Does The Empire Strikes Back Suffer From Middle-Film-Itis?

There’s a complaint about trilogies that are designed to be one long story that the middle film suffers the most because it neither feels like it has a beginning or an ending. Is that a problem with this film? What about being a sequel? Does it do more than the original did? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our series looking at the original Star Wars trilogy with Irvin Kershner’s 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back.

Here’s a hint at what we talk about.

Obviously, we love Empire so we don’t think it has those issues, but there are contingents of people out there who don’t find it as strong as the original. Still, George Lucas and director Irvin Kershner created a spectacular film that’s a thrill from start to finish. 

What do we think of Harmy’s despecialized version? And how have all the subsequent projects affected our readings of certain lines in the film? The key question though is do any of those readings affect our joy?

The Empire Strikes Back is a magnificent film and we have a great time talking about it. Check it out then tune in! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins! Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!

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• Script Transcript
• Theatrical trailer
• Poster artwork
• Harmy’s Despecialized Edition
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd
• Starships – Dimensions at Real Scale

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