FILM: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back (the original 1980 edition)

Possibly the greatest sequel ever created. It takes everything that was so great about Star Wars and expands upon it.

What struck me is how incredibly cool this movie is. For years now, or maybe decades Star Wars films have not been considered cool, and saying you are a fan makes you an enormous geek. But TESB has a coolness about it.

Darth Vader here is a cool, merciless villian, Han Solo is cool. (even in the face of death he doesn't say a cheesy line like "I love you too." Even Luke, who was a whining farmboy in the first film has a coolness about him.

This film is also very well shot. both in the normal cinematography as in it's special effects. I love the establishing shot of the Asteroid Field. The Falcon being hunted down by a Star Destroyer and a bunch of Tie-Fighters (the entire scene is a virtuoso exercise of special effects btw.)

My favorite shot of any SW film is probably this one:

You just now Luke's in deep trouble.

This is the only SW film I would consider epic, both in it's story and in the way it looks.

Many people says that the downfall of the franchise actually started her, with the moment Vader utters his most well-known line. Maybe that's true. But when the moment happened "No...I am your father" It gave me goosebumps. And Luke's attempted suicide, and how he calls out to Leia, just brilliant.

with TESB John Williams delivers one of his very best scores. I dunno if it's better then Star Wars, which achieved the same level of brilliance by doing less, but it's a monumental piece of work.

**** out of ****

[Taikomochi 1,136]

Who says the downfall of the franchise started there? This is not really a problem in Return of the Jedi, whose flaws are more attributed to ewoks, and unrelated. I guess they are referring to the prequels which expand on that, but that's a whole different basket of eggs. The element of Darth Vader being Luke's father is really only important in RotS, which is widely considered the best and most passable prequel. The first two prequels are really just setting up Darth Vader as he is known in A New Hope: Obi Wan's apprentice who turned to the dark side.

[King Mark 3,631]

The franchise achieved it's greatness with TESB. It's my favorite movie of all times

[Red 75]

The idea that Vader is Anakin Skywalker was not apart of the original story of Star Wars. It's technically a retcon, evidenced by Obi-Wan's explanation in Return of the Jedi. But for me, it was a great idea that was executed fantastically, which matters far more than whether or not it was apart of the original plan.

[Datameister 2,044]

Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back (the original 1980 edition)

Possibly the greatest sequel ever created. It takes everything that was so great about Star Wars and expands upon it.

What struck me is how incredibly cool this movie is. For years now, or maybe decades Star Wars films have not been considered cool, and saying you are a fan makes you an enormous geek. But TESB has a coolness about it.

Darth Vader here is a cool, merciless villian, Han Solo is cool. (even in the face of death he doesn't say a cheesy line like "I love you too." Even Luke, who was a whining farmboy in the first film has a coolness about him.

This film is also very well shot. both in the normal cinematography as in it's special effects. I love the establishing shot of the Asteroid Field. The Falcon being hunted down by a Star Destroyer and a bunch of Tie-Fighters (the entire scene is a virtuoso exercise of special effects btw.)

My favorite shot of any SW film is probably this one:

You just now Luke's in deep trouble.

This is the only SW film I would consider epic, both in it's story and in the way it looks.

Many people says that the downfall of the franchise actually started her, with the moment Vader utters his most well-known line. Maybe that's true. But when the moment happened "No...I am your father" It gave me goosebumps. And Luke's attempted suicide, and how he calls out to Leia, just brilliant.

with TESB John Williams delivers one of his very best scores. I dunno if it's better then Star Wars, which achieved the same level of brilliance by doing less, but it's a monumental piece of work.

**** out of ****

I can't find anything to disagree with in this entire post. ESB is basically the perfect sequel - it feels perfectly consistent with the characters and universe that were introduced in the first film, yet it never feels like it's just a rehash of the same old story. And yeah, the cinematography is actually better than in Star Wars...there are a lot of really beautifully composed shots, including the one you posted.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Superman is the only true epic film that Williams has scored. Star Wars as a saga was epic, but none of the films were.

[Jay 37,374]

Whaaa? Star Wars was about the epic struggle of good vs evil, and freeing an entire galaxy from the opressive rule of an evil dictator

Superman was about one man (alien) growing up, meeting a girl, and fighting one bad guy

[Faleel 5,360]

No Star Wars was about people in space blowing up a grey disco ball.....

[Wojo 2,453]

How about instead of bickering about the use of this one mysterious word, that somebody takes the time to define it, so we may argue intelligently?

[Faleel 5,360]

"Heroic, or Impressive of quality"

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

And yeah, the cinematography is actually better than in Star Wars...there are a lot of really beautifully composed shots, including the one you posted.

Another fav of mine comes later in the film when Vader leaps out and starts tearing into Luke. The way it's framed Vader looks huge, hulking over a tiny Luke.

Superman is the only true epic film that Williams has scored. Star Wars as a saga was epic, but none of the films were.

Wrong TESB is epic. So is Empire Of The Sun btw.

[Wojo 2,453]

EPIC

–adjective

1. noting or pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upon a hero, especially one originating in oral folk tradition, in which a series of great achievements or events is narrated in elevated style: Homer's Iliad is an epic poem.

2. resembling or suggesting such poetry: an epic novel on the founding of the country.

3. any work of literature, film, etc, having heroic deeds for its subject matter or having other qualities associated with the epic: a Hollywood epic

4. heroic; majestic; impressively great: the epic events of the war.

5. of unusually great size or extent: a crime wave of epic proportions.

–noun

6. an epic poem.

7. epic poetry.

8. any composition resembling an epic.

9. something worthy to form the subject of an epic: The defense of the Alamo is an American epic.

10. Epic, also called Old Ionic. the Greek dialect represented in the Iliad and the Odyssey, apparently Aeolic modified by Ionic.

11. an episode in the lives of men in which heroic deeds are performed or attempted: the epic of Scott's expedition to the South Pole

Now.

Superman is certainly "epic" in nature. His inherent abilities elevate him above normal people, since the four Reeve films are set in a Metropolis like our real world, without other aliens and super villains ransacking Earth on a daily basis, and his decisions to do good make him a hero.

Now what about the Star Wars saga -- at least, just the first two -- excludes it from a story of heroism, struggle, majesty, and great size?

[Quintus 5,399]

When I hear claims that ESB is the greatest sequel ever made (which I don't necessarily disagree with); it just makes me want to watch The Godfather Part II.

Purely for clarification purposes.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I said "possibly" the greatest sequel.

[Quintus 5,399]

I know, I know. But you know how it reads - that sensationalist stuff we all love to write.

[crocodile 8,020]

TESB is certainly the best preserved movie of the three. It still looks great.

Karol

[Quintus 5,399]

They all still look great in my one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art subjective opinion.

[crocodile 8,020]

Sure, but what I'm saying is that the TESB is less burdened by the dated look. It doesn't have a late 70's look and the Muppet show of Jabba's palace. It's a good-looking film with a very timeless quality to it. It struck me as such when I watched it last year when Kersh died. And the effects are so cool, today even moreso than in the 80's, I think.

Karol

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

TESB is certainly the best preserved movie of the three. It still looks great.

Karol

I watched the original version. So non anamorphic. But it still looked OK.

[Quintus 5,399]

Sure, but what I'm saying is that the TESB is less burdened by the dated look. It doesn't have a late 70's look and the Muppet show of Jabba's palace. It's a good-looking film with a very timeless quality to it. It struck me as such when I watched it last year when Kersh died. And the effects are so cool, today even moreso than in the 80's, I think.

Karol

Oh you're talking photography and special effects? Well in that case I agree.

Sorry man, I tend to notice and appreciate other qualities which make me forget those films are thirty years old.

[A24 4,346]

Sure, but what I'm saying is that the TESB is less burdened by the dated look. It doesn't have a late 70's look and the Muppet show of Jabba's palace. It's a good-looking film with a very timeless quality to it. It struck me as such when I watched it last year when Kersh died. And the effects are so cool, today even moreso than in the 80's, I think.

Karol

I agree. The design is the third one is terrible: Jabba's Palace and all its Muppet Show creatures, Jabba's party vehicle, the big mouth in the desert, the dated effects (the monster in Jabba's basement!), the camouflage helmets and clothes in the forest (so silly), the forest itself (what a fascinating Star Wars location!!!), little cute stuffed toy bears ... Yikes!

The reason why TESB has preserved so well is its reliance on high-tech sets, the photography and special lighting for the interior scenes (lights from the probs and smoke, backlighting, etc). The weakest part is Cloud City with the red ships against the blue sky (might've been digitally 'corrected' by now).

Alex - who was no longer a Star Wars fan in 1983