Editing The Empire Strikes Back (section)

== Reception ==
=== Critical response ===
''The Empire Strikes Back'' received mixed reviews upon its initial release, a change from the positive reception of ''Star Wars''.<ref name="NYTimesIndulgent" />{{sfn|Rinzler|2010|p=332}}<ref name="StarWarsComReviews" /> In March 1981, The [[Los Angeles Times|''Los Angeles'' ''Times'']] released a summary of the leading critics' choices for top 10 films of the year: Robert Redford's ''[[Ordinary People]]'' appeared on 42 lists, while ''Empire'' made it onto 24.{{sfn|Rinzler|2010|p=346}} Fan reactions were decidedly mixed, with many concerned by the film's change in tone and surprising narrative revelations, particularly Leia's love for Han over Luke and Luke's relationship with Vader.<ref name="MovieWebFans" /><ref name="MashableFans" /> Even so, the 536 audience members polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale, with males and those under the age of 25 rating it highest.{{sfn|The Calgary Herald, June|1980|p=D4}}

Some critics believed ''The Empire Strikes Back'' was a good film but not as enjoyable as ''Star Wars''.<ref name="ReviewCanby" /><ref name="ReviewTHR" /><ref name="RevWSJ" /> They believed the tonal shift featuring darker material and more mature story lines detracted from the charm, fun, and comic silliness of the original.<ref name="ReviewCanby" /><ref name="RevWSJ" />{{sfn|Denby|1980|p=67}} ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''{{'}}s Joy Gould Boyum believed it was "absurd" to add dramatic weight to the lighthearted ''Star Wars'', stripping it of its innocence. Writing for ''[[The Washington Post]]'', Gary Arnold found the darker undercurrents and greater narrative scale interesting because it created more dramatic threads to explore.<ref name="RevWaPoGaryArnold" /><ref name="RevWSJ" /> ''[[The New Yorker]]''{{'}}s [[David Denby]] argued it was more spectacular than the original, but lacked its [[camp (style)|camp]] style.{{sfn|Denby|1980|p=67}} ''The Hollywood Reporter''{{'}}s [[Arthur Knight (film critic)|Arthur Knight]] believed the novelty of the original and the plethora of space opera films produced since made ''Empire'' seem derivative; even so, he called it the best in the genre since ''Star Wars''.<ref name="ReviewTHR" /><ref name="RevWaPoGaryArnold" /> Writing for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', [[Gerald Clarke (author)|Gerald Clarke]] said ''Empire'' surpassed ''Star Wars'' in several ways, including being more visually and artistically interesting.<ref name="RevTimePage3" /> ''The New York Times''{{'}}s [[Vincent Canby]] called it a more mechanical, less suspenseful experience.<ref name="ReviewCanby" />

Writing for the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', [[Charles Champlin]] said the inconclusive ending cleverly completed the narrative while serving as a cliffhanger, but Clarke called it a "not very satisfying" conclusion.<ref name="RevLaTimes" /><ref name="RevTimePage5" /> Canby and the ''[[Chicago Reader]]''{{'}}s [[Dave Kehr]] believed that as the middle film, it should have focused on narrative development instead of exposition, finding little narrative progression between the film's beginning and end.<ref name="ReviewCanby" /><ref name="RevDaveKehr" /><ref name="RevWSJ" /> ''The Washington Post''{{'}}s [[Judith Martin]] labeled it a "good junk" film, enjoyable but fleeting, because it lacked a stand-alone narrative.<ref name="ReviewWAPOMartin" /> Knight and Clarke found the story sometimes difficult to follow—Knight because the [[three-act structure|third act]] jumped between separate storylines, and Clarke because he missed important information in the fast-paced plot.<ref name="ReviewTHR" /><ref name="RevTimePage5" /> Kehr and ''[[Sight & Sound]]''{{'}}s Richard Combs wrote that characterization seemed to be less important than special effects, visual spectacle and action set pieces that accomplished little narratively.<ref name="RevDaveKehr" /><ref name="RevSightandSound" />

Reviews were mixed for the principal cast.<ref name="RevWSJ" /><ref name="RevLaTimes" /><ref name="RevDaveKehr" /> Knight wrote that Kershner's direction made the characters more human and less [[archetype|archetypal]].<ref name="ReviewTHR" /> Hamill, Fisher, and Ford received some praise, with Champlin calling Hamill "youthfully innocent" and engaging, and Fisher independent.<ref name="ReviewTHR" /><ref name="RevLaTimes" /><ref name="RevVariety" /> Arnold described the character progression as less about development and more about "finesse", with little change taking place,<ref name="RevWaPoGaryArnold" /> while Kehr felt the characters were "stiffer" without Lucas's direction.<ref name="RevDaveKehr" /> Knight called Guinness's performance half-hearted,<ref name="ReviewTHR" /> and [[Janet Maslin]] criticized Lando Calrissian, the only major black character in the film, as "exaggeratedly unctuous, untrustworthy and loaded with [[jive talk|jive]]".<ref name="RevMaslin" /> The ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''{{'}}s [[Gene Siskel]] said the non-human characters, including the robots and Chewbacca, remained the most lovable creatures, with Yoda being the film's highlight.<ref name="ReviewSiskel" /> Knight, Gould Boyum, and Arnold thought Yoda to be incredibly lifelike; Arnold considered his expressions so realistic that he believed an actor's face had been [[compositing|composited]] onto the puppet.<ref name="ReviewTHR" /><ref name="RevWSJ" /><ref name="RevWaPoGaryArnold" /> Canby called the human cast bland and nondescript, and said even the robot characters offered diminishing enjoyment, but Yoda was a success when used sparingly.<ref name="ReviewCanby" />

Although Arnold praised Kershner's direction, others believed that Lucas's oversight was obvious and ''Empire'' lacked Kershner's established directorial sensibilities. Denby described his work as "impersonal" and Canby believed it was impossible to identify what Kershner had contributed.<ref name="ReviewCanby" />{{sfn|Denby|1980|p=67}}<ref name="RevWaPoGaryArnold" /> Combs believed Kershner was an "ill-advised" director because he emphasized the characters, and the result was common tropes at the expense of the comic-strip pace of ''Star Wars''.<ref name="RevSightandSound" /> [[Peter Suschitzky]]'s cinematography was praised for its visuals and bold color choices,<ref name="ReviewTHR" /><ref name="RevWaPoGaryArnold" /> and the special effects were lauded as "breathtaking",<ref name="RevWSJ" /> "ingenious",<ref name="ReviewTHR" /> and visually dazzling.<ref name="RevWaPoGaryArnold" /> [[Jim Harwood]] said he was let down only by the familiarity of the effects from the original, which were emulated by other films.<ref name="RevVariety" /> Champlin appreciated that the effects were used to enhance scenes rather than being the focus.<ref name="RevLaTimes" />

=== Accolades ===
[[File:Johnwilliams2006.JPG|thumb|upright|alt=Composer John Williams, balding, with a beard and wearing glasses looking directly at the camera|Composer [[John Williams]] (pictured in 2006) won two [[Grammy Awards]] for his score to ''The Empire Strikes Back'', in addition to nominations for [[Academy Awards|Academy]], [[Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe]], and [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]] awards.]]

At the [[53rd Academy Awards|1981 Academy Awards]], ''The Empire Strikes Back'' won the award for [[Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing|Best Sound]] ([[Bill Varney]], [[Steve Maslow]], [[Gregg Landaker]], and [[Peter Sutton (sound engineer)|Peter Sutton]]) and a [[Special Achievement Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]] (Johnson, Edlund, Muren, and Nicholson). The film received a further two nominations: [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction]] (Reynolds, [[Leslie Dilley]], [[Harry Lange]], [[Alan Tomkins]], and [[Michael D. Ford|Michael Ford]]) and [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]] (John Williams).<ref name="Oscars1980" /> Williams also won two [[23rd Annual Grammy Awards|Grammy Awards]]: [[Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition|Best Instrumental Composition]] and [[Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media|Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media]].<ref name="Grammys" /> He earned the film's sole [[39th&nbsp;Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]] nomination, for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]].<ref name="GoldenGlobes" />

The [[34th British Academy Film Awards]] garnered ''Empire'' one award for [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Music|Best Music]] (Williams), and two additional nominations: [[BAFTA Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]] (Sutton, Varney, and [[Ben Burtt]]) and [[BAFTA Award for Best Production Design|Best Production Design]] (Reynolds).<ref name="Baftas" /> At the [[8th&nbsp;Saturn Awards]], ''Empire'' received four awards: [[Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film|Best Science Fiction Film]], [[Saturn Award for Best Director|Best Director]] (Kershner), [[Saturn Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] (Hamill), and [[Saturn Award for Best Special Effects|Best Special Effects]] (Johnson and Edlund).<ref name="SaturnAwards" /> The film also won a [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation]] and a [[7th People's Choice Awards|People's Choice Award]] for Favorite Motion Picture.<ref name="HugoAwards" /><ref name="PeoplesChoice" />