When Lucas was still a visionary...

Rating: 10/10 (15 March 2009)

I am always amazed at the creativity of artists. When Lucas first proposed "Star Wars" the board at 20th Century Fox probably thought he was mad, especially since special effects were primitive at best. Who could have envisioned what he had in mind when he first made the original? Who could have imagined what a light saber was?
As many have stated, this is much better than the original, and I wholeheartedly agree. After watching a film so many times, people become immune to the amazing innovations shown. A good example is "Citizen Kane" which included memorable imagery including "deep focus", low angle shots that showed ceilings, overlapping dialogue, and camera trickery. Many people see "Kane" for the first time and proclaim "Big deal!" In "The Empire Strikes Back," some of original innovations are the Imperial Walkers, the ice planet of Hoth and the Zen-like Yoda who philosophizes with phrases like "Try not. Do. Or Do not. There is no try."
I won't re-hash the plot since everyone knows it by now, so I will review the intricacies that make this film work so well. I think the humor in this film works tremendously: for one, the interplay between Han Solo and C3PO cracks me up ("Sir if I may venture an opinion--" "I'm not really interested in your opinions 3PO."). Another thing that works is another character not listed in the credits--the Millennium Falcon. The lovable "piece of junk" that is forever under repair but always comes through in the clutch, like when Han et al were trying to escape from Hoth. There was a pretty tense moment when the Falcon wouldn't start while the Empire's stormtroopers entered the docking bay ("Would it help if I got out and pushed?" "It might!"). And yet, the Falcon came through as always when the laser machine gun appeared. Further, the non-functioning light speed on the Falcon is a great sub-plot of the film.
Darth Vader is at his very best (or worst?) in the way he kills off his own men who fail him. The scene when he kills off Admiral Ozzle is priceless not only for Vader's vengeance but for Admiral Piett's trying not to look at his dead former commander on the deck. Another great scene is Vader killing off Captain Needa ("Apology accepted Captain Needa.")
I will even overlook the "borrowing" from "Casablanca": in that film, the Nazis first won't let Victor Lazlow leave Casablanca and then change their minds when they won't let him stay. In this film, Princess Leia was supposed to stay and then Vader "altered" the plans.
Some of the greatest films are great in part to the score. How John Williams didn't win an Oscar is another infamous slight by the Academy (He did win a BAFTA). The "Imperial March" is such a sublime acievement, perfectly fitting for Darth Vader's gang.
Lucas ventured into dangerous territory in trying to make a film better than the original "Star Wars", but he succeeded. Unfortunately, his luck ran out 22 years after the original "Star Wars" was released when he tried to recapture the glory--and money--when he made the infamous prequels. His casting choices that were so inspired in the original trilogy became so insipid 22 years later.