The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

'The Empire Strikes Back' was released back in 1980 with a lot to live up to. The 1977 original 'Star Wars' film was a phenomenon no one at the time could have predicted, resulting in a change to the film industry itself so I think it goes without saying that the follow up could have easily ended the franchise had it not been the end product we have today. Of course today we know that the movie is considered the best of the series with some of the most famous quotes and scenes in film history but at the time, 'Empire' did have some criticisms lobbed at it.

 I think personally it was due to how drastically different the second film is resulting in above average to good not great reviews at the time it released. Not that it mattered seeing as how it went on to make roughly $209 million in the US alone but its nice to see that the critics and overall audience opinion came around. The film's darker and frankly miserable feeling might have been the dividing factor for the critics but its funny how today that's what many audiences expect from a sequel of this caliber.  The same came to be with films such as 'Batman' or the James Bond series and is now an industry standard but even when I was a kid, this tone did turn me off making 'Empire' my least watched film during my younger years. To be fair the movie is a much slower paced and lacking the constant action of the original which many young viewers might find boring.

But looking at it with adult eyes, it's easy to see why people consider it the best but its more than the change in its tone or the various technical improvements although those are nice too. Rather, it's the stronger overall story which adds a lot more to the 'Star Wars' lore and the screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan delving deeper into both the heroes and villains which makes them feel like real people. One of my favorite aspects of 'Star Wars' in general is that they are willing to develop a character no matter what side they're on. Even with the obvious black and white template of good versus evil, these films still take time to show that they aren't just stock heroes or villains but have they're own personal conflicts and relationships which very few movies do right even today.

When I look at the original trilogy as a whole, 'Empire' just seems the most complete despite being the 'middle' film. It simply has the most of everything you're looking for and despite the obvious and abrupt cliffhanger, it still leaves its audience satisfied when they walk out of the theater. The main complaint I think I have with 'Empire Strikes Back' however is that it does slow to a crawl when the Falcon is attempting to hide from the Star Destroyer. It ultimately does lead to an important subplot but the constant hide and seek really could have been trimmed down. And while the lightsaber fight scenes have better effects and choreography, they are still awkward at times and poor David Prowse just struggles to move smoothly in his Vader suit.

But even with the slow second half, the film's ultimate revelation and set up for 'Return of the Jedi' really saves it and overall the film is still entertaining (I mean its not like I've seen the movie eighty times already...) and really when it comes down to it, you've seen this movie and either agree with me or not. It's 'The Empire Strikes Back' and its an awesome film.

9.5/10