a revised impression

Rating: 10/10 (1 December 2004)

I have seen Star Wars probably 35-40 times and Empire about 20 but had never watched them back to back (on consecutive nights) until the new DVD versions came out. Put me in the camp of those who feel the added digital effects are a desecration; I want to see the movies the way they were released originally. I simply tried to ignore the alterations and was successful for the most part. It certainly is nice to see these films in widescreen, with outstanding picture and sound quality.
I felt the same way after seeing Star Wars again that I have since 1977: it is the greatest achievement in the history of movies. To my surprise, however, when I watched Empire the next night, I was disappointed. It is a very well-directed, well-polished movie, but to my mind, it lacks the visual, graphic brilliance that helped make the original so extraordinary. Star Wars and American Graffiti, the two masterpieces George Lucas directed in his youth, both have an incredible, unmatched look. Lucas didn't move the camera much, but he made up for it with the amazing, jukebox-like style of what he photographed with it. Empire lacks that quality.
***SPOIILERS AHEAD*** Star Wars was really a perfect story that ended with what is still the greatest action sequence ever (the Death Star battle) followed by the ultimate coda (the Throne Room scene). Watching Empire right afterward was a little jarring. Suddenly, without warning, we learn that despite destroying "the ultimate power" in the universe, the rebels have gained no advantage, and they're on the run, stuck hiding on a miserable little ice planet with a single, tiny base. Wouldn't more fighters, more systems have joined the Alliance after the destruction of the Death Star? How did the rebels go from ultimate victory to being nearly crushed so quickly?
Another major shock to me -- and probably the biggest weakness of Empire -- was the change in the relationships of the three main characters. In Star Wars, from the moment Luke first saw Leia, he was in love with her ("who is she? she's beautiful") -- so much so that he stood dumbstruck when he first entered her cell on the Death Star. There were strong hints that Leia reciprocated -- she kissed him (half on the cheek, half on the lips) twice, looked very nervous when he seemed dead in the final battle, and certainly Luke was in puppy-love with her the entire film. Now, all of a sudden, in Empire, Luke and Leia are on-screen together for about three minutes total, and there is no hint of Luke's love for her. Without explanation, now it's all about Han and Leia, who despite no hint of attraction in Star Wars are suddenly are madly in love. I suspect there are three main reasons for this:
1. Unlike Fisher and Hamill, Harrison Ford was not signed up for sequels. He only agreed to come back on condition that his character was developed from the wisecracking, cynical sidekick into the wisecracking, cynical, romantic hero lead. This gave his career a great boost, but in my opinion totally undercut the character of Luke Skywalker, who should have been the emotional focus of the movie (as he was in Star Wars).
2. Mark Hamill's disfiguring car accident in December 1976 (after completion of principal photography on Star Wars) made it easier to turn his character into a monk-like, asexual person (the process that started in Empire and finished in Jedi). In Star Wars Hamill was a handsome, though callow, screen presence. But after the accident (despite plastic surgery), he just didn't look good. It hampered his performance and basically destroyed his capacity to play a romantic lead.
3. To the extent that Lucas planned to have Leia be Luke's sister (a terrible decision that I suspect was not made until after the release of Empire), they obviously could not be romantically involved. However, their "incestuous" love for each other is all over Star Wars. I think the decision to make Leia and Luke siblings only came after the radical character revisions in Empire eliminated any romantic feelings between Luke and Leia and turned Luke into a boring monk.
Indeed, Empire's greatest weakness is that it's too heavy. The "dark side of the force" was only briefly discussed in Star Wars, but here it's played up to an extent that the concept just can't support. Yoda says that "fear, anger, hatred" lead to the dark side, but how exactly is a human being supposed to avoid these emotions? The Force was fleshed out just the right amount (i.e., not too much) in Star Wars, but here it is revealed not to make a whole lot of sense. There's way too much "good vs. evil" that's no longer presented in a fun style in Empire. It's taken too seriously, which reminds me of the Lord of the Rings movies -- not a good thing.