The Empire Strike Back (1980), not to be confused with the Andy Warhol 1964 film Empire, is pretty good film. It was directed by real life director Irvin Kershner, and was written by Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas, and Leigh Brackett. The budget was $33 million, and grossed $538.4 million. Winning the Oscars for best sound design, and the special achievement award for best visual effects. This film is often regarded by most Star Wars fans to be the best film in the franchise, regarded by a lot fans to be the greatest sequel ever filmed, and regarded by some fans as the best movie ever made. I picked this film because I don’t agree with any of those accusations, and wish to give my two controversial cents on the work. I have to side with Lucas’s original film as being the best of the franchise, as well as being the only truly great film in the franchise. I will not side with Lucas on his opinion of this being the worst and most boring film in the franchise. This is my 2nd favorite film of the franchise of course, and there’s a ton I like in the film. The plot can basically be described as rebels run away from the evil Empire, and Luke Skywalker goes off to advance his knowledge of the Force and being a Jedi with Yoda, the Jedi Master who (at the time of this film’s release) trained Luke’s first master Obi-Wan.

I’m just going to get right into what doesn’t really work about Empire to me, and keeps me from praising up and down like everyone else seems to do. I don’t think this film could ever really stand on its own, I really don’t. I’ve heard some fans say that if they only could show a friend one Star Wars film, then they’d show them Empire, and they believe it would be a complete enough experience. Be honest, could you really watch Empire, and be satisfied enough to not watch either of the other two films in the series? I don’t think so. And I do think that’s a huge flaw. The original Star Wars film is such a beautifully done movie, it’s pacing is perfect, it’s writing makes it the epic poem of cinema, and it works as both a singular stand alone piece, while also feeling like it takes place in a much larger universe than your being shown. Maybe I shouldn’t compare the film so heavily to its predecessor, but this isn’t like The Dark Knight where it’s very disconnected to the previous film, and just has the same characters, it’s tied so close together with the other two films, it just makes it hard to take on its own. How can the end of this overall story just be, Han gets captured never to be seen again, and Luke learns his Dad is the leader of the Empire. There’s too much to tell after that, too much unresolved, this movie just isn’t complete on its own.

So that’s my problem with the film conceptually overall, what are my other problems? Really just one other, the film is again giving me issue just with the way the story is being told. We are telling two stories simultaneously that are almost unrelated to each other, and it feels like this is all for the sake of the series rather than making a complete film on its own. I’m sorry, but I’m just not totally engaged in Han and Leia’s relationship. It’s fun at times, but it goes on for so long, and their bickering just feels a bit too 80’s for me, and I want my Star Wars movie to feel timeless. And we can say all we want about Lucas’s flawed talent as a filmmaker overall (especially in his later years) but the man’s script for the first film still reads as timeless. I feel like people will watch Empire one day and eventually say to themselves, “Aww, listen to those 80’s lines.” It won’t ever be bad per say, but it’s not going to be timeless in my opinion, it already sounds dated to me.

Okay, okay, I’ve ripped Empire apart long enough, what’s good about this movie? Well I’ve been so hard on the pacing problems and saying Han and Leia’s story comes off as slightly tedious to me because the other story we are forced to cut away from when Han and Leia are doing things… Is one of the most amazing stories ever filmed. I have nothing but fanatical things to say about Luke’s part of the film, and his relationship/interactions with the Miracle Muppet Yoda. I may always stick up for the original film being the best Star Wars film (and 2nd best film ever made) but all of the scenes with Luke and Yoda are my favorite scenes in the Star Wars Saga, and maybe my favorite scenes in film history. I don’t know, I’ll have to go back and see if enough scenes from Pain & Gain can rival this section of the film. This is where I start to see why people claim this to be the best of the series, from Kershner’s superior actor direction, Mark Hamils fantastic performance, and Frank Oz’s masterful puppeteering of our Jedi Master Yoda.

Hamil gets a lot of flak for his performance in the first film, that I’ve always found unwarranted, but he masters his performance as Luke in Empire (as well as all the other actors, as I think when they knew they had a hit series on their hands, starting taking the roles more seriously). I have no problem buying Hamil and the Muppet in all of these scenes and we’re able to take it all seriously as we watch it. What are we taking seriously though? What lesson is Yoda helping Luke to learn? Well this is an aspect of the film that takes the brilliance of the first film, and improves upon it in one area. You see, Star Wars isn’t about any hard symbolisms and allegories for its themes and ideas. Star Wars keeps all of its themes that come from The Force about philosophy, family, and religion all very broad. It’s because in the end, no matter what background we come from, we are all human, and the lessons Luke learns from Yoda about trusting yourself, having faith in a power that’s greater than you (The Force), and being a good person, are all lessons anyone can relate too.

I love watching Luke and Yoda interact. I need to watch the original film every two weeks of my life to feel complete, but I could (sadly don’t) watch these scenes every day. This is where Kershner’s directing shines too, right down to simple things like the blocking. I give this movie this point over the original film: Lucas’s film is very static at times. As we all know, Lucas doesn’t like working with actors, so I feel like most of them were left to figure out how to move on screen on their own in his film. In Kershner’s though, he knows the little details to make his performances feel more alive. Characters are always on the move in this film, always performing actions equated with what they are doing situation or character wise. I love little subtle moments, like when Luke bumps his head on Yoda’s house’s ceiling when he’s saying, “I am read, Ben, I could be a Jedi! Ben tell him I’m rea… (Bump!)” Such a perfect moment, makes me want to cry. Kershner was an infinitely better director than the first film had, and he knows how to get give us more intimate moments with these characters.

So overall, do the flaws and imbalances make this a bad movie? OF COURSE NOT! Empire is still good! I do find it frustrating as a single piece, I wish it could stand more alone, and it’s not even that anything in it is even bad, it’s just they did one element way way too well, and left the other side of the film to just be okay in comparison. This is a much more intimate film at times than the original film could have ever hopped to achieve (Do I need to mention why again?), but I still stand by that this is an unbalanced movie, and needs to be more supportive of itself as a singular piece to get the same praise as the original film does from me. I was saying to myself before writing this review that the original film was the only film that’s a mandatory viewing experience, (and this may mean now Jedi is mandatory too) but after writing this all out, and really thinking hard about all the stuff that is good in this film, then pay to see Yoda and Luke if you have to.

8/10

Updated Score: 7/10

Updated Thoughts 12/22/2015: Upon rewatching this movie a few more times since writing this review, I think the best way to describe my issues with this thing is that I feel like this is really playing out like a Soap Opera, mostly with Han and Leia, but a bit of Luke too. Can anyone please tell me what the theme is that connects all these stories together? I’ve been watching this movie for 17 years, and I just don’t see one. Force Awakens was cool because it was the first Star Wars movie that had a well woven and consitant theme throughout the whole movie with all of it’s characters. Without getting into details and spoilers, it clearly has a theme of abandoment, all of the characters had to deal with some conflict involving abandonment. Empire’s story is essentaially, “Bad things happen to characters we like.” Or in other words, a Soap Opera. If any of you can explain if, please do, because I just don’t get how this is one of the best movies ever made.