Revisiting Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back


Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens on December 20. It is meant to be an end to the saga we've known for more than 40 years, and that includes 10 previous movies (eight in series and two stand alone tales in the world). In the run up to that release, I'll be revisiting all 10 of the released Star Wars films and sharing thoughts as we prepare for the final chapter.

Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, and Frank Oz
Synopsis: And in this revisiting, we finally arrive at perhaps the most universally beloved installment of them all. This follow up to the original, the second film released but now that seventh film in the timeline, is a classic. For many years, this was my favorite "Star Wars" film, and for good reason. It has a great story, some great performances and so many iconic scenes. To this day, whenever we go through a serious cold snap, I talk about living on the Hoth System. That opening sequence is iconic. The sequence in the City on the Clouds is great. This is the first movie where we meet Yoda (Oz) and Lando (Williams), and of course we get the epic showdown between Luke (Hamill) and Darth Vader. The craft here is also quite strong. While George Lucas came up with the story, and is still the driving creative force behind "Star Wars," this one works off a script from Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, and was directed by Irvin Kershner. Those three really add some strong polishes that have helped take this story to a new level. To me, this is the story that really took "Star Wars" to the next level. It was the best of the original three films, and superior to everything we saw in the prequels. It's a great movie, which is probably enough said.
Rating: PG for sci-fi action violence.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

AFI 100 Years, 100 Movies: No. 23

Image
Back in 1998, the American Film Institute unveiled its list of the 100 greatest films as voted on by members of the cinematic community. The year, I'm looking at the films on that list, re-ranked according to my preference. Check back Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year as we walk through this list of classic films. Henry Hill : [Narrating] As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster. Goodfellas (1990) Original List Position : 94 Starring : Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci Director : Martin Scorsese About : Scorsese has been a fixture on this list. We've seen him deliver masterpieces in different decades and genres. That's the case with Goodfellas, which is another of his signature films. It was No. 94 on the original list, moving to No. 92 just 10 years later. I have it significantly higher, and I have it as my highest of his films on this list. It's a very different kind of mafia movie than The Godfather , and yet it feels like the c...
Read more

2026 Broncos' Season, Week 5

Image
Week 5: Denver Broncos 23, Los Angeles Chargers 17 Season Record: 3-2 (2-0 Home) Key Play: In the fourth quarter, with time winding down and the Broncos leading 20-17, Justin Herbert threw and interception to Brandon Jones on fourth down. The play allowed the Broncos to milk the clock and kick a field goal to push the lead to six points. Recap: Sean Payton took over the playcalling because there was "meat left on the bone" with the offense. It didn't look like an improvement on Sunday. The team looked lost for most of the game, then used some Special Teams and defensive intensity to manage a comeback and a win. I'm not sure winning is the best thing for this team. Don't get me wrong, I like to win. But this team played badly. They look bad. And getting a win feels like a reward for bad behavior. That's not the kind of football that helps you get to and win in the playoffs. This team feels lost and the offense feels like a mess. A Thursday matchup with the Sea...
Read more

1991 Rewind: City Slickers

Image
It's hard to believe, but 1991 was 35 years ago. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be looking at some stand out films from 1991 that are turning 35 in 2026. Today, it's a classic comedy. Mitch Robbins : Value this time in your life kids, because this is the time in your life when you still have your choices, and it goes by so quickly. When you're a teenager you think you can do anything, and you do. Your twenties are a blur. Your thirties, you raise your family, you make a little money and you think to yourself, "What happened to my twenties?" Your forties, you grow a little pot belly you grow another chin. The music starts to get too loud and one of your old girlfriends from high school becomes a grandmother. Your fifties you have a minor surgery. You'll call it a procedure, but it's a surgery. Your sixties you have a major surgery, the music is still loud but it doesn't matter because you can't hear it anyway. Seventies, you and the wife r...
Read more