Whedon has a problem with The Empire Strikes Back

[Black Eye Guy]

Ok, I love Empire Strikes Back! It's my favorite film in the Star Wars saga. I also love Joss Whedon, because he's a freakin' talented writer and director. So the fact that Whedon has a problem with Empire is kind of mind-blowing for me! I'm not sure how to take it. Whedon's big problems with the film is its ending, and he explains why that is in a interview with Entertainment Weekly.

"Empire committed the cardinal sin of not actually ending. Which at the time I was appalled by and I still think it was a terrible idea."

When pressed further he said,

"Well, it's not an ending. It's a Come Back Next Week, or in three years. And that upsets me. I go to movies expecting to have a whole experience. If I want a movie that doesn't end I'll go to a French movie. That's a betrayal of trust to me. A movie has to be complete within itself, it can't just build off the first one or play variations."

I thought the ending for Empire was great! I never had an issue with it, and I never thought I would disagree with Whedon on something. He makes a valid point, and I can see why he feels that way, but I don't agree with it. I liked how Empire ended. I am curious, however, to find out how Whedon would have ended the film.
What do you think about Whedon's opinion on the ending of Empire?

http://geektyrant.com/news/2013/8/22/joss-whedon-has-a-problem-with-empire-strikes-back

I like Joss, and a lot of his quotes like these are often jokes, but he usually indicates that quite clearly which doesn't seem to be the case here.

This make me want to bash him on the head! I dont care about Star Wars, but this is exactly what he did with Angel!!

He decided to give Angel a message rather then give us any closure for characters.

 

[Blaze]

Lmao, yes umm, Angel comes to mind. I'm not a big Star Wars fan and although I've seen the movies I don't remember which one were talking about or how it ends, but I tend to like open endings, which seems to be what he dislikes here. But eh, I'm French, that explains a lot according to him 😛

 

[itssmiletime]

Define 'ending' Joss, please 🙂

So. many. things. wrong. with. that. quote. where to begin?

As a gigantic Star Wars fan (and a film fan for that matter), I incredibly disagree- there is nothing wrong with cliffhanger film endings, particularly if a next film has already been promised. It's very slack that a television show can get away with a gigantic, jaw dropping season finale (for example, one of my favourite shows, Breaking Bad) yet well, isn't that also a 'come back next week' experience? Or even the Season 1-4 finales of Angel?

I'm a gigantic fan of Nolan's batman trilogy. Really, such a big fan that I had to rebuy my copies of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight because they were so scratched from me watching them constantly. Both the first and second end on the whole 'come back next week or year'- the Joker calling card and the degrading image of Batman. Yet these are perfect endings in perfect movies- they link the three films together beautifully- and a gorgeous trilogy in film is so rare. It is also an advantage- the audience is already in full suspense, they know the backstory- hence more time dedicated to getting the plot and details right.

And well, I go to the movies because I love thinking about movies, thinking of theories and themes, etc yet ESB does that. Found a comment that summed up my thoughts-

"There's no right or wrong when it comes to movies, except that Joss is wrong to expect every movie to be "complete within itself". ESB is great for mean reasons, but I would argue the ending is great because it's different, and causes the viewer to think/wonder/react/discuss. ESB had enough substance in the body of the film that the viewer was not entirely left hanging at the end"

 

[Ethan Reigns]

100% agreement with Joss here. There were so many loose ends left after "The Empire Strikes Back" that it constitutes only an unfinished part of a story. Of course, Joss is not above leaving some things open-ended in his stories, but I don't see season finales as being the same as a movie, which I expect to be able to be seen as a standalone item, even if it is part of a series.

 

[Bluebird]

This make me want to bash him on the head! I dont care about Star Wars, but this is exactly what he did with Angel!!

He decided to give Angel a message rather then give us any closure for characters.

I think the message is closure in itself. We have seen where the characters have got to, how they got there, and how they've changed and sacrificed themselves to continue this fight, and that's what they're gonna do. To them it was the final fight, and we got to see them build up to it and deal with their demons (sometimes literally ie Illyria).

 

[Robb Stark]

Even with his own projects aside, it's still a really weird thing to say. I mean, Empire was the second installment of a trilogy. It was part two of a three part story. Of course it wasn't going to wrap everything up neatly. I mean, "Fellowship of the Ring" and "Two Towers" of the Lord of the Rings movies hardly end cleanly. Hell, they both end on virtual cliffhangers. Does that make them bad films? Of course not.

 

[white avenger]

I can deal with a cliffhanger ending to a TV episode or movie, as long as I have reasonable belief that there will be some kind of resolution in the next movie. Anyone who would do something like that for a series finale or a movie when there is no sequel planned should be tarred and feathered. It shows total disregard for the fans, and also sometimes gives the impression that the writer has gotten his character into a situation from which he has no idea how to extricate them.