Is Empire REALLY the best Star Wars movie?

[ebor]

IV for me and V razor thin 2nd...

 

[Popnfresh98]

Continuing my trend of unpopular opinions, lately I've been questioning my lifelong belief that Empire is the best SW movie.

Just as "many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our point of view", I wonder how many of us have clung to this "incontrovertible" fact just because "that's how it's always been"?

Yes, it's masterfully directed, and that rare quantity of an excellent sequel. But is our opinion coloured by the fact that it gave us long-awaited new adventures of Luke, Leia and Han in some interesting new locations? Or the memories of that stunning twist at the climax?

Strip away the nostalgia, and analyse it objectively, and does it still hold up as well? Or is ANH (or even a latter-day SW flick) superior?

For instance, the Dagobah sequence was great back in the day, but nowadays could it be considered tedious?

Of course your "point of view" will depend greatly on your age and SW history.

What say y'all?

Gotta agree that ESB is the best. ANH has long stretches that drag at this point, and RotJ would’ve been served better by being more focused.

ESB has great atmosphere, the best score of the OT, great character interactions, a bit of a mysterious vibe to it, and the pacing is perfect.

Personal OT ranking is ESB, RotJ, ANH

What’s your take Prime Clone? Or is it just ANH as you mentioned in your post?

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

Yes...

 

[xipotec]

I understand to need to ask the question....

After seeing any film for the 154th time, over 30 years it looses it luster....

Its hard to be objective. But if you look at it from a purely art form , ESB has the best character development, world building, atmosphere and design. Also the best acting and music.


Sent from the inside of a giant slug in outer space.....

 

[Prime Clone]

What’s your take Prime Clone? Or is it just ANH as you mentioned in your post?

Still Empire, but I’m still asking myself how much of that is nostalgia/habit/dogma. However a lot of posters are making a strong case for it.

And a-dev is the perfect (and rare) specimen of someone who saw it in a vacuum, without the buildup of ANH.

 

[a-dev]

Still Empire, but I’m still asking myself how much of that is nostalgia/habit/dogma. However a lot of posters are making a strong case for it.

And a-dev is the perfect (and rare) specimen of someone who saw it in a vacuum, without the buildup of ANH.

Thing is I have no memory of the first time I saw Empire and Jedi or which of those I saw first. Same goes for T1 and T2, no recollection which I saw first. That bugs me.

 

[screamingmetal]

I wish there was another category.
For me I didn't like the romance stuff as a kid, but still liked the movie, just not as much as ANH or ROTJ.
Now as an adult I can appreciate the romance and it's clearly the superior SW movie.

 

[Protozaius]

That being said Empire Strikes Back is my favorite, and it is possible one day, a new favorite will come along.

I hold no such hope... of a new favorite Star Wars film.

 

[loki2371]

ESB will remain the tops until Disney & Kennedy release ......

The Adventures Of Rose Tico - A Star Wars Story. "Don't fight what you hate, but save what you love". ....

I'ts gonna be EPIC!!!!


.............

 

[TaliBane]

Yeah the first 10 minutes of ANH on Leia's ship is awesome but after that the rest of the first act (droids walking around the desert, Luke eating breakfast, visiting Ben, etc.) doesn't hold a candle to the first act of Empire IMO (tauntauns, Wampa, Probe droid, Vader's fleet, AT-AT attack.)

Yeah I find that ANH kind of drags after the opening until the cantina. ANH also has a more dated 70's look for me - the cinematography is flatter (almost Tv like at times,) the camera is nearly always static, sets feel a bit "England in the 1970's." Whereas Empire feels like it was made today, though I agree some aspects of Dagobah and Bespin could have been done better (a buddy of mine who is a major production designer on studio movies hates the look of Bespin interiors.)

 

[Oxnard Montalvo]

IV for me and V razor thin 2nd...

This.

 

[JAWS]

Oh yes, no argument there!

I do think that ANH has the single most iconic scene in the entire Saga which is the Ben/Vader duel while everyone else watches.

I've said it before but in that one single sequence you have all of these elements:

1. Luke Skywalker
2. Han Solo
3. Princess Leia (and all three heroes in their iconic outfits)
4. Darth Vader
5. Ben Kenobi
6. R2-D2
7. C-3PO
8. Stormtroopers
9. Millennium Falcon
10. Death Star
11. Lightsabers
12. Lasers

Seriously, almost every single thing we associate with and love about Star Wars is represented in that one sequence!

You forgot sweeping score by John Williams

 

[JAWS]

I voted "My Opinion keeps changing"

It really is the best Star Wars film but A New Hope is my favorite.

I can watch A New Hope over and over. And while I can watch Empire a lot it just does not have as much rewatchablity A New Hope does for me.


But were are talking ANH winning just by a hair.

My top three fav movies of all time are

1. JAWS
2, Star Wars
3. The Empire Strikes Back

 

[Wor-Gar]

My top three fav movies of all time are

1. JAWS
2, Star Wars
3. The Empire Strikes Back
4. Raiders of the Lost Ark

Excellent choices! Almost my order.

 

[Skywalker(OG)Kush]

Empire is the best. That really wasn’t a duel in new hope, they hardly moved and only barely clashed blades a few times before ben committed suicide. They seemed more interested in talking with each other for obvious reasons then actually fighting. They sure didn’t put much force into their swings, they were basically just poking and swating lol that’s basically all ben did, be barely swung it at all, was just buying time..,. It’s still a great scene, I just don’t really consider it a "duel”. The first real lightsaber duel happened in empire between luke and vader, both were swinging those blades with force. You could definately feel the intensity of that duel.

 

[JAWS]

Excellent choices! Almost my order.

We are so close

1. JAWS
2. STAR WARS
3. The Empire Strikes Back
4. Die Hard
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark ​

 

[brianjofa4975]

Love ANH, but Empire was even better.

We can hope for a future episode that will be better than ESB, but highly unlikely, especially with the direction Disney appears to be taking things. I’d love to be wrong. What SW fan wouldn’t want a new episode as good or better than ESB to renew our interest and faith in the franchise?

 

[Cap'n Cook]

Of course it is.

 

[darthblitzwing]

The best in 1980 and is just as great today. The summer 1980 would go to Huntington Beach if there was no waves would ride up to Westminster Mal to watch the movie, that was a like 20 mile round trip, then watch the movie more than once, I have no idea how many rides I did, I know it was lots. I have no complaints about the movie. ANH and ROTJ would be my second most loved movies. ANH was awesome then and is now, but dated. ROTJ was not close as great as they should have made , but was great anyways. I watch Empire each day I can. Best movie out any movie for me, I could argue that doesn't have much weight as I don't like any movies other than Star Wars OT and PT.

 

[Khev]

we are so close

1. Jaws
2. Star wars
3. The empire strikes back
4. Die hard
5. Raiders of the lost ark ​

1. ESB
2. SW
3. FOTR
4. Aliens