This week, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the 7th film in the series, hits big screens all across the galaxy. It will make more money than is comfortably conceivable by the human mind. Therefore, it's time to remember the best of the series, which also just happens to be one of the best science fiction films ever.
In destroying the Death Star, the Rebels have dealt the Empire a serious blow. However, the Empire is relentlessly pursuing them across the galaxy. At the same time, young Luke Skywalker is attempting to come to terms with his growing ability to use the Force. Action, adventure, love, betrayal, education, and revelations ensue.
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is one of those rare examples of a sequel being better than the original. Not that there's anything wrong with Star Wars (aka: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) , but Empire pretty much expands and improves on everything. It's impossible to overstate how great a film Empire is.
Irvin Kerschner, working off a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, maintains a deft touch over the film. Kerschner was a curious choice for director, with little standing out in his resume before Empire, yet he took to the Star Wars universe like a duck to water, guiding the cast and crew to precisely the correct notes in shot after shot. There's not a misstep in the entire film.
Kerschner also made the assumption that the film's audience was intelligent enough to fill in the narrative blanks he may have left. For example, I can remember some critics noting that the rebels just mysteriously gather at the end of the film, yet it's clearly stated early on that they'll meet at a designated rendezvous. It’s said once and done on the assumption that people are paying attention. Apparently critics are were either not paying attention or aren’t people.
Perhaps nothing illustrates my point better than how George Lucas came along later and butchered a portion of the film's climatic set piece. In the original, after his confrontation with Luke, Vader says, "Bring me my shuttle," when he wants to leave Bespin; the next time we see him he's back on his super stardestroyer. Lucas inserted shots of Vader walking to his shuttle, the shuttle flying, Vader disembarking, etc., completely destroying the pacing at the film's climax. Kerschner assumed you were intelligent enough to fill in the gaps; Lucas acted as if you needed to be walked through the steps.
This is why as much as I love this film, it's difficult to watch the current "special edition." It's not the addition of "better" visual effects, or inserting windows where before there were blank, white walls, it's this disruption of a thrilling end to a fantastic film. Curse you, George Lucas! Disney, give me back the original!
As for those "better" visual effects, Empire has so few changes because it represents sublime perfection of the visual effects craft of its era. It's one of only two films that I'm aware of where the Academy simply handed over the Oscar for visual effects, where there weren't any other nominees (the other film is Paul Verhoeven's Total Recall, by the way). They simply said, "And the Oscar goes to…" and handed it over to Industrial Light and Magic. Decades later, in the era of CGI this and that, Empire still more than holds it's own.
It would be criminal to not mention the fantastic score by John Williams. This was the film where it became clear that Williams has a talent almost unique among film composers, the ability to write sequels to his own music. James Horner made a valiant stab at it (I’ll forever wonder what a third Horner Star Trek score might have sounded like) and others may also have tried, but Williams holds the crown. He took everything he had done for A New Hope and not only successfully reused his established themes, he built new ones. He then wove each of those themes into new compositions to fantastic effect. The entire score is brilliant, the closing music the stuff of dreams (and apparently the new intro music on the digital editions of the films).
The Empire Strikes Back is a great film and I thought so from the first time I saw it, when it premiered way back in 1981. I think of all the naysayers who said otherwise and go "Neener neener!" History has vindicated my love for this film, the one that The Force Awakens will be measured against.
In destroying the Death Star, the Rebels have dealt the Empire a serious blow. However, the Empire is relentlessly pursuing them across the galaxy. At the same time, young Luke Skywalker is attempting to come to terms with his growing ability to use the Force. Action, adventure, love, betrayal, education, and revelations ensue.
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is one of those rare examples of a sequel being better than the original. Not that there's anything wrong with Star Wars (aka: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) , but Empire pretty much expands and improves on everything. It's impossible to overstate how great a film Empire is.
Irvin Kerschner, working off a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, maintains a deft touch over the film. Kerschner was a curious choice for director, with little standing out in his resume before Empire, yet he took to the Star Wars universe like a duck to water, guiding the cast and crew to precisely the correct notes in shot after shot. There's not a misstep in the entire film.
Kerschner also made the assumption that the film's audience was intelligent enough to fill in the narrative blanks he may have left. For example, I can remember some critics noting that the rebels just mysteriously gather at the end of the film, yet it's clearly stated early on that they'll meet at a designated rendezvous. It’s said once and done on the assumption that people are paying attention. Apparently critics are were either not paying attention or aren’t people.
Perhaps nothing illustrates my point better than how George Lucas came along later and butchered a portion of the film's climatic set piece. In the original, after his confrontation with Luke, Vader says, "Bring me my shuttle," when he wants to leave Bespin; the next time we see him he's back on his super stardestroyer. Lucas inserted shots of Vader walking to his shuttle, the shuttle flying, Vader disembarking, etc., completely destroying the pacing at the film's climax. Kerschner assumed you were intelligent enough to fill in the gaps; Lucas acted as if you needed to be walked through the steps.
This is why as much as I love this film, it's difficult to watch the current "special edition." It's not the addition of "better" visual effects, or inserting windows where before there were blank, white walls, it's this disruption of a thrilling end to a fantastic film. Curse you, George Lucas! Disney, give me back the original!
As for those "better" visual effects, Empire has so few changes because it represents sublime perfection of the visual effects craft of its era. It's one of only two films that I'm aware of where the Academy simply handed over the Oscar for visual effects, where there weren't any other nominees (the other film is Paul Verhoeven's Total Recall, by the way). They simply said, "And the Oscar goes to…" and handed it over to Industrial Light and Magic. Decades later, in the era of CGI this and that, Empire still more than holds it's own.
It would be criminal to not mention the fantastic score by John Williams. This was the film where it became clear that Williams has a talent almost unique among film composers, the ability to write sequels to his own music. James Horner made a valiant stab at it (I’ll forever wonder what a third Horner Star Trek score might have sounded like) and others may also have tried, but Williams holds the crown. He took everything he had done for A New Hope and not only successfully reused his established themes, he built new ones. He then wove each of those themes into new compositions to fantastic effect. The entire score is brilliant, the closing music the stuff of dreams (and apparently the new intro music on the digital editions of the films).
The Empire Strikes Back is a great film and I thought so from the first time I saw it, when it premiered way back in 1981. I think of all the naysayers who said otherwise and go "Neener neener!" History has vindicated my love for this film, the one that The Force Awakens will be measured against.
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