- Vincent Canby, June 15, 1980 There are lots of films that are derided when they come out but become classics with time. “The Empire Strikes Back is not a truly terrible movie. It’s a nice movie. It’s not, by any means, as nice as Star Wars. It’s not as fresh and funny and surprising and witty, but it is nice and inoffensive and, in a way that no one associated with it need be ashamed of, it’s also silly. Attending to it is a lot like reading the middle of a comic book. It is amusing in fitful patches but you’re likely to find more beauty, suspense, discipline, craft and art when watching a New York harbor pilot bring the Queen Elizabeth 2 into her Hudson River berth, which is what The Empire Strikes Back most reminds me of. It’s a big, expensive, time-consuming, essentially mechanical operation. The Empire Strikes Back is about as personal as a Christmas card from a bank.”
It would be cool if movie reviewers went back and reviewed films that have become cult classics which they panned when they came out. The local weekly occasionally goes back and re-reviews restaurants that they originally slammed but which the public has become fond of (it's a poor comparison because restaurants can change over time while a film is what it is). I wonder how many critics would change their minds after a few decades have passed. I'm sure that in some cases opinions would change. Sometimes it isn't the right day, month or year for a certain book, film or album. My mind is blown. Ebert gave House Party a better score than Big Trouble. I love House Party but I never would have guessed Roger would have perceived it's charm (That's right, I fucking loved it, loved it enough to go see kid and play do a screening and Q&A last year).