Byzantium's Shores: chronicling the misadventures of an overalls-clad hippie

My archenemy, before holding his pinkie to his lips and demanding one million dollars from the UN, has dug up some of the first reviews of The Empire Strikes Back. It's useful to remember that no one thought that TESB was superior to A New Hope in 1980; the consensus view of TESB's superiority didn't form until some time later -- a few years after Return of the Jedi came out, at least. This reminds us that critics, while useful, are generally little better equipped to assess a work of art than anyone else, because, like everyone else, they can't see the future and know how influential the work is likely to be.

One can complain about what one perceives to be a work's faults as much as one wants, but when it comes to deciding what's going to stand the test of time, well -- it's all a crapshoot. There is no best, there is no "canon", and artistic favor comes and goes. So there.