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CinemaSins Movie Reviews
The middle of the GOOD Star Wars trilogy. Luke gets Jedi training and finds out a dark secret from his past. Things heat up between Han Solo and Princess Leia. And lots of explosions and special effects…
Mr. Otter is a purist, he only likes the first Star Wars movie (the one people are now calling Episode IV: A New Hope instead of just Star Wars, since Lucas has inflicted Episodes 1, 2, and 3 on us…may he burn in hell for it…)
Anyway. Mr. Otter really, really hates this movie and Return of the Jedi, and refuses to watch them again, so I cleverly waited til he was out of town before settling down with the cats to watch this one.
And it was indeed good. Now, it’s the middle story, so it doesn’t really have a definite beginning or end…it’s assumed that you’ve seen the first one, and that you will see the last one…but there are still some really good things, plot and character-wise, about this one.
Firstly, Luke gets more interesting, not only in his antecedents (not to give anything away, in case someone who’s been in stasis for thirty years is reading this…) but also his relationship with Yoda, and that whole thing is great.
And Han and Leia. The banter heats up (and is way better, of course, than anything in the newer movies). You can see the sparks start to fly. Serious Honey Harrison Ford is at his best, gorgeous and charming. And the five minute scene by the carbon freeze is, in my opinion, one of the most romantic moments in movie history. Mr. Otter is snorting with contempt as he reads this, but truly, it is right up there. Their facial expressions, body language, everything is just right. Get the kleenex, boys…
Anyway. For a bridging, middle movie whose only function is to get the viewer from point A to point B, bringing up some important plot points and keeping everyone amused with banter and explosions in the meantime…it’s great.
Watch all three of these great flicks in a row, it’s a fine ride.
theotterlimits 