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After the phenomenal winner ofStar Wars , sceptic did n’t believe that George Lucas could meet its immensity with the sequel , let alone top it . But against all betting odds ( " Never secernate me the odds ! " ) , Lucas tear it off . The Empire Strikes Backis one of the great sequels ever made , alongsideThe Godfather Part IIandThe Dark Knight , and remains a timeless classic 40 years afterward .
There are plenty of flaws in the prequel and sequel trilogies , andReturn of the Jedihas a few too many Ewoks , so the debate over whichStar Warsmovie is well fundamentally boils down to the 1977 original andEmpire . They ’re both masterpieces , but the latter arguably takes the top spot .
The Screenplay Is Perfectly Constructed
George Lucas may have certain weaknesses as a writer — namely dialogue , which is a defect he freely confesses — but he ’s a master of social organisation . He ’s the reason every Hollywood screenwriter hoping to compose the next bounteous blockbuster revere Joseph Campbell . Without the need to give the domain like he did with the traditional pansy - tarradiddle body structure of the 1977 original , Lucas was free to construct a self - contained three - act narration .
His story outline forEmpire , which he handed off to screenwriters Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan , was perfectly tuned . Like any groovy story structure , the second half mirrors the first . The opening bit on Hoth catch us up with the characters , then the second deed carve up them up — Han and Leia being pursued through the galaxy by the Empire andLuke coach with Yoda to be a Jedi on Dagobah — before the third human action brings them all back together on Cloud City . Everything gets paid off and the termination is vastly square , despite being an unhappy one .
The Set Pieces Are Brimming With Suspense
A caboodle of blockbuster , likeTransformersandFast & Furious , fill up their set piece with haphazardness and action , but neglect to include the most of import element . What really urinate a rarified set spell , likeJurassic Park ’s raptors - in - the - kitchen sequence , is palpable suspense .
Whether Han is cruising the Falcon through an asteroid field with 3,720 - to-1 odds of survival orVader is footle in the shadows around a incapacitated Luke , the fit pieces inEmpireare brimming with suspense .
The Practical Effects Are Spectacular
One of the few saucy creative decisions made behind the scenes of theStar Warssequel trilogy wasusing hardheaded effect wherever possible , because the naive , bland - looking CGI of the prequel trilogy paled in comparing to the practical effects of the original trilogy . Those effects have really stand the mental testing of clock time . They ’re just as breathtaking today as they were in 1980 .
Brobdingnagian strides have been made in CGI technologies since Lucas made the prequels , but no computer - generated event will ever look as magnificent as a dragonsnake puppet slithering around George Lucas ’ pool or the bona fide explosion of a miniature AT - AT walker .
The Dialogue Is Pulpy, But Rings True
George Lucas is the first to admit that he does n’t write dandy talks . On the set of the originalStar Warsmovies , Carrie Fisher polished up the channel as an uncredited script Dr. . Fisher ’s contribution made sure that the original trilogy ’s duologue experience like real talks . Lucas ’ efforts can be seen in all its glory in the prequels ’ stiff , forced conversation , almost all of which have since been turned into memes .
In terms ofStar war ’ dialogue , Empireis an exception , because it was n’t write by Lucas . After Lucas finalized the narration precis forEmpire , the script was indite by “ queer of Space Opera ” Leigh Brackett ( who passed away two years before the movie made it to screen ) andRaiders of the Lost Ark ’s Lawrence Kasdan . Brackett and Kasdan ’s dialogue is genuinely pulpy , and unlike a band of Lucas ’ , it rings true in terminal figure of character and motive .
It Nails The Character Dynamics
The reason why Luke , Han , and Leia stand out asmore rounded and memorable grapheme than Rey , Finn , and Poeis that the former trinity ’s moral force were developed from the start , and the latter tercet did n’t even share any scenes until the last movie . in the end , what makes a character outstanding is n’t who they are as a someone ; it ’s how they interact with the other characters .
From Han and Leia ’s pettifoggery to Luke and Vader ’s Force connexion , Empirenails its graphic symbol dynamics in a way thatthe subsequence trilogy did n’t even attempt to .
The New Characters Are All Iconic
One of the most hit - or - miss elements of everyStar Warsmovie is its lineament additions . Some new characters become iconic , like Qui - Gon Jinn , while others become forgettable annoyances that distract from the live icons , like DJ .
The raw characters introduced inThe Empire Strikes Back — from Boba Fett to Lando Calrissian to Yoda — have all become universally adore by the fanbase .
It’s Dark, But Still A Lot Of Fun
The grim tone ofEmpirehas been a point of kudos where George Lucas ’ other morose subsequence , Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom(technically a prequel , but it was the second one ) , was pick apart . WhereTemple of Doombetrays the unbridled playfulness of Indy ’s previous adventure , Empireretains the spirit of theStar Warsmythos .
The subject matter ofEmpireis still aboutmaintaining Leslie Townes Hope and optimism in the fount of evil , but it explores the dark side of these report ( pardon the paronomasia ) , cautioning audiences that sometimes evil will gain , setting upReturn of the Jedito cue them that it ai n’t over ‘ til it ’s over .
Han And Leia’s Romantic Arc Remains Star Wars’ Best Love Story
When it come to Latinian language in theStar Warsuniverse , there ’s not much in the way of stiff competition . Anakin ’s relationship with Padmé is predicate on inevitable tragedy , and Rey and Kylo Ren ’s beloved history was a confused endeavor to pander to a outspoken nonage of shippers on social medium . Either way , Han and Leia ’s romantic arc inThe Empire Strikes Backis the saga ’s best sexual love story .
Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher ’s palpable chemical science go a longsighted way toward sell the character ’ bubbling romanticistic tension , while their back - and - forward hearken back to Chance and Feathers ’ flirtations inRio Bravo , another Leigh Brackett screenplay .
It Has The Greatest Plot Twist In Movie History
One of the great things aboutThe Empire Strikes Backis its climactic plot twisting , in which ( spoiler alerting ! ) Darth Vader reveals that he ’s Luke Skywalker ’s don . Mark Hamill ’s reaction to the twist is sodding , because he was given a book with a different line , so it was his genuine reaction to the big reveal .
And since Hamill himself is a bona fideStar Warsfanboy , his reaction mirror that of the audience . No subsequentStar Warsplot twist has arrive close to matching its wallop .
The Downer Ending Works Beautifully
A couple of years ago , when Marvel releasedAvengers : Infinity Warand the unsound guy ’s evil plan succeeded at the end with no Leslie Townes Hope for an easy resolution , it was favorably compared toThe Empire Strikes Back . Empirealso has a downer end in which the sub are defeated in striking fashion .
In both cases , this kind of conclusion is used to breathtaking outcome . But there ’s something about Luke and Leia expect out into space with a promising spark in their eye in the brass of cruel uncertainty thatmakesEmpire ’s closing moments specially beautiful .
NEXT : Star war : 5 Ways Return Of The Jedi Let Fans Down ( & 5 Ways It ’s Still A Perfect Ending )
