5. STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (1982)
Directed by Nicholas Meyer
Klingons. Romulans. The Borg. Over the better part of four decades, the crew of the Starship Enterprise has tangled with many a pesky intergalactic foe. But none had as much genetically bred wit, wiliness, and... well, wrath as Ricardo Montalban's Khan. Abandoned years earlier by Captain Kirk (William Shatner) on a barren planet (for trying to shipjack the Enterprise), Khan survived, sustained by his hunger for vengeance. The parallels between Montalban's leathery-pec'd Khan (Corinthian leather, of course) and Moby Dick's maniacal Ahab elevate what could've been just a bloated Trek episode. If revenge is a dish best served cold, then this movie is one chilling feast.
POP CULTURE LEGACY The genesis of the ''even-number theory'' (e.g., the only good Trek flicks are the even-numbered sequels), Khan is the benchmark against which all Trekfilms are measured.
THE BEST BIT The prize goes to an outwitted Shatner, frothing at the mouth and bursting with rage, bellowing ''Khaaaannnnn!'' at the top of his lungs. —Chris Nashawaty
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