From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Apr 15 13:40:11 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!liuida!newsfeed.sunet.se!news99.sunet.se!news-b.uni-c.dk!news-inn.uni-c.dk!hunter.premier.net!newsfeeds.sol.net!worldnet.att.net!cbgw2.lucent.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: mredman@bvoice.com (Michael Redman) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (SPECIAL EDITION) (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 3 Apr 1997 15:43:36 GMT Organization: ... Lines: 30 Sender: eleeper@lucent.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: eleeper@lucent.com Message-ID: <5i0j78$d63@nntpa.cb.lucent.com> Reply-To: mredman@bvoice.com (Michael Redman) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtvoyager.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #07258 Keywords: author=Redman Originator: ecl@mtvoyager Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:6649 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1248 STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (SPECIAL EDITION) A film review by Michael Redman Copyright 1997 Michael Redman **** (out of ****) Oddly enough, I had forgotten much about this middle film of the Star Wars trilogy so seeing it on the big screen again was an unexpected treat. The darkest and arguably the best of the films suffered from the second-act syndrome when you had to wait three years for the next movie. It works much better as a part of the whole. Everything goes wrong in this one. The rebels are on the run. Han Solo is captured by the bad guys. Luke fails to complete his Jedi training, loses a hand and gains a father (You already knew that, right? I'm not ruining anything for you, right?) =97 none of which are good things. The ending is just the opposite of the triumph of "Star Wars". The Dark Side may just come out on top. There aren't as many changes from the original as the Special Edition of the first film featured. A few fixes here and there, short new scenes and a punched-up soundtrack are fairly unobtrusive and make it easier to watch the film rather than be pulled into the "What's New" game. Now I'm looking forward to "Return Of The Jedi" even with those terminally cute fuzzy things. [This appeared in the 2/27/97 "Bloomington Voice", Bloomington, Indiana. Michael Redman can be reached at mredman@bvoice.com ] From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue May 6 13:38:09 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!solace!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!news.wildstar.net!news.ececs.uc.edu!newsfeeds.sol.net!worldnet.att.net!cbgw2.lucent.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: david.wilcock@btinternet.com (David Wilcock) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (SPECIAL EDITION) (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 22 Apr 1997 15:16:09 GMT Organization: - Lines: 46 Sender: eleeper@lucent.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: eleeper@lucent.com Message-ID: <5jiknp$56l@nntpa.cb.lucent.com> Reply-To: david.wilcock@btinternet.com (David Wilcock) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtvoyager.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #07365 Keywords: author=Wilcock Originator: ecl@mtvoyager Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:6763 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1255 STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (SPECIAL EDITION) A film review by David Wilcock Copyright 1997 David Wilcock A sci-fi/adventure starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing,Harrison Ford, James Earl Jones and Frank Oz A TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX RELEASE The second in the Star Wars trilogy is quite different to the first. While the first one was full of action and adventure, it was also very happy. However, the second one is not. The film itself is very dark, and has a totally different atmosphere to the first. The film starts off happy enough. An excellent walker scene sets off the pace, with the walkers being destroyed (of course) and Luke going off to visit Yoda, and Hans, Leia, Chewbacca and C3P0 trying to escape from TIE Fighters in an asteroid. (With the princess giving hints of her love to Solo) However, it is when Luke arrives at Yodas planet that the atmosphere changes. The planet is very dark, and misty, filled with strange noises. Also, after being taught a bit by Yoda about how to use the force, Luke must confront his worst nightmare, which involves facing Lord Vader, and chopping off his head. I found these scenes really depressing compared to the oringal, and just not very enjoyable. Things pick up when Hans and Co arrive at Landos shipdock, although even this gets dark when Han actually loses to the Empire, gets frozen, and sent to the Empire. To add even more depression, Lukes arm gets chopped off by the Vader. However, the film is very enjoyable, but I just don't like the way that while the first was happy, this one gets annoyingly depressing. Overall, I rate this not as good as Star Wars, but must a bit better than Jedi. Depressing bits aside, the film is well shot and made, and there are some good set pieces (and some clever suprises) And, of course, its Star Wars, which makes it great anyway. RATING=****1/2 out of ***** REVIEW BY DAVID WILCOCK =============================== DAVID WILCOCK EMAIL:david.wilcock@btinternet.com From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri Jan 30 16:35:45 1998 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed1.news.luth.se!luth.se!sunqbc.risq.qc.ca!logbridge.uoregon.edu!news.uoregon.edu!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: Steve Kong Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 29 Dec 1997 05:09:51 GMT Organization: The Hard Boiled Movie Page (http://boiled.sbay.org/boiled/) Lines: 73 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <687bav$gec$1@nntp5.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: homer20.u.washington.edu X-Trace: nntp5.u.washington.edu 883372191 16844 (None) 140.142.64.6 X-Complaints-To: help@cac.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #10356 Keywords: author=kong X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer20.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:9734 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1716 THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK SPECIAL EDITION (1997) A film review by Steve Kong Copyright 1997 Steve Kong The Empire Strikes Back is the middle child of the Star Wars Trilogy. It is darkest of the three and, for me, the best of the Trilogy. The Empire Strikes Back introduces us to two new characters: Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) and the immanently smart Jedi Master Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz). My favourite, as all my friends know, is Yoda. Yoda serves as the voice of the Trilogy creator George Lucas and he has many things to say and teach both Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and us. Many of the most memorable lines from the Star Wars Trilogy come from The Empire Strikes Back and from Yoda. (My favourite is "Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try.") I find ESB my favourite of the Trilogy because it has a good mix of action and adventure. This along with all the intelligence of Yoda makes for a movie that I love to watch over and over again. From the opening Hoth snow battle to the escape through an asteroid belt and to the final lightsaber duel, ESB is a joy to watch. The updates for the special edition include some new views of Cloud City, extra footage of Darth Vader, and some really pumped up sound. The sound is the thing that makes the biggest difference between seeing the original version and the Special Edition version. Star Destroyers now not only cruise from back to front, they rumble from back to front. The extra allowances in the fidelity of today's audio equipment make for some pretty exciting enhancements throughout the film. I am glad that Lucas decided to leave in most of the original special effects, instead of running rampant throughout the film and replacing them with digital effects. Lucas shows restraint and really only adds little bits here and there to the special effects of the original. Which I thank him for because the original special effects are still quite impressive. John Williams again scores this film and the score is like all of Williams' other scores -- brilliant. The best of the new score is "The Imperial March" which is Darth Vader's theme, something that brings a feeling of dread when you hear it. Irvin Kershner does a great job taking over the director's reign with The Empire Strikes Back. He does not lose any of the pacing set by George Lucas. My favourite character of the whole Trilogy is Yoda. Full of good advice and intelligence, Frank Oz has created a creature that is the best addition to the whole Trilogy. And for The Empire Strikes Back Yoda is the best actor of the film. Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill have settled in to their respective roles quite nicely. The ever quibbling C-3PO and R2-D2 are again in the film for some comic relief, which I loved. ESB shows, more than Star Wars: A New Hope, how it is not the special effects that make a movie, but the characters, story, and pure fun of the adventure that makes the movie. ESB pulls us into the tight circle of characters and their adventures. We follow Luke on his adventure to Degobah to train with the Jedi Master Yoda while we cheer and bite our nails as we follow Han, Leia, and C3-PO while they try to escape from the Empire. There is much for modern day Hollywood to learn from the Star Wars Trilogy. Don't Miss The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition. I would recommend the Special Edition of The Empire Strikes Back over the original for the sole reason that it sounds so much better. And be sure to see it wide screen -- if it's still running in a second run theatre catch it there, if not, get the letterbox VHS release or the Special Edition Laserdisc collection. --- steve kong reviews@boiled.sbay.org find the latest movie reviews at the hard boiled movie page http://boiled.sbay.org/boiled/