CT what is so great about ESB ?

I'd say that TESB is way overrated movie.

Yes, it is a great sequel to ANH and a good SW movie, it's performances are among the best in the saga, the music, themes it's exploring, genuine feel when it ends, subtle details Kershner made (making C-3PO a bit trivial or carrying out Needa's body)...

But I have some issues with it. The Empire is very strong although the DS has been destroyed, the part with the Falcon in the asteroid drags and forces a romance between Han and Leia, it's focus on personal story that leaves the Rebels out there is on one hand good, on the other not because it doesn't set up their victory in ROTJ. There's more of them, but I'll leave that for now.

 

to be fair, its not hard to make a movie that kids would enjoy. kids today love marvel films, but they put me to sleep.

and i was in grade school/junior ohigh during the prequels and i cant think of anyone whwo hated any of these films.

 

It's the most dramatic of the SW movies.

 

Some stuff's been mentioned. I'll add:

Pacing. The way it unfolds and shifts between Luke's adventure and Han and Leia's, culminating in a highly charged climax, is second to none. There's an effortlessness to it.

Imaginative. Lucas was at his peak with this one. Imperial walkers; a jedi master in a swamp; a pit stop in a space worm's belly; a lightsaber duel in the heart of a gas mine miles in the air..it has so much to enjoy. We take it for granted now thanks to things like TCW, but it really was all jaw-dropping back when it was released.

 

Why bother trying to convince the original poster of this thread that TESB is so wonderful, when that person clearly feels otherwise? I think we should allow that person to maintain his or her own opinions.

 

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say "because they asked."

 

...because...

 

Nothing.

Everything.

 

so you dont have your own reasoning ? gotcha.

im not trying to make you convince me to love the movie, it obviously wont happen. it doesnt work that way... im trying to figure out why people think its so great. i just cant see it.
some people gave great answers, Nope - cubman987 edit

revenge of the sith takes this by a long shot.
empire definately got its dark and dramatic tone, but revenge is on genocide levels.

 

All the drama in the world means nothing if I don't care about the characters involved. That of course comes down to personal bias, but TESB did such a good job of building on the characters many loved from the first movie by developing and expanding their relationships with one another while also placing them in perilous situations with surprising outcomes. It also helps that the characters are well-defined and consistent in their actions. I'm never left annoyed or confused about characters' choices.

 

its not part of this discussion, but all the bad stuff that happened in ROTS to the unknown people, was supposed to be that way.
in the war so many nameless died- no different than iraq war, and the genocide committed by the us military ordered by obama in 7 countries, and order 66 the jedi were killed for no reason other than just for being a jedi. we dont know their name or anything about them because all lucas wanted us to know is that they are jedi. and in the eyes of the world (senate which represent the people), it was just another dead jedi.


i just wanted to mention this. i am NOT trying to start a new discussion.,

 

What I love about ESB, is it is kind of a perfect mix imo of blockbuster filmmaking and a small character driven piece. Kershner was a great ying to Lucas's yang and really wanted to explore the characters on a personal level. So you got big filmmaking, the big moments, and a lot of small intimate moments. A lot of films struggle to capture that mix.

 

What is so great about ESB?

Answer: Everything!

 

What are you talking about? The original poster had made it clear that after several viewings, he or she was not that impressed with TESB. I don't see the point in trying to change that person's mind. I think we should all learn to respect a person's opinion, even if it's different. Why is that so hard? I'm not discussing my opinion of the movie, but the original poster's.

 

Everything about it is perfect. Plus, it was an absolutely brilliant time to be alive, and witness the world wide excitement and anticipation, and almost universal love of SW and its sequel to totally get it. Its very difficult to convey, just how magical a time it was.....and, other than its greatness as a movie, this goes a long way to adding to its standing today.

Personally, seeing Star Wars on its premier night in my home city of Liverpool in January 1978 with my dad as an 8 year old kid, and then the two years in between and the release of the TESB, was the absolute best time of my life. My friends' parents at the school I went to at the time hired an entire movie theater for their son and the whole school got to see TESB on its release day. It was the best day of my life. Its why, at the age 53 now, I'm still in absolute love with everything Star Wars, movies and theater going, Pop culture, Sci-Fi and Fantasy books, films and TV shows, and Lego! Just last week, I received 3 Star Wars Legos for my Christmas presents, a Star Wars book, and a ticket to CA Galaxy's Edge theme park!

TESB is still my favorite movie of all time (closely followed by Rogue One), and I watch it at least 10 times in a calendar year.

 

This last post was very touching, as I am the same age. Well done.

 

Plus, among nearly every other scene/moment in the movie....is this one.....which makes me weep at its greatness and tingles my spine every time i watch it..........

 

There is no music during this scene. It is chilling. Luke slowly realizing how over his head and alone he is.

 

Thanks. What a time it was eh? I have an amazing life, wife, kids and a cool job, but Star Wars IS my life. And its because of TESB.

 

For me it would be the carbon freezing scene. But really the entire last 45 minutes of the movie is wonderful. The obvious choice (and what I was expecting) was for Luke to save the day. But he doesn't, Han is frozen, and Luke gets his lunch handed to him by Vader.

 

Brilliant isn't it. My favorite scene in any movie, ever. JEJ's delivery of those first two lines are just ridiculously good. This is the Vader I remember, cherish and love. The prequels were a tough watch for me because the character, and most definitely the portrayal of Anakin by both actors was poor in my opinion. But I got over it, and still watch them.

 

Agreed. And then there is the Hoth sequence.

 

All the tiny moments that string throughout the last act of TESB really help it along too. What could have been an underwhelming climax of people just running through hallways gets elevated by all these tiny little moments.

Lando telling his city to evacuate.
Artoo getting electrocuted.
Artoo finding out about the Falcon and then later getting to fix it.
Boba Fett escaping with Han.
Threepio not being all the way together yet.

Everyone gets something to do, which is more than I can say for ROTJ where both Han and Leia spend the last 30 minutes, in the same spot, trying to unlock a door.

 

There is no victory in ESB. Our heroes spent the entire movie just trying to escape and being defeated. This is the exact opposite of what audiences were expecting after Star Wars. (No one called it ANH back then)

 

True, but remember the final images on screen. The Rebel fleet was assembled and preparing to move. The Empire struck back, but the Rebellion survived. I distinctly remember watching in in 1980 and thinking, "OK, the Empire struck back, but now, it's our turn." It was a dark story, but right at the end there was foreshadowing that things were about to change for the better.