copies of an already limited thing to sell on at a later date. A couple of years ago, an exclusive split 12" between Joy Division and New Order came out for Record Store Day (limited of 800 copies, of course), featuring both band's versions of "Ceremony" and "In A Lonely Place". Bearing in mind that the few recorded Joy Division demos and live recordings of both those songs sound like complete shit, and an original copy of the New Order version can be had for not too much cash, its pretty absurd and frankly disturbing to see something like that floating around on eBay with an £80 price tag on it. I mean come the fuck on. Ok, yeah, on one hand its pretty genius. Buy overpriced, limited edition, inferior modern repress. Sell it on eBay at ridiculously inflated price. Its a good way to make some cash, because you can guarantee that some idiot out there will fall for it. Not me though. Its like those people who scalp tickets for a concert and sell them at increased prices to people in the queue outside the venue 10 minutes before the band goes on. Yes yes, very clever. Making a tidy profit, I'm sure. I'd probably feel like a bit of a cunt doing that. Bow to my moral superiority.

Can you say the same? Don't you want to?

Modern vinyl. Its a bit of a funny subject to me. I refer you now to a hilarious moment during which I came across a brand new, 180g, "remastered from the original analogue tapes" blah fucking blah and all the rest of it, copy of "Nursery Cryme" by Genesis in the "was there for years-then suddenly disappeared for several years-oh look now its back again because vinyl is trendy now" wax racks of my nearest HMV, the ones that used to be stuffed with Hip Hop and DnB records and is now full of these classic represses because that's what's cool now so of course, we're going along with it....but I digress. So, Nursery Cryme. You know, one of, if not the best, prog albums of its era. It was all new, shiny, and loaded with these gimmicks that the sticker on the front was so damn EAGER to make a big (selling) point of. Sure, sounds good. Timeless classic album, brand new and shiny, all yours for a meager £25. Bollocks. Not ten minutes prior to this encounter I had flicked past an excellent condition copy of an ORIGINAL press of said album in a nearby independent (who will of course be joining in with today's festivities) for £3. A perfectly serviceable, above average example of an original artifact for £3 vs. a brand spanking shiny new "180g remastered from the original ANALOGUE (wow, where do i sign?!?!..) tapes" blah...just had to laugh, really. What would you choose? I'll give them one thing, at least they're not just sticking a CD master on it like some bastard reissue labels (Back on Black, some Earache releases before they fessed up and started doing "full dynamic range" versions...) have freely admitted to in the past. That's like buying a huge black CD/frisbee at two to three times the cost of buying a normal sized, silver CD. Yet all this "remastered from the original tapes" is still effectively a sales gimmick when you can snag an original copy, also mastered "from the original analogue tapes" for a fraction of the price....and come on, we're talking things like Genesis and Floyd here, classic rock that sold/ still sells millions of units and is still readily available 2nd hand in all the 200 editions that have been made over 30 odd years. Its all gotten a bit stupid these days. Classic albums that are still readily available in either superior or perfectly adequate editions, are being cranked out as ridiculous modern editions which are criticized time and time again by people who actually know their shit. Take your 90 quid "Immersion" box set of Dark Side of the Moon and shove it up your arse, coffee table book and all. I'd rather have an mp3, plus you should know A Saucerful of Secrets is miles better anyway. That 1994, one disc (!!!) "definitive remaster" of Selling England By the Pound (they must have forgotten about that when doing the 2007 "definitive" double disc collector's editions, I guess) suits me just fine.

In my past life I was Peter Gabriel's shaved forehead.

So, Record Store Day. In theory? Not a bad idea. In practice? More like a bad joke. As a huge music lover, it does piss me off and irritate a few of my sensibilities. Not massively, just enough for me to write a descriptive and hopefully humorous article poking fun at its perceived faults. Like it? Go and get involved. Personally I won't be bothering. I'll be laughing while you spend £30 on a limited edition 7" on eBay tomorrow cause you didn't make it down quick enough. Don't worry though. You've still got another 365 days to work on your timing.

ADDENDUM: Well well well, 26 quid at the time of posting this update.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Joy-Division-An-Ideal-For-Living-12-Single-Record-Store-Day-2014-/371046652471?pt=UK_Records&hash=item56641a9a37

In the SAME day even. What did I fucking tell you? The highest buy it now at the moment is £49.99. Haha! Enjoy you twats!

Fields of the Nephilim - The Nephilim

 Released September, 1988

Situation Two/Beggars Banquet records

  "Does it hurt for I want you to remain?"

To any self respecting fan of vintage goth, the entire discography from the original incarnation of Fields of the Nephilim is worth its weight in gold. This band, largely unlike any of their contemporaries (beyond superficial similarities, such as hats and smoke), and indeed unlike any in the world, released a string of commonly regarded quintessential records from 1984 to 1991, comprising 4 now classic albums and a slew of equally good EPs and 12” singles including the gothic rock genre’s arguable peak (admittedly, one of many) in the form of the 12” version of “Psychonaut” (1989), a staggering 9 minute trip of a song. Sure, they kind of looked and vaguely sounded a bit like The Sisters of Mercy early on, but they had a different vibe. Whereas the Sisters’ music was more about reality combined with clever lyrical metaphors, FOTN’s music, image and everything else were steeped heavily in the occult, and mysticism, and bordered on hard rock and classical heavy metal escapism. Their discography defines goth rock as much as the other giants from that era like The Sisters, Bauhaus, and all the rest. When it comes to choosing the best of their classic trio of studio albums I find myself always coming back to one more than any other: 1988’s almost self titled, “The Nephilim”.

Why this album? Well, it seems to fit nicely in the middle of their progression as a band, being the 2nd of the 3 albums. Its heavier, consistently better and more densely layered than 1987’s nonetheless impressive debut “Dawnrazor”, and more energetic, punchy and concise than 1990’s somewhere-far-beyond-this-world Prog-goth epic “Elizium” (which despite having just as much potential to be the best, is let down at times by its own airiness and long winded arrangements). “The Nephilim” fits right in the middle of those albums and displays this band at its absolute best on the album format. Fields of the Nephilim is a band who in their prime, were able to completely transcend the limitations of their genre trappings and create a profound and timeless sonic experience, and this album is a perfect example of that. The classic line-up of McCoy, Yates, Wright, Pettit and Wright had a chemistry that was undeniable, all you need do is listen and hear their unique craft at work. From Tony Pettit’s distinctive bass playing (really, this guy was THE goth bassist, listen to THAT “Psychonaut” bassline or the intro to “Love Under Will” and just try to disagree!), the textural yet driving guitars of Peter Yates and Alex Wright, to Nod Wright’s propulsive drumming topped off with Carl McCoy’s unmistakeable intonations, these four guys were quite a team. There are plenty of live recordings (many bootlegs and an official live album) to prove that they were just as effective on stage too, and a concert film recorded on the tour to promote this album entitled “Forever Remain” is a must watch for any fan.

The atmosphere this album exudes is thick and almost tangible, otherworldly while being warmly familiar. It feels like returning to something sacred, submerged in a warm glow coming from some place that isn’t quite real. At least, that’s the effect it has to my ears. Backing up this unearthly atmosphere is some seriously killer songwriting including such instantly recognisable classics as the endlessly re-playable single “Moonchild” and the climactic “Last Exit For The Lost”, alongside fan favourites like the relentless “Chord of Souls” and the moving “Love Under Will”. “Phobia” sounds almost like Motorhead. All powerful, highly addictive songs. For me though, the real highlight has to be “Celebrate”, a subtle and haunting bass and vocal duet with whispers of guitar to bring shivers to your spine (it was perfected as a slight remix on the “Psychonaut” B-side, yet another reason why you really do need that 12”). The use of atmospheric samples to add layers to the sound and bridge the songs is revelatory in an album of this kind. The imagery inside the sleeve is as compelling and mysterious as the music within it. Carl McCoy’s lyrics have always been largely shrouded in mystic imagery which some might call clichéd or dubious, but they can make for some interesting interpretations for your own situations and his powerful, unique voice drifts over the songs with clarity and purpose.

Overall, this is a highly potent package that is commonly regarded as one of the essential albums of the style. If you want to get a good idea about 80s Goth music and just how good it was, get this album. Its a bewildering thought to me that this stuff was actually popular once upon a time, several years before I was born, in an era where contemporary popular music was vastly superior in (not just) my opinion. FOTN themselves are still around, albeit in a largely unoriginal lineup (the original band fell apart after “Elizium”, nowadays is essentially McCoy and hired hands, though bassist Pettit has been seen playing with them live again recently), producing the occasional inferior yet promising album like 2002’s “Fallen” (incomplete demos from an aborted reunion of the original band at the end of the 90s) and 2005’s underwhelming and self referential “Mourning Sun”. The essential body of work from this band remains in the 80s, created by the original line-up. Now, go and check out, and buy, this masterpiece of an album...and don’t forget “Psychonaut” while you’re at it.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Released: November 26, 1986

Directed by: Leonard Nimoy

Producer: Harve Bennet

Screenplay: Nicholas Meyer, Harve Bennet, Steve Meerson & Peter Krikes

 “Everybody remember where we parked...”

Time travel plots are a staple of sci fi, especially in the world of Star Trek. Frankly, its a bit of a cliché. However, there are some examples of the idea being pulled off really well, and one of those is The Voyage Home. This film was the most successful of the Star Trek series to date, and is still held in high regard by many fans including myself. Its certainly one of my very favourite Trek films, up there with The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country all sharing the top spot in my mind for the best of the TOS era features. The thing that makes The Voyage Home so successful is just how different it is to either of those aforementioned films, and indeed how different it is among all the Trek films. In a noticeable change of pace, our heroes find themselves on 20^th century Earth in a “save the whales!” adventure marked with priceless comedy thanks to the unforgettable onscreen chemistry of the cast. There’s no real violence, no Klingon bad guys, no space battles. Star Trek IV is pure, light-hearted fun, and that’s precisely the reason why its so good.

As the final part in the trilogy of films that began with The Wrath of Khan, The Voyage Home sees Admiral Kirk and co. and returning to Earth to face judgment for their actions in the previous two films. What starts out as something that seems to be along the lines of the other films, takes a sharp right turn. An alien probe is harassing the planet Earth, looking for Humpback whales. In the 23^rd century, they’re extinct. Of course, the natural answer is to attempt time travel by the ludicrous means of flying around the sun at warp speed, and after a surreal time travel sequence where do they end up? San Fransciso, 1986. The first shot of our heroes, wandering around the streets of the city, looking sorely out of place and accompanied by roaring contemporary Jazz Fusion replete with impossibly 80s programmed drums and synth (indeed the entire soundtrack is a noticeable departure from standard Trek film music), is one of the most charming, funny and priceless moments in the entire history of this franchise. Their interactions with the “primitive and paranoid culture”, as Kirk puts it, are just effortlessly funny, as are their interactions with themselves. The chemistry between these actors to generate humour was never so obvious as in this film. Having recently just seen this again after several years, the “save the whales” mentality of the film has also never stuck out to me as much. This is undoubtedly a sign of the times, and its nice that they were able to put a relevant and contemporary message into the film. The rest of it is filled with non stop examples of effortless humour and great character interactions; I forgot how funny this film really is. This is one that has me laughing almost all the way through, every time. Let's not forget the inherent humour in a Russian guy, in 1980s America, stopping people in the street to ask where the nuclear vessels are kept.

Of course, everything works out in the end as it should, with our heroes making a successful return to the future bringing with them two Humpback whales and a disenfranchised 20^th century marine biologist. For saving the day yet again, they’re rewarded with a brand new shiny Enterprise and the chance to fall flat on their faces in the underwhelming and largely derided follow up, The Final Frontier. The Voyage Home, though, is a fantastic film and one that even non Trek fans will be able to enjoy due to the setting. For many Trek nuts, myself included, The Voyage Home is one of the unmissable highlights of the film series. As with Star Trek II, the version I have discussed is the 2009 remastered DVD, which presents excellent picture quality. The packaging and bonus features are again somewhat minimalist, but the only other version of this film I've owned is an older VHS so the improved picture is very apparent to me. If you want more comprehensive bonus features, nicer packaging and perfectly adequate picture quality, get the 2003 2-disc collectors edition, or indeed the newest BluRay version which combines this edition's image quality (except probably even better, being a BluRay) with the 2003 edition's extensive bonus material.

My rating: 5/5

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

 Released: June 4, 1982

Director Nicholas Meyer

Produced by: Robert Sallin, Harve Bennet (executive)

Screenplay: Jack B. Sowards, Nicholas Meyer (uncredited)

 

"Can I cook, or can't I..."

I'm sure that's what went through Nicholas Meyer's head when he watched the final edit for this. Star Trek: The Motion Picture, while not an inherently bad film, was a less than ideal start to the Star Trek movie series. It just took a bit too long to make its point, and the story wasn't exactly A-grade material. Put it up against the smash hit A New Hope that came out a year prior, and the winner is obvious. For the next film in the Trek series, I'm sure they realised they had to step up their game a little bit and come out with a film that would make an impression. In that they succeeded, and also created a film that is still regarded by many as the definitive Star Trek feature.

I have never seen Space Seed, the original series episode featuring Khan that serves as a backdrop to this movie. I'm not as big a fan of TOS as I am of TNG, DS9, and so on. If you have seen that episode then you'll know exactly what's going on from the beginning. Thankfully this film is successful enough that it doesn't require you to have seen the episode to get into it, though it may help if you have an idea of just who Khan is to explain the connection between him and the rest of the characters. Put simply, the film center's around Khan's obsession with revenge on Kirk that untimately proves to be his undoing, while Kirk survives and is free to save the galaxy and spout one liners another day. At the center of all this lies Genesis, a world-creating device of unimaginable power which Khan sets his eyes on, that provides the foundation for the film after this one, and the one after that in part, too. This is the first film to introduce many elements that would become synonymous with the Trek features, including the distinctive red uniforms (not like the “space pyjamas” of The Motion Picture). Ricardo Montalban gives an unforgettable performance as Khan, subtly menacing and explosive when needed, without ever going over the top. If you want to see a top actor doing a classic villain role, watch this. He and Kirk face off in their respective ships in one of the most memorable space battles in film history. Like a classic submarine fight, both ships are effectively running blind in a nebula and almost collide with each other in one instance. Its a tense, dramatic battle scene that leaves both ships crippled. In the end, a certain crew member sacrifices himself so the Enterprise can escape to safety, while the Genesis device goes off aboard Khan’s stolen ship and creates a new world which becomes the focus of the next film in the series. The rest of the cast is on top form, the screen chemistry between these people (especially the classic Bones, Kirk and Spock trio) is undeniable and just a joy to watch...and isn’t Kirstie Alley just stunning? There are some good awkward moments between Kirk, his ex wife, and son that he didn’t know about. James Horner’s score is one of the most memorable of the movie series, and there are some great visual effects from stunning matte paintings to charmingly dated CGI that was doubtless the absolute cutting edge in its day.

Unlike some, emptier sci fi, The Wrath of Khan is really classic character drama in a futuristic setting, topped off with some great action and the moral/political take on things, the reflection of the human condition that defines classic Trek in the minds of so many fans. This film is the first part of the classic 3 film series of Treks II, III and IV that are basically one big story arc. This is the film that was so good, so classic, that they ripped it off like you wouldn’t believe for 2013’s style over substance Star Trek Into Darkness. I just got hold of the newest 2009 DVD edition of this film, remastered in 1080p from the original print, which apparently needed a bit of restoration work as it wasn't in great shape after all those years. Before this I was accustomed to the lower quality of my VHS copy, I have to say the difference is remarkable and I have never seen this film look so good. The bonus features on this DVD version are decent, though not as good or comprehensive as on the 2003 2-disc special editions. The trade off is the much improved picture quality. If you want to know just what this remarkable cultural phenomenon is all about, you could pick a much worse place to start than Star Trek II.

My rating: 5/5