Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - My Favorite Movie Of All Time
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
By: Noah Newcomb
I should probably state that I'm a huge Star Wars fan. I remember watching the original Star Wars with my dad and have loved the saga ever since. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is not only my favorite Star Wars movie of all time but my favorite movie of all time. Sequels are tough, especially when the first one was so great. So it's saying a lot when a sequel is better than the original. Everything this movie goes for, it does so with flying colors. People often give Mark Hamil a hard time on his acting in the original trilogy but I think he does a fantastic job here. Sure he isn't great in Star Wars but I think Hamil deserves a little more credit for the work he does here. For the majority fo the movie he is working with a puppet and no one else and he sells me on it. The puppet I'm referring to is Yode of course who really does feel like a character. Frank Oz does a fantastic job with this puppet and made him one of the most important muppets of all time. Like all Star Wars movies, the effects and costume design are timeless. Even after forty years the effects still hold up. You can't talk about a Star Wars movie without bringing up the iconic John William score. This is the first movie where we hear the classic Imperial March theme one of my favorite pieces of music ever. John William's score enhances the scene every time it is used. It truly is one of the best things about Star Wars. I've already brought up Hamil's performance and I think it was good. He deserves more credit then he gets for his acting and what he's done with the character of Luke. Luke, however, is separated from our other two leads, Han and Leia. The relationship between Han and Leia is one of the standouts of the film. I think some of the credit needs to go to the director, who is not George Lucas! Irvin Kershner directed Empire Strikes Back, which I was a little surprised to hear about when I first heard it when I was eleven and honestly I think it's for the best. Lucas has always had a problem with dialogue. Kershner actually taught Lucas in film school so that's how he got the gig. One of the best things about Empire is its dialogue, with the perfect line by Harrison Ford: I know, which was actually ad-libbed because Harrison thought "I love you too" was too corny. Not many people think about the dialogue in this film but it really is great. Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford's chemistry is what holds this film together. Then, of course, there's C-3PO who is a lot of but gets near to Jar Jar bad sometimes at how much here quips and makes snarky remarks but doesn't go there. Then, of course, there's Darth Vader, perhaps the icon of Star Wars. I think Darth Vader is at his best here. In Star Wars he was kind of the right-hand man to Tarkin. Here he is the boss, he's also doing his signature choking people out which I always enjoy. I want to talk about the climax of the movie so I'm going to go into spoiler territory. Go to the section Final Thoughts to here the final things I have to say on Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
SPOILERS!!!
You know with the Prequels we get much flashier, CGI enhanced, fights and most of them are really great. The Darth Maul fight and the Anakin v.s. Kenobi battle is two of my favorite lightsaber battles in the Saga, but there's something special about the Darth Vader v.s. Luke Skywalker battle that puts it above all the other battles in the Saga. Not only is the choreography good, but the tension is high. We know what Vader is capable of and Luke left when Yoda told him to stay and he wasn't ready so we know he isn't ready. Also, Han is frozen and Leia and Chewie are trying to get him back. I'm invested on both sides. I've grown to care more about Leia and Han's relationship and I care about Luke and what him to make it out of the fight alive. However, both sides lose and prove that sequels are usually darker than the original. We get our great reveal about Vader being Luke's father and Vader delivering one of the most iconic lines of all time.
Final Thoughts
It's always been difficult for me to describe why a movie is my favorite movie of all time. It's hard to describe it. Let me know down in the comment section what your favorite movie is. I would love to hear your guys' thoughts. My opinion is the right one it's just my opinion, so let me know. I love everything about Empire Strikes Back. The score, the universe, and the characters. Everything about it is iconic. I do have nostalgia for this series but I think most people's favorite movie carries a bit of nostalgia as well. I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! Strongest of Recommends.
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