Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:

timdiggerm said:

By the rules of "What makes a good movie?", Empire is better. By the rules of "What makes a good Star Wars movie?", Star Wars is better.

I disagree strongly. Star Wars is a great movie by any standard, and can be seen by itself standalone. Empire is a feast for the Star Wars fan, however it is rather confusing if you haven't seen Star Wars, and is full of scenes that have nothing to do with the story development (such as the ship landing inside the big creature) that are there just to wow the viewer. You also can't beat Alec Guiness and Peter Cushing as actors, and it is their acting that elevates Star Wars to being a great all time movie, alongside Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and others. What a joy it must have been to assemble their scenes.

These are good points.

I love the unrestrained, unapologetic tone of Star Wars. And you cannot top Star Wars for pacing. It is the best paced film of all time (that I have seen), with the possible exception of Seven Samurai. Good work Marcia! I must admit, I kind of understand what the young kids mean when they say Empire is boring. The middle act does drag, especially after you have seen it dozens of times. It is well done, but a little slow. The hole "trapped in a giant space worm" segment does seem to be filler.