Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back

Rating:
Summary: The Worse Star Wars movie
Review: Considered by many the best of the Star Wars saga (although Star Wars barely beats it), this is an overrated, rehash of the original and is quite a dissapointment. We are not talking about a Godfather Part 2-esque sequel here.

Some people may claim the story is "darker" in TESB than Star Wars. Star Wars was never meant to be dark, however. It was supposed to be a fun, exciting children's story. Leave the dark Sci-Fi movies for Alien and Blade Runner. Think about this: It's the only Star Wars film were a main character does not die... Dark is not a synonym for good. Ridley Scott need not to be afraid.

The characters were more complex in Star Wars. Han is a scoundral. Knew that. Han has the hots for Leia. Knew that. Han can also be courageous and caring. Knew that. Luke is trying to become a Jedi. Knew that. Luke is a great hero/pilot. Knew that. Leia is a snobby princess. Knew that. All the characters in TESB are rehashed. Luke never even changes through the whole film (he doesn't adapt to Yoda's teachings until ROTJ) We learn 2 new things, Vader is Luke's father and there is a character named Yoda... Lando is just a clone of Han Solo.

The Empire Strikes Back suffers from the "middle child syndrome." It has to fill all the cracks and holes in Star Wars, so it is not half as much fun. It's not as fresh as the original and it is not required to have an ending. So there is minimalist plot development, contrary to what others say. The Empire is hunting the Rebel Alliance, and Luke Skywalker is still training to be a Jedi knight, and a subplot involving Han and Leia. Instead of a solid storyline, the viewer is treated to 122 minutes of cobbled-together battle sequences. There is no tension building or climax, which is required for a plot, and at the end it just drops... you can just skip this movie and watch ROTJ, without missing much (Vader's revelation is explained better and Yoda has more character development in the Prequels).

It is OK, but not half as good as the original Star Wars.

Rating:
Summary: Simply the best of the Star Wars movies
Review: Sorry but I am going to have to disagree with my fellow writer's previous review.

Of the three Star Wars films for sheer all round pleasure, the pride of place by a whisker is taken by The Empire Strikes Back. Of the three films, this is the one that has stood up to more repeat viewings than the others. When I first saw it it did not have the effect that seeing the first did, absorbing though it still was. The passage of time has seen it establish itself as my fave of the trilogy though. I always felt that the plot for Star Wars movies drew on the Arthurian Legend, and nowhere is this more apparent than in The Empire Strikes Back, particularly when the true identity of Darth Vader is revealed for the first time.

There is a moodiness about Empire that runs through the film from start to finish, and I often wonder what Jedi would have been like if George Lucas had let the director of Empire Strikes Back - Irvin Kershner helm that film too.... There were rumours of disagreements between the two of them during production and afterwards.
No other films of the trilogy quite match the almost surreal, breathless excitement of scenes like the meteor field chase which then goes into the encounter with the Mynocks. That leaps straight into the flight out of the belly of the huge creature that they have inadvertently taken refuge in....
Equally with the dark and again surreal sequences where Luke is receiving his Jedi training from Yoda on the swamp planet, their like are simply not in any of the other films. Ditto the showdown with Vader in the cloud city of Bespin, which is more ominous than even the uber showdown at the end of Return Of The Jedi.

As to the controversy of the editing that Lucas has made to the dvd releases, my feelings are as follows:
I loved the originals and have the vhs versions of all three. However, with nearly 20 years between Jedi and The Phantom Menace there were always going to be continuity issues concerning casting and SFX. Play an original vhs version of Star Wars, and you will soon see that the mattes have not aged well and stand out visibly. Yet did we notice them at the the time of the films release? No of course not because the SFX then were state of the art. Now with the passage of time and SFX having come on in leaps and bounds, George Lucas decided to update the former films.In my opinion he has done a good job too SFX wise. The casting editing is more to link with the newer editions of the franchise than to improve the quality of the originals, so my thoughts on that are mixed though. I can see the reason for doing it but I simply prefer the original actors in their roles. Clive Revill's Emperor in Empire Strikes Back I think is the deletion that was most unnecessary.
Overall though I am glad that I have a choice and can either watch the originals on vhs or put on the updated versions on dvd.

I have looked forward to the dvd release of these films for years and am delighted with finally being able to blast them across my home cinema set up. The picture on 16:9 anamorphic is great on a widescreen tv. All sound channels are crisp and totally clear of any distortion. Laser blasts and Tie Fighters shoot across the room to varying degrees...Such is the effect of being able to do that, it has returned me to the awe struck kid seeing Star Wars for the first time in a cinema. Thanks for the dvds, George, it may have taken a while but at least they are here now.


Rating:
Summary: All time best Star Wars movie- A Treat on DVD
Review: Thanks for reading.
I think this is clearly the best of the Star Wars movie and captures wonderfully all the characters from the first film.
It lends itself well to the small screen, with all the extra scenes digitally added in 1997 when George Lucas released theatritcally the first three movies again to celebrate the 20th anniversary.
The picture quality and sound are superb.
The movie itself still holds up well, and I continue to be in awe of the sets, constumes and special effects done in the late 1970s, early 80s.
The plot is better that first film, and the characters develop nicely with better dialogue.
The scenes with Luke training with Yoda are very interesting. I love the part where he goes into the cave, discovers Vader, fights with his light sabre, knocking off the helmet to look into his own face. Brilliantly done.
The Asteroid scene was utterly spectacular. I watched with amazement at a drive- in when I was 9 years old when this first came out. I still think it's one of the best Sci-fi scenes of all time.
The scenes in the Cloud City at the end are also extremely well done, the light sabre duel, and the famous line by Darth Vader.
Just about a perfect movie really!
One of the great movies of all time.

Enjoy!