Family Film Friday: The Empire Strikes Back

One of the things that seems to have happened among Star Wars fans is that many of us have arrived at what we consider to be the "best" Star Wars film.  "The Empire Strikes Back" is that film for many fans.  To me, it is a very effective piece of drama.  It puts the characters in some very difficult positions, and expects the audience to know that they will find a way out.  The closing moments of this movie are, to me, some of the greatest moments put on film.  The John Williams score coupled with the closing images and dialogue give us a feeling of poignance that must be felt after what the characters have been through.  But somehow, these same elements also give us a feeling of hope.  They convey that the story is not over, and that the characters and the audience have a reason to hope.  Of the 5 Star Wars films my kids have seen (we have not yet let them watch "Revenge of the Sith"), "The Empire Strikes Back" remains the film they have watched the least.  I asked for their opinions on this movie, and they gave me some interesting ideas.  Here is what they had to say:

Joel:  "Stephanie is brushing Corrie's hair, and I want to do something to distract Corrie.  So I am going to ask my kids about a movie that they seem to have different opinions about.  It's called the 'Empire Strikes Back'.  Corrie has one opinion about it and Jack has another one.  Now, Daddy thinks that 'Empire Strikes Back' is the best of all 6 Star Wars movies..."
Jack: "Why?"
Joel: "Because I think it has the best character development, the best plot, story and the most interesting of all 6 movies...because...Han and Leia start to fall in love, and that's kind of interesting."
Stephanie: "Ooo la la"
Joel: "Yes, thank you Steph.  And...um...you start to learn more about Luke.  You learn something really important about Luke and Darth Vader.  What do you learn about them?"
Jack: "That Luke gets his hand 'ksh" (motions at his wrist)
Joel: "Right after he gets his hand cut off....this was a big deal when I was a little boy!"
Corrie: "Darth Vader is his father."
Joel: "YEAH! That was huge!   When I was a kid nobody knew that!  Nobody knew Darth Vader was Luke's father.  When that was revealed, that was like WHAT?!?  So Corrie why don't you like this movie as much?"
Corrie: "It's just sad.  It's really an interesting movie...there are lots of parts I wish I could see, and lots of parts I wish I didn't see."
Joel:  "Well, which parts do you like about it."
Corrie: "There's a lot of different reasons why I like it...Luke uses the force a lot."
Joel:  "He starts to learn doesn't he?"
Corrie:  "And he meets Yoda."
Joel: "Yeah...Yoda gets introduced...that's the first movie that Yoda is in...and he's so cool because he's a puppet!  Whose voice does he have the same of?"
Corrie:  "Grover."
Joel:  "And Fozzie too..."
Stephanie: "And Miss Piggy..."
Joel:  "Jack, what do you like?''
Jack:  "I like how Yoda starts teaching Luke really well."
Joel:  "I always thought that the 2nd movie had the best light saber fight.  It's way longer than the one in Episode 4."
Jack:  "It's way longer."
Corrie:  "In New Hope, it's a few minutes...it's longer than the one in Return of the Jedi."
Joel:  "What did you think of the scene with the big walkers?"
Jack:  "I love that scene...at first, me and Wesley had no idea what the snow troopers were, than I saw a snow trooper standing there...and I knew what they were."
Joel:  "What makes you sad about the movie?"
Corrie:  "It's sad.  I hate it when Darth Vader surprises them in the feast room, and when they capture and Han gets frozen."
Jack:  "Han gets frozen that whole time between that an 'Return of the Jedi'."
Corrie:  "The worst thing is that it leaves you hanging...it leaves you with Han in prison, and I don't like to watch it very much."
Joel:  "It doesn't matter to you that you know there's another act and that you know what will happen in 'Return of the Jedi'?"
Corrie:  "But I know I won't be able to see 'Return of the Jedi' right after that! It makes me feel like..."
Joel:  "When Daddy was a kiddo, we had to wait 3 years!  But even with all the sad things, you still think 'Empire Strikes Back' is a good movie right?  It's just not your favorite?"
Corrie:  "If all the sad stuff was taken out, I think it would be good."
Joel:  "But if all the sad stuff was taken out, what would the story be for 'Return of the Jedi'?"

Pause-Silence...

Joel:  "It would be like...'Let's continue being happy!"
Corrie:  "Daddy stop it..."
Joel:  "Anything else?"
Jack:   "Wellll...."
Joel:  "There's so much action,...my favorite scene is the one in the asteroid field, where 3PO is all scared  'OH...NO...' "
Corrie: "Chewy, take the professor here and plug him into the hyperdrive"

All of us laugh together

Jack:  "Take the professor here and plug him into the hyperdrive!!!"
Joel:  "You guys have given me some good stuff...we'll talk some other time about a different movie."