We’ve come to expect the videos in Screen Junkies’ Honest Trailers to be full of mockery and criticism, but we got a surprise in the series’ take on Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back. The latest Honest Trailer makes a few hilarious jabs, but mostly, it is uncharacteristically complimentary.
Given that The Empire Strikes Back is most Star Wars fans’ favorite movie, it isn’t really a surprise the video series’ narrator had to admit that the film is “one of the best sequels ever made.” The parody trailer sang the film’s praises, highlighting its “excellent directing, great acting, brilliant dialogue, gorgeous music, and iconic moments that will stay with you for a lifetime.” In fact, the few criticisms launched at the film required some serious nitpicking.
When it came down to it, the video managed to find a few fair points of criticism. The narrator brought up the weird relationship between siblings Luke and Leia, noted how Han’s name is pronounced differently throughout the movie, and showed off some of Luke’s more ridiculous decisions. Not even The Empire Strikes Back can be perfect 100 percent of the time.
Of the relatively few digs in the trailer, perhaps the biggest is aimed right at Star Wars’ creator. After heaping praise on the film, the video notes that The Empire Strikes Back “just so happens to be the one where George Lucas was involved the least.” The implication is clearly that Lucas began to have a negative impact on the franchise, an assertion that sadly many fans wouldn’t hesitate agree with.
However you feel about Lucas, though, you’ll appreciate Honest Trailers’ take on The Empire Strikes Back — perhaps almost as much as you do the film itself.