For me, the weakest of the Originals, but the most enjoyable...

Rating: 9/10 (4 July 2005)

Face it. Once you see "Star Wars" (or Episode IV, for all you "Special" Edition lovers) at least 54 times, everything sort of drags on. Once you see "Return of the Jedi", it kind of drags along, but, even though it is the longest, it seems to be the shortest. While "Empire" is VERY slow, it is easily the darkest and most enjoyable movie from the Original Trilogy, but for me, the least. As with "Star Wars" I'm gonna start the review with the Special Edition stuff. We don't need to see the "VERY" interesting approach to the Star Destroyer. The extra Wampa scene builds MUCH more tension than the original. And making Luke scream like a baby was Definitely cool. So, like the original "Star Wars" DON'T BUY OR WATCH THE SPECIAL EDITION! Again, I am proud to be the lucky owner of the original 3 movies unwrapped, and in mint condition after my success on ebay. I think it is obvious that The Empire Strikes Back is the darkest, including the fact that it has the stunning (MAJOR spoilers ahead!) "I am your father!" by James Earl Jones. As for the acting in this movie, second strongest, (Return of the Jedi has the strongest,in my opinion). Best actor/actress here- Frank Oz as Yoda. Well, he didn't really act, but oh, well. Againg, the effects in the Original Edition don't stick out like a sore thumb like in the Special Edition. The sets have gone a small, almost unnoticeable change: They don't look used! While many may argue that snow and woods can't look used (and I agree with them), Cloud City certainly can, and I think that there wasn't a scuff mark until the Stormtroopers attacked! Again, the music is GREAT! This time, my second favorite track, "The Imperial March" is introduced, and my fifth favorite, "Yoda's Theme" is introduced. Again, the DVD is fine (Luke doesn't scream), and I recommend it over the "Special" Edition. But, I recommend the Original Edition above all. May the Force be with you as you watch this movie!