Originally posted by: Anchorhead
Star Wars had that same tension. Strangers thrown into a situation - not friends working together.
I'm in the minority for sure, but I much prefer Star Wars over Empire because of the unknown feeling that is so palpable throughout. Everything is unknown in Star Wars - where they're going, how they're going to get there, who this Vader person is, what the princess will be like, whether or not they can count on each other, how they're going to survive, etc. The viewer doesn't know what's going to happen and neither do the main characters.
That feeling is absent in Empire. It's more of a "our heroes on a mission" story as opposed to an outer space adventure in a far-off galaxy.
Star Wars had that same tension. Strangers thrown into a situation - not friends working together.
I'm in the minority for sure, but I much prefer Star Wars over Empire because of the unknown feeling that is so palpable throughout. Everything is unknown in Star Wars - where they're going, how they're going to get there, who this Vader person is, what the princess will be like, whether or not they can count on each other, how they're going to survive, etc. The viewer doesn't know what's going to happen and neither do the main characters.
That feeling is absent in Empire. It's more of a "our heroes on a mission" story as opposed to an outer space adventure in a far-off galaxy.
I think that's one of the problems with sequels in general. There is often more freedom in the story - because far less set-up is needed. But once the characters all know each other, the tension and discovery that is so wonderful about characters getting to know each other is lost.
It's a trade-off that I don't think works in sequels' favor. And I agree with Anchorhead that it didn't work out too well for The Empire Strikes Back.
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