The
Empire Strikes Back
(1980)
Rated: PG
Runtime: 2 Hours and 4 Minutes
Reviewer: Dale
Grade: A+I must start this review out by stating that I am twenty-two years old. I feel this is important in any review of the "Star Wars" movies. It is important to note this because I am part of the "Star Wars" generation. We were there when the movies first came out, and we were at precisely the right age to get the maximum amount of enjoyment out of them. We were at the age where the ads for the toys were playing on the Saturday morning cartoons. We lusted after those toys. They were not toys, they were the Holy Grail and we would beg our parents for them whenever we went to town. I barely understood what a movie was, and I had never seen the movies, but I had to have the action figures. I probably lost more "Star Wars" action figures than most collectors have under glass. I think that I lost about three of the Chewbacca figure alone. I used to bury them in the backyard and try to find them again. I wasn't too good at the finding part of this equation, though it must be noted that I was dynamite at hiding the damned things. I was too little to sit still for the movies, though, and when they put the "Star Wars" films on television, I didn't really watch them. I just ran around the house acting out my own versions of them with my action figures.
The point? For my generation, movies started with "Star Wars". They were the first ones that were big when we were small. They were the first ones to make us care, the first that we got excited about. They were the end-all, be-all of cinema and we still have a big place in our hearts for them. We can't really help it. They were the movies that popped our collective cherry as far as movies were concerned. You always remember your first time, and you always tend to make her a little prettier than she actually was. For us, movies began with a blonde kid and a lightsaber. And any movie where Burt Reynolds (with or without Jerry Reed) drove a cool car really fast.
I think I was about ten when I actually sat down and watched them for the first time. "Star Wars" was the first one. I remember that it wasn't quite what I was expecting, but that I watched it about once a day for the next week anyway. But I think the first one I saw was "Return of the Jedi". I may have broken the tape on that one. I certainly didn't do it any good. Then I moved onto the others. I was hooked and I have gotten little periods of obsession ever since. Once in a while, I just get an itch to visit my friends in a galaxy far, far away and they never cease in putting a smile on my face.
My viewing tastes are not what they once were. Now I never watch movies where Burt Reynolds drives a car really fast. Now I associate him with the sleazy, yet enthusiastic porn director of "Boogie Nights". I am more apt to watch "Pulp Fiction" than "Bambi". And although the "Star Wars" films are not the kings of cinema that they were when I was still counting my birthdays in single digits, they still have the power to enrapture and entertain. When I was less than twelve, I never noticed that the dialogue was not that great. I never noticed that Harrison Ford's performance in "Return of the Jedi" is a little off. I never gave a moment's thought to the fact that Luke receives months of Jedi training in the couple of days that it takes Han and Leia to elude the Empire.
And, in the long run, none of these things really matter. The dialogue in "Empire" is not "Pulp Fiction" caliber, but it does not harm or distract from the movie either. The characters may not be Shakespearean, but we care about them and root for them. In the end, it is the vividness of the world that Lucas has created which keeps us coming back. It is a magical world, filled with great images and rousing adventures and terrifying dangers. It is a place with bounty hunters and princesses and wookiees and droids. It is a place fuelled by pure imagination, and it has been lovingly and meticulously thought out. That is why we love it and cherish it, even when we know that parts of it aren't perfect. There is no perfect anyway. Not really. And this space opera, this battle between good and evil (Republicans and Democrats?) wages on in the corners of our imagination and holds a special place in our hearts.
The thing that makes it so continually great for me is that it is filled with remarkable human touches. I, as the owner of a 1987 Dodge Aries, can identify with the fact that Han's spaceship is always breaking down and needing repairs. I can identify with the supportive and undying friendship between Han and Chewie, and the wisecracking comedy duo of C-3PO and R2-D2. I can identify with the dreams and longing of Luke and the moments where, because he is human, he falls short of his goals. He does not always win and he does not always do the right thing. "Empire" is the prime example of all these things. It is a darker, richer universe, a bigger landscape of the imagination than either its predecessor or its successor. It is a dangerous world where the people and the not-so-people have more realistic problems. It is a place where the odds are higher and the stakes are greater and the bad guys hint at secret schemes going on beneath the surface. We also start to wonder what is going on in the head of Darth Vader, and are drawn a bit deeper into his character. What is the deal with him anyway?
And plus, the light saber fights are more thrilling; the space battles and chases are more breathtaking; the level of sheer ingenuity has been ratcheted up a notch or two. Yes, dammit, this is brilliant filmmaking. And it is more thrilling and more flat-out fun than any trip to the cosmos that we have ever been on. "2001" was a better, albeit totally different movie. Yes. But for the lighter (yet still deliciously dark) side of space exploration, "The Empire Strikes Back" is a person's best bet.
Though I doubt I have to tell anyone to go out and rent it.
Reviewer: Erik
Grade: A+
Like others, this is my favorite of the Star Wars trilogy. "A New Hope" was brilliant because it was new and exciting, "Return Of The Jedi" was fun because it tied everything together, but "The Empire Strikes Back" is the best MOVIE of the series. There's a real dramatic feel to this movie.
I could talk about the storyline, but everybody knows what goes on in this movie. You'd have to be living under a rock to NOT know. Instead, let's talk about what makes this movie incredible.
1) The battle scene on Hoth. Let's face it...how many of us have recreated scenes like this as little kids in the snow?
2) Yoda. This little guy stole the show. Wise, yet humorous. Possibly the best performance in the movie. Very quotable fellow.
3) Luke's lessons. Not just swinging through trees or brandishing a lightsaber, but how to avoid anger and hate. Yoda warns Luke, but there's a question about whether or not Luke will do the right thing. When he fails in his test at the cave, you're having serious doubts about him.
4) Lando's betrayal. You don't see this coming for miles away. In fact, to this day, the scene still amazes me how you think it's all going good, and then...
5) The lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader. The best lightsaber duel in any Star Wars movie, although the sith/jedi duel in "Phantom Menace" rivals this.
6) The classic line. I won't say it. It sends chills up and down my back everytime I watch this.
Sure, the movie ends on a down note, but it's still the best movie in terms of development and plot. The locations are wild as well. Williams' score is once again superb.
This was the perfect sequel. As a kid, this was my least favorite. As an adult, I see this movie for what it is: A great movie.