Movie May 1980: The Empire Strikes Back & The Last Jedi

Our first review of Movie May is now live! We tackle the "Dark Blockbuster" with a look at the second installment of the Star Wars franchise, The Empire Strikes Back. Somewhat controversial in its own time, it set the standard for how to create a blockbuster that was downbeat and saw our heroes lose and lose big.  Much more controversial in more recent times is its franchise mirror, The Last Jedi. A purposeful upending of some tropes and storytelling beats that was roundly punished by toxic fandom. Let's take a closer look at these two middle, darker chapters of the Star Wars mega-franchise.