IronWatcher’s review published on Letterboxd:
Rewatch-a-thon to Star Wars Episode 9
Step 7 of 10
Watched on Blu-Ray
What else is there to say about this movie that hasn't been said a thousand times?
"One of the best sequels ever",
"One of the best sci-fi movies ever", ...
So many scenes remain in our memories even today, so many times this film has been quoted and ridiculed as the probably most famous sentence in a space opera, the twist that gives us goose bumps no matter how often we look at it, a moment that even non-specialists of Star Wars know.
"No, I am your father!"
But instead of repeating every praise given to the film, I want to focus on this scene alone, but not explain why it's one of the most famous scenes in film history, which has been done dozens of times before, but why this scene is so significant for mainstream cinema and makes the film too much more than an amusing space adventure with aliens and space battles.
As great as its predecessor was, it was about what one imagined to be the classic Good against Evil story, and for what it was, it was outstanding! And this war between the hopeful rebels and the evil imperials, where John Williams' brilliant score always reminded us that they are clearly pure evil, was continued in this film - but this classic good and evil story gets a 180° turn in the last act, giving adults and children a new picture of what good and evil actually is. This doesn't just give Darth Vader more weight as a villain, but also the whole story.
I always find it amusing when I see little kids on YouTube reacting to the unveiling of the evil, power-hungry "monster" in armor - they just can't believe it, the shock is practically written all over their faces. It seems as if the film has shaken their view of the world, and that's what makes this moment so famous and memorable. It's especially important that the younger generation learns that everything isn't written like in fairy tale books, that it won't always be clear who will fall for evil and that prepares them for life, which isn't a pony farm either. This moment destroyed the image of the good and evil constellation of many children (including me when I was young) and prepared them for something new and changed their view of how to think about movies.
This makes "The Empire Strikes Back" and Star Wars in general far more than children's films, because the film has dared to take a path rarely found in a film of this kind: the opportunity to rethink our view of what is good and what is evil.
IronWatcher liked these reviews
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_6e1c79f5-ab76-4ea4-a7d4-6c01d76f4ac9" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-6e1c79f5-ab76-4ea4-a7d4-6c01d76f4ac9'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div -tile300x250 -alignleft -bottommargin'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'med_rect_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-6e1c79f5-ab76-4ea4-a7d4-6c01d76f4ac9'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-6e1c79f5-ab76-4ea4-a7d4-6c01d76f4ac9'));
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_ee170535-39a0-4046-b5f3-1044dbfee927" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-ee170535-39a0-4046-b5f3-1044dbfee927'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'sky_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', (event) => { adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-ee170535-39a0-4046-b5f3-1044dbfee927'); }); }, { once: true }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-ee170535-39a0-4046-b5f3-1044dbfee927'));
