The Empire Strikes Back...Best. Star Wars movie. EVER.

Alright, I don't have the time or energy to type too much tonight, but I couldn't pass up a Star Wars blogathon, so I just thought I'd pay my respects to my favorite (and the BEST) film in the series, the divine Empire Strikes Back. It's a beautifully crafted epic fantasy space opera, and one of my very favorite films of all time.

I first got into Star Wars when I was about 11, right at that prime pre-teen age where you NEED personal mythology to be absorbed in, since real life is invariably awful. My best friend at some point learned that I had NEVER seen Star Wars, and took care to rectify the situation (it's definitely some kind of rule that EVERY 11-year-old boy, gay or straight, need be a fan of Star Wars).

I, of course, went from total novice to OBSESSED expert in record time. Soon I had all the VHS tapes (the "last time available in their original form" edition) and starting playing Star Wars Customizable Card Game (brilliant game). Then, the "special edition" theatrical rereleases happened a year or two later, and by that point I was a huge fan and was totally into it (at this point Star Trek and Star Wars split my time... the Jurassic Park obsession was two years earlier, and had basically ended).

Anyway, even from way back then, I knew Episode V was where it's at (I always liked the dark stuff). There is little to say about the gorgeous score (the Han & Leia theme!), the Battle of Hoth, Han and Leia's romance, the asteroid field, Luke's Dagobah training, Yoda, Cloud City, the carbon-freezing, "Hear me, Leia!" and the "I am your father" moment that hasn't already been said, or would be a better use of one's time than simply watching the movie or listening to the soundtrack instead. Empire is a grand, intimate epic (getting the "intimate" MUCH better than any of the other movies), and should have been oscar's Best Picture of 1980. Oh well. It's still gone down in history as the best of the trilogy, and still has many, many fans.

Empire forever.