This is my favorite Star Wars film. I'll be entirely up front with that fact. I fucking love this film and it's probably the Star Wars movie I watch the most.
Empire Strikes Back is a masterpiece. The only actual problem I have with this film is the kiss Leia gives to Luke, but other than that, this film is downright perfect.
Everything (except the kiss) this movie does somehow makes every returning character from A New Hope more interesting and enriching.
This film is what makes Luke such a good character. A New Hope was a great film, but Luke was kind of simplistic in that film. This is where we start to see layers get added to Luke. His journey isn't just about becoming a jedi, it's also a story about failure. Luke fails to save Han, and the film ends with him and Leia looking out into space as Luke recovers from his encounter with Vader.
Speaking of Vader, this is the movie where you really start to fear him. A New Hope had him sure, but this film is where you fully see his power for the first time. And yes, the movie is also the first time we learn of Vader's connection to Luke. It's one of the most famous plot twists of all time, and everyone reading this knows about it.
That said, the movie is still pretty effective even with knowledge of Luke's lineage. After all, the plot twist only adds to the drama rather than trying to be the drama.
What I mean is that the film smartly only uses Vader's reveal as the breaking point for Luke's and Vader's fight rather than try and use it to replace a fight scene or character drama.
Empire works because it's ultimately a character focused movie. Ever noticed how the rebel alliance disappears after the battle of hoth? That's because this isn't a movie about the rebellion. This is a movie about characters, and it's ultimately the reason why this movie is so special.
The final act of this movie is just Luke and Vader fighting while Leia, Chewbacca, RD-D2 and C3PO escape Cloud City. The stakes are honestly not that high, and yet, this is the most effective part of the movie, because we have been watching these characters for the past two movies, and because of that, we watch with anticipation for them to escape.
Finally, I should talk about Han. Han in this movie is at his best. Half of his greatest moments are in this movie. Han doesn't get that much character growth, and yet, he somehow manages to still be one of the movie's greatest aspects. Harrison Ford plays him to an absurd perfection, making the carbonite scene all the more special.
Han's final words in this movie describe him perfectly. He's full of it, and yet, completely aware at the same time.
To wrap this up, I ought to talk about Yoda. Yoda is pretty good in this movie. Although, I don't really have much to say about him if I am honest.
Yoda's role in the story is great and all, but he's kind of overshadowed by the Vader, Luke, and Han stuff if I'm completely honest. Yes he does play a huge role in Luke's Side of Empire but…I don't know he's just a wise jedi. I don't have much to talk about simply because Yoda's role in the story is more of a mentorship. It's a simple role that's just done really well.
Anyways, I should stop. I do wish to finish up the Original Trilogy as fast as I can and Empire has already taken me days to write.
To conclude, Empire is the best Star Wars movie.
Empire Strikes Back is a masterpiece. The only actual problem I have with this film is the kiss Leia gives to Luke, but other than that, this film is downright perfect.
Everything (except the kiss) this movie does somehow makes every returning character from A New Hope more interesting and enriching.
This film is what makes Luke such a good character. A New Hope was a great film, but Luke was kind of simplistic in that film. This is where we start to see layers get added to Luke. His journey isn't just about becoming a jedi, it's also a story about failure. Luke fails to save Han, and the film ends with him and Leia looking out into space as Luke recovers from his encounter with Vader.
Speaking of Vader, this is the movie where you really start to fear him. A New Hope had him sure, but this film is where you fully see his power for the first time. And yes, the movie is also the first time we learn of Vader's connection to Luke. It's one of the most famous plot twists of all time, and everyone reading this knows about it.
That said, the movie is still pretty effective even with knowledge of Luke's lineage. After all, the plot twist only adds to the drama rather than trying to be the drama.
What I mean is that the film smartly only uses Vader's reveal as the breaking point for Luke's and Vader's fight rather than try and use it to replace a fight scene or character drama.
Empire works because it's ultimately a character focused movie. Ever noticed how the rebel alliance disappears after the battle of hoth? That's because this isn't a movie about the rebellion. This is a movie about characters, and it's ultimately the reason why this movie is so special.
The final act of this movie is just Luke and Vader fighting while Leia, Chewbacca, RD-D2 and C3PO escape Cloud City. The stakes are honestly not that high, and yet, this is the most effective part of the movie, because we have been watching these characters for the past two movies, and because of that, we watch with anticipation for them to escape.
Finally, I should talk about Han. Han in this movie is at his best. Half of his greatest moments are in this movie. Han doesn't get that much character growth, and yet, he somehow manages to still be one of the movie's greatest aspects. Harrison Ford plays him to an absurd perfection, making the carbonite scene all the more special.
Han's final words in this movie describe him perfectly. He's full of it, and yet, completely aware at the same time.
To wrap this up, I ought to talk about Yoda. Yoda is pretty good in this movie. Although, I don't really have much to say about him if I am honest.
Yoda's role in the story is great and all, but he's kind of overshadowed by the Vader, Luke, and Han stuff if I'm completely honest. Yes he does play a huge role in Luke's Side of Empire but…I don't know he's just a wise jedi. I don't have much to talk about simply because Yoda's role in the story is more of a mentorship. It's a simple role that's just done really well.
Anyways, I should stop. I do wish to finish up the Original Trilogy as fast as I can and Empire has already taken me days to write.
To conclude, Empire is the best Star Wars movie.
