Before I ever got to see the iconic second installment of the original Star Wars trilogy, this was the book which familiarized me with the story. It's actually a bit funny, actually. My neighbor had helped me really get into Star Wars. We did not have cable, but they did. And so I was able to see the original movie (back then, that was the movie known as "Star Wars") for the very first time at their house. They told me that they would let me know when "The Empire Strikes Back" would play, but relations between our family and these neighbors deteriorated before that ever happened. Then, "Return of the Jedi," the final installment of the original trilogy, which I sometimes still almost feel as the "new" Star Wars movie, was the first (and only) one of the original movies which we as a family saw in the movie theaters. True, I saw each of the original trilogy in the theaters when they were rereleased in 1997, but that doesn't count. By then, I was (at least officially) a grown man, even if it really did not feel like it just yet (and frankly, sometimes still doesn't, truth be told).
So this book was my access to the second movie for the first few years. Hell, I cannot even remember the first time that I actually got to see ESB, but I do remember reading this book, and feeling a bit of the same excitement. Somehow, I still think of this movie whenever I hear someone mention HBO. It was one of the seemingly elite movies which those privileged with cable could view, and which I could not, since we never had cable, let alone HBO. Thus, my first real taste of the second installment of the original trilogy was this storybook, by Scholastic Books. Remember those? If you are my age, you probably do. It was always a little thrill when there was a mini book fair at the school library, and our class got the chance to look at the books.
Recently, I reread the book for the first time since I was a kid. And it seemed worth reviewing here, although there is something worth noting. By now, almost everyone out there is familiar with ESB, right? I mean, what would be the point of reviewing the story itself, which almost everyone is familiar with to begin with? Most people are familiar with Star Wars, and especially the first trilogy - and especially this particular chapter of it.
What I will say is this: there are differences between the storybook and the actual original movie. In fact, that is true likely of all three. I eventually somehow got the storybook for the original Star Wars movie (now commonly referred to as "A New Hope"), and there are differences there, too. In fact, there is at least one deleted scene in that one.
There are some scenes here which were not a part of the original "Empire Strikes Back" movie, as well. In particular, the Rebel base is breached by ice creatures, the Hoth Wampas. That "ice creature" was among my favorite of the original Kenner toys, and which fascinated me to no end back then. The attack does not really amount to all that much, and hardly alters the story greatly. Still, it is there in this book, and it is not in the original movie (although I remember seeing some deleted scenes where it was at least implied). So there is that difference.
Also, some lines are different. I remember during the recent reading thinking how this or that part felt considerably different. For example, there is less humorous banter between Leia and Han. How much of that is to keep the book short (you can probably read it from cover to cover in one sitting). The most glaring example, however, was Han Solo's final line before being frozen in carbonite. He responds to Leia saying she loves him by telling her he loves her, too, whereas his unconventional response (which was Harrison Ford's improv, as I understand it) was not only very different, but became one of the seminal, defining moments of that movie, and of the character of Han Solo. So it is different.
Ultimately, these movies came out over forty years ago. Hard to believe, but true. That means that for most fans, none of this will be anything new. However, it was all new when I first read this particular book all of those years ago. And I felt a wave of nostalgia for that, and those times, while reading it. I still remember getting an oversized impression of some of the characters (like Dengar and Boskk, the bounty hunters, who actually were in the movie for only a few seconds, really) because of the picture in this book.
Finally, there is something to be said of reading before seeing the actual movie. As it turns out, I first read the book versions of the two installments of both the original trilogy and the prequels (this storybook of ESB for the original trilogy, and the full book version of "Revenge of the Sith" for the prequels). While I felt in reading this that the differences probably favored the movie, for the most part, the same could not be said of "Revenge of the Sith." There, it seemed to me then, and still seems to me now, that the book was actually better than the movie. And I remember some differences between the book and movie there, as well. I have read that one twice, although for some reason, I never did get around to reviewing it on this blog. Maybe that will change in the not too distant future. We shall see.
Still, if you remember these Scholastic storybooks, this particular one is worth taking a look at. I had the storybooks for a few movies back then (the first two Star Wars, sure, but also E.T. and at least one of the Indiana Jones movies, if memory serves correctly). So take a look at it if you can, and feel the wave of pleasant nostalgia that I benefited from.
Recommended.
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