Happy 35th birthday Empire Strikes Back!

[mego73]

This movie totally gobsmacked me. I was interested in seeing it, but I was already feeling jaded. I thought, you know it's going to end up with Luke fighting Vader and Luke will win and everyone will love happily ever after.

Well, by the end of the movie not only did Luke lose and barely escape with his life and lose a hand, Han was frozen in Carbonite and taken away. Oh... And "I am your father...."

I was totally flabbergasted by Empire and I loved it.

Looking at it now, I also have to admire the guts it took to make a main character a puppet. That could have gone wrong in so many ways but it totally worked.

[huedell]

It's cool that mego73 brought up the "I am your father" line---that's real movie history right there.

In an interview, Lucas said that child psychologists he consulted theorized children would reason Vader's statement was a lie---and, yes, that happened to me.

I thought Vader was lying and was freaked out when my Dad told me (based on the 3 year gap between SW and ESB) that I'd probably have to wait until 1983 to find out the answer (to the "Father" question, as well as Han's fate).

I always wondered why that was such a "childish" POV to have---I mean, the Emperor/Vader scene really seemed to set up the idea that Vader could've been lying... I wonder how many adults, if any, thought Vader was lying.

[Hedji]

We do take that reveal for granted now. Then, it came out of nowhere... and there was no internet to spoil it. Just wonderful drama.

Some minor (and a few major) scenes I love:

Threepio ripping Artoo for turning up the heat in Leia's chambers and melting the ice to the point that the water damaged her personal items.

The cheer by the rebels when the first transport makes it past the blockade... you really root for the good guys. Makes you want to throw your first in the air.

Luke, in medically iffy condition, survives a snowspeeder crash and runs on foot through the snow to take out a Walker with that (I want one) Harpoon Gun. The music there is great too.

Peter Mayhew's performance through the mask during the asteroid field. There's a moment where Chewie looks truly terrified as Threepio is burying his head into his back. (In fact, Threepio and Chewie's relationship in the whole film is absolutely brilliant)

The Mynock jump scare. Like a Colt45, it works every time.

Yoda's intro. The lighting in that scene. The atmosphere. Frank Oz gave him the endearing silliness.

The Vader Banquet reveal. Perhaps just one shock level below the fatherhood reveal. The audience gasped. Then you get Boba's spurs. Then the absurdity of everyone about to sit down at the table.

Ugnaughts playing keep away with Threepio's head with Chewie. Great comedy in the midst of tragedy.

That look Lando gives Lobot when they reveal they've been forced into a corner by the Empire and it's all gonna go to pot.

The entire sequence when Luke enters cloud city with Artoo with his blaster drawn. Williams in top form there.

That long pregnant pause as Luke faces Vader in the Carbon Freeze chamber, before they ignite their blades. No musical score. Just... tension.

This really is Luke Skywalker's film. Heck, a lot of the merchandise says "From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker" on it. I'm a huge fan of Mark Hamill. I do hope there's a story reason Ford is the star of Episode VII and not Hamill, because despite for whatever reason Mark's career didn't explode like Ford's, HE was the one who made most of Empire work.

[huedell]

This really is Luke Skywalker's film. Heck, a lot of the merchandise says "From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker" on it. I'm a huge fan of Mark Hamill. I do hope there's a story reason Ford is the star of Episode VII and not Hamill, because despite for whatever reason Mark's career didn't explode like Ford's, HE was the one who made most of Empire work.

It's Luke Skywalker's trilogy, being that he's the protagonist.

There will be a new, younger generation protagonist in Force Awakens, and it will be their own film/trilogy with both Han and Luke being secondary characters.

That said: the "Skywalkers" are the core of this saga, so, Luke's happenings will likely be a greater part of Force Awakens than Han's.

When I first heard about this movie being made, I almost instantly created a fan-fic in my head where Han had divorced/separated with Leia many years ago, and then Han had gone back to his old pirate ways, and was based on Kashyyk (Chewie's home planet), having cut contact with Luke, Leia and his children as well. I had one of Leia/Han's children as a dark Jedi who kidnaps his own Mother (Leia) and takes her to a secret fortress on Kashyyk. Then I had the other "Light Side" Jedi child of Leia/Han team-up with Luke's child (an only child) to track them down. When the kids run into problems due to their rogue relative, and his taking advantage of lack of the Jedi kid's understanding of Kashyyk's geography, Luke has to come to Kashyyk to help the kids find---you guessed it---Han Solo--- to help locate and defeat his own kid who he abandoned years ago.

So, yeah, I minimized Solo's importance to the saga so much, that he was far away from the heart of the new Alliance government----buuuuut, I used some "typical Skywalker family problems" to bring him back in

[jwyblejr]

It's cool that mego73 brought up the "I am your father" line---that's real movie history right there.

In an interview, Lucas said that child psychologists he consulted theorized children would reason Vader's statement was a lie---and, yes, that happened to me.

I thought Vader was lying and was freaked out when my Dad told me (based on the 3 year gap between SW and ESB) that I'd probably have to wait until 1983 to find out the answer (to the "Father" question, as well as Han's fate).

I always wondered why that was such a "childish" POV to have---I mean, the Emperor/Vader scene really seemed to set up the idea that Vader could've been lying... I wonder how many adults, if any, thought Vader was lying.

Heck,even James Earl Jones thought Vader was lying.

[drquest]

I was ten when the movie came out, and a ravenous Star Wars fan. I picked this Marvel illustrated novel up prior to getting to see it in the theater, and knew about the Vader being Luke's father before seeing the movie, but me and none of my friends would believe it.

Empire was a pretty wonderful trip, and it's shot so well, lots of different locations, had the space ship stuff I loved and as a ten year old, I loved the darker feel to it.

[drquest]

Of course my early book showed Yoda a little different than he was in the movie and they corrected it in later versions.

[Blue Meanie]

Funny...just picked this up yesterday at a comic shop that is moving location:



I picked it up 1) because I have never seen this record before and 2) the cover is F'n awesome. It's a gatefold cover so the painting wraps around to the other side and 3) it's a pressing that is Japanese...and they tend to have the best sound quality. This sounds amazing. I paid a lot more than I usually do for records...this cover did it for me

[Gorn Captain]

Great artwork, and Luke looks like he means business.
Yeah, that covers really sells it.
And in your case...it did...

Funny...just picked this up yesterday at a comic shop that is moving location:



I picked it up 1) because I have never seen this record before and 2) the cover is F'n awesome. It's a gatefold cover so the painting wraps around to the other side and 3) it's a pressing that is Japanese...and they tend to have the best sound quality. This sounds amazing. I paid a lot more than I usually do for records...this cover did it for me

[Gorn Captain]

As a kid, I thought that Vader was a robot. Probably one with a busted ventilator or something...

When Luke cut off Vader's hand, I thought "See, he is a robot!"

[huedell]

Heck,even James Earl Jones thought Vader was lying.

My goodness, I forgot about that interview clip. I really laughed out loud when I heard Vader himself echoing my sentiments.
I guess my shame allowed the Lucas "child psychologist" anecdote to overshadow my memory of Jones' comment.
Cheers!

[Hedji]

That Empire recording is fantastic. I have it on CD, and the sound is wonderful.

[Werewolf]

Funny...just picked this up yesterday at a comic shop that is moving location:

That's super cool. Love the Cloud Cars on Hoth.

[huedell]

Cloud Cars on Hoth

Ha! Sounds like a title for a T. Rex album.