TheJabbaWookie
Sith Lord
I've often wondered why so many Star Wars fans name The Empire Strikes Back as their favourite film of the original trilogy. Don't get me wrong. I love ESB but it is my least favourite of the 3 movies. What I wanted to do with this post was to set out what makes the original Star Wars my favourite of the OT rather than address the issues I have with ESB. Then I really wanted to hear from you guys as to what made ESB (or indeed ROTJ) your favourite movie.
I wanted to start by saying that my perfect movie has a great beginning, a great middle and a great end. The thing that made The Matrix such a great film was that it had all 3 and worked most effectively when viewed as a complete movie. When it was placed in the context of the other 2 movies the overall effect IMO was diminished. Star Wars has a great beginning, middle and end. It actually works brilliantly as part of a trilogy but works amazingly well as a stand alone movie in its own right.
I first watched Star Wars in 1982 at the age of 6, though my biggest memories of the film were when it was re-shown at Christmas in 1984. From the moment I saw the exhilarating opening scenes in Star Wars as Tantive IV is captured by the Imperial Cruiser and was introduced to Princess Leia, R2D2 and C3PO, as well arch villain Darth Vader and a host of ultra cool Stormtroopers, I was immersed in this whole new world. The opening sequences are intense, dramatic and gripping as a ploy to capture the attention of audiences worldwide but after that it settles down to a compelling series of character and story building scenes.
And that in a crux is why I think Star Wars is the best movie of the three - from the point where Threepio and Artoo land on Tatooine to the point where the Millennium Falcon lands on the Death Star, I don't think I can recall a point where the movie puts a foot wrong, and we are treated to engaging, hugely significant and phenomenally entertaining television, scene after scene, after scene. There really isn't an unnecessary scene or indeed course of dialogue, which is amazing really given we are nearly two thirds of the way in.
I love the scenes on Tatooine from the lonely and haunting moments as R2 makes his way through the canyons watched by those ghostly Jawa eyes (Utinni), to the awe-inspiring sunset scenes at Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's homestead backed by John Williams' stirring musical score. But my favourite scenes are probably in the Jundland Wastes when Luke goes to recover R2 and encounters the Sand People, and later when they go to Obi Wan's home and Ben tells Luke about the Force. This course of dialogue between Ben and Luke, along with their later training ball scenes on the Falcon are my favourite scenes in the whole of the trilogy and are hugely emotional and compelling as well as packed full of important information that helps us build characters and backgrounds, and put the whole trilogy into context. In it we learn that Ben fought in the clone wars (just like Luke's father), we get introduced to Luke's Lightsaber, we learn about Darth Vader and how he betrayed and murdered Luke's father, and are told of the Force. Oh and we get the full message contained within R2. A full tour de force if you pardon the pun.
The scenes in between Jundland Wastes and the training ball scenes aboard the Falcon are all incredibly important too. First Vader demonstrates the full power of the force on Motti, using the legendary line "I find your lack of faith disturbing." Then Ben and Luke discover the burnt wreckage of the Jawa Sandcrawler before Luke rushes off to the Lars Homestead to discover the burnt remains of his uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. Literally classic scene after classic scene.
With nothing to keep him Luke then agrees to go with Ben to the Alderon system via another of the OT's most awesome and entertaining scenes - Mos Eisley. "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." Every discourse in Mos Eisley is carefully constructed and nothing is overly elaborate or meaningless. First Ben demonstrates the powers of the force on the weak minded "You don't need to see his identification." Then there is an introduction to all the wonderfully wretched creatures in the Cantina before Luke is confronted by Cornelius Evezan and Ponda Baba in a classic scene ("He doesn't like you. I'm sorry. I don't like you either.") and Obi Wan gives us a first real glimpse of the power of the Lightsaber. Then we are finally introduced to Chewbacca and Han and there's some further wonderful interchanges "You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon? Should I have? It's the ship that made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs!" before Han's showdown with Greedo and busting out of Mos Eisley.
But it doesn't stop there. Next we get to see the full power of the Death Star as Moff Tarkin blows up Alderon and after that it cuts to the Millennium Falcon Jedi Training Ball Scenes. These are as carefully crafted and as important as The Jundland Wastes scenes IMO. It starts off light hearted as Han says to 3PO "That's 'cause droids don't pull people's arms out of their socket when they lose. I see your point, sir. I suggest a new strategy, Artoo. Let the Wookiee win." We get some great exchanges between Ben and Han and important insight into Han's character as well as some classic lines. And if that's not enough, a first chance to see Luke learning the ways of the force. And before we know it we're lurching into the next major scenes of a superb movie as the Falcon is caught in the tractor beam of the Death Star. "That's no moon! It's a space station."
You know the script in all 3 movies like the back of your hands so I won't bore you with retelling the remaining scenes, but I did want to share with you my favourite ones of Star Wars and why they make it my favourite movie of the OT.
So why do you love ESB, ROTJ or even SW and what makes it better than the other two in your opinion? You don't have to waffle as much as me but I'd be really interested to know.
I wanted to start by saying that my perfect movie has a great beginning, a great middle and a great end. The thing that made The Matrix such a great film was that it had all 3 and worked most effectively when viewed as a complete movie. When it was placed in the context of the other 2 movies the overall effect IMO was diminished. Star Wars has a great beginning, middle and end. It actually works brilliantly as part of a trilogy but works amazingly well as a stand alone movie in its own right.
I first watched Star Wars in 1982 at the age of 6, though my biggest memories of the film were when it was re-shown at Christmas in 1984. From the moment I saw the exhilarating opening scenes in Star Wars as Tantive IV is captured by the Imperial Cruiser and was introduced to Princess Leia, R2D2 and C3PO, as well arch villain Darth Vader and a host of ultra cool Stormtroopers, I was immersed in this whole new world. The opening sequences are intense, dramatic and gripping as a ploy to capture the attention of audiences worldwide but after that it settles down to a compelling series of character and story building scenes.
And that in a crux is why I think Star Wars is the best movie of the three - from the point where Threepio and Artoo land on Tatooine to the point where the Millennium Falcon lands on the Death Star, I don't think I can recall a point where the movie puts a foot wrong, and we are treated to engaging, hugely significant and phenomenally entertaining television, scene after scene, after scene. There really isn't an unnecessary scene or indeed course of dialogue, which is amazing really given we are nearly two thirds of the way in.
I love the scenes on Tatooine from the lonely and haunting moments as R2 makes his way through the canyons watched by those ghostly Jawa eyes (Utinni), to the awe-inspiring sunset scenes at Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's homestead backed by John Williams' stirring musical score. But my favourite scenes are probably in the Jundland Wastes when Luke goes to recover R2 and encounters the Sand People, and later when they go to Obi Wan's home and Ben tells Luke about the Force. This course of dialogue between Ben and Luke, along with their later training ball scenes on the Falcon are my favourite scenes in the whole of the trilogy and are hugely emotional and compelling as well as packed full of important information that helps us build characters and backgrounds, and put the whole trilogy into context. In it we learn that Ben fought in the clone wars (just like Luke's father), we get introduced to Luke's Lightsaber, we learn about Darth Vader and how he betrayed and murdered Luke's father, and are told of the Force. Oh and we get the full message contained within R2. A full tour de force if you pardon the pun.
The scenes in between Jundland Wastes and the training ball scenes aboard the Falcon are all incredibly important too. First Vader demonstrates the full power of the force on Motti, using the legendary line "I find your lack of faith disturbing." Then Ben and Luke discover the burnt wreckage of the Jawa Sandcrawler before Luke rushes off to the Lars Homestead to discover the burnt remains of his uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. Literally classic scene after classic scene.
With nothing to keep him Luke then agrees to go with Ben to the Alderon system via another of the OT's most awesome and entertaining scenes - Mos Eisley. "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." Every discourse in Mos Eisley is carefully constructed and nothing is overly elaborate or meaningless. First Ben demonstrates the powers of the force on the weak minded "You don't need to see his identification." Then there is an introduction to all the wonderfully wretched creatures in the Cantina before Luke is confronted by Cornelius Evezan and Ponda Baba in a classic scene ("He doesn't like you. I'm sorry. I don't like you either.") and Obi Wan gives us a first real glimpse of the power of the Lightsaber. Then we are finally introduced to Chewbacca and Han and there's some further wonderful interchanges "You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon? Should I have? It's the ship that made the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs!" before Han's showdown with Greedo and busting out of Mos Eisley.
But it doesn't stop there. Next we get to see the full power of the Death Star as Moff Tarkin blows up Alderon and after that it cuts to the Millennium Falcon Jedi Training Ball Scenes. These are as carefully crafted and as important as The Jundland Wastes scenes IMO. It starts off light hearted as Han says to 3PO "That's 'cause droids don't pull people's arms out of their socket when they lose. I see your point, sir. I suggest a new strategy, Artoo. Let the Wookiee win." We get some great exchanges between Ben and Han and important insight into Han's character as well as some classic lines. And if that's not enough, a first chance to see Luke learning the ways of the force. And before we know it we're lurching into the next major scenes of a superb movie as the Falcon is caught in the tractor beam of the Death Star. "That's no moon! It's a space station."
You know the script in all 3 movies like the back of your hands so I won't bore you with retelling the remaining scenes, but I did want to share with you my favourite ones of Star Wars and why they make it my favourite movie of the OT.
So why do you love ESB, ROTJ or even SW and what makes it better than the other two in your opinion? You don't have to waffle as much as me but I'd be really interested to know.