On E List of Movie Reviews
(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Rate:
7
Viewed:
6/03, 5/17
5/17:
Improving my rating from '6' to '7', The Empire Strikes Back is a fair sequel to
Star Wars.
The first 45 minutes, which takes place in Hoth, is tedious to go through. Having seen the film four times, going
back to the 80's, I've never liked this part. It should have been 30 minutes shorter. Once I get through it, the movie becomes
better from there on.
George Lucas' team has done a good clean-up job because the cinematography looks great. Compared to
Star Wars, there are several bad changes such as the distracting CGI additions at the beginning,
but there's little the rest of the way.
The most annoying aspect is listening to the bickering between Han Solo, whose behavior borders sexual harassment, and Princess
Leia. It slowly goes away when the action becomes more serious. Strangely, she's the only female in the entire galaxy.
Luke Skywalker's Jedi training is the silliest part. He fails every test and then decides to leave; by the time Luke fights
Darth Vader, he's a bona fide Jedi Knight already. The downside is the lazy storytelling. There are many instances, but I'll
point out some:
One, how is it possible that Luke landed at the exact spot of a huge planet where Yoda lives?
Two, somebody thought it was a brilliant idea to equip a spacecraft with a roped harpoon? Like it will be totally useful one
day. How convenient for Luke to use it on an AT-AT Walker.
Three, this is something that had always bothered me since I first saw the film in the 80's, but is Luke a human being or a
machine? When his hand was cut off by Darth Vader, his wrist should be bleeding profusely. Some minutes later, Luke has
a new hand with a lot of wires through his wrist.
Four, when Luke was attacked by a wampa, why didn't he finish him off? This way, he would've stayed inside the
carcass overnight to stay warm. That means bad news for Han Solo, but he can find security by being inside
the tauntaun's belly he was riding on.
The best part is the showdown between Luke and Darth Vader. It's easy to see how epic it looks. Of course, Darth
telling Luke that he's his father is never a surprise, not even when I first saw the film, because there are many
dropped hints going back to almost the beginning of Star Wars.
All in all, although unique for allowing the bad side to win and not having a concrete ending, The Empire Strikes Back
isn't better than Star Wars but is as equally overrated.