The Empire Strikes Back:
Special Edition

This time: a proper touch-up

Features: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams
Director: Irvin Kershner
Here it is this time: what many people consider the best of the three SW flicks--The Empire Strikes Back. On the big screen so many fans can finally see it as God intended--epic, not Matchbox.

A sequel is a dangerous tightrope to tread: give me more of the same, only make it even better this time. Thanks to Empire's triple budget over the original, it is one of the all-time visual feats of the silver screen.

Lucas transported us back to the World of Luke and Leia. Just as banged up and worn as before, only this time more of it. There's one fantastic sequence after another:

  • The taun-tauns ridden by Luke and Han
  • The walkers attack upon the camp
  • The Millenium Falcon's run thru the asteroids
  • The interior of the cloud city and its bottomless depths
    All these F/X hold up to this day. Truly money well spent.

    But I will fault the movie for what it is: a big middle.

    There's no beginning. There's no end. It's all middle. We're thrown in with the SW gang (make it more so, only "better"), but the story truly lacks: rebel forces are attacked and scattered. There's some scurrying till they regroup at their hidey-hole to lick their wounds. The end.

    Like I said: not much, so Empire takes a big ding in that department. But no one can fault it for the incredulously realized universe that Lucas' troops brought to life. You believe that you have been transported to their world--suspension of disbelief is complete.

    The extra stuff is cool:

  • More snow creature munching away
  • More views of Cloud City

    And some is not:

  • Luke now screams like a ninny during the big leap.

    And some should've been changed that was not:

  • Not in this Star Wars flick. (Since the story itself is impossibly concrete.)

    So this time they did it right: the changes are basically improvements. Lucas does not greedo this time. Empire is still Empire. So all in all, go again.

    Movie's suitability for:

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