*Directed by Irvin Kershner
*Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams, Frank Oz, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Jeremy Bulloch, Jason Wingreen, Alec Guinness
*SPOILER WARNING*
The Plot: After the Rebels take a hit by the Empire on their new remote base, Luke parts ways with his companions in order to continue more of his Jedi training while Han, Leia, Chewie and Threepio are being chased by Imperial forces lead by the villainous Darth Vader, trying to capture Luke's friends, which will result in finally coming face to face with Luke and soon attempting to alter Luke's destiny of becoming a Jedi.
What I find so crazy about revisiting this film in preparation for this review is the fact that no matter how many times I’ve watched it, this last viewing almost felt like I was watching it for the first time. This movie truly blows my mind! A lot of fans say The Empire Strikes Back is their favorite Star Wars film and I am one of those fans. I think this movie is truly a work of art and not only because it’s a really fun adventure in the Star Wars universe, but it’s an important and pivotal chapter that changes the story and takes the characters to newer places we hadn’t seen before. This is the darkest film in this trilogy and it was for good reason because in the grand scheme of things this trilogy plays out like the three act narrative structure of any story.
The first act was the introduction to the characters, while the second act, in this case it’s Empire, sets more of the conflict in motion and my goodness is there so much conflict in this movie. It feels as though in almost every scene of this movie that our heroes always face some sort of obstacle. To give viewers a taste of that just look at how the film's opening scene after the probe droid hits Hoth and then Luke and his Taun Taun are injured, then capture by an even more ferocious version of the Bumble from Rudolph, it's called a Wampa. It didn’t hit me until this viewing because I always thought that was an amazing and suspenseful way to open the film, but I never understood why. I think it was just to give viewers a taste that these characters are vulnerable, they’re real people that are going to face these challenges and try to use all their power to overcome said challenges.
My goodness are there so many phenomenal scenes in this movie and I could just do a bit by bit breakdown of every scene, but then it would be the longest review ever written. I mean you can't go wrong with the Hoth Battle being one of the greatest action/battle sequences ever put to film. The Asteroid field chase is also really stupendous. The Luke and Vader battle is so edge of your seat intense and brutal. Like every scene in this movie has such a great level of importance because it just makes the emotional conflict these characters are having with this great evil, so insanely gripping that it transcends what great fantasy epics can do. It's not all about the fun spectacle, but the masterful direction and writing behind that just makes this film as moving as it could be.
It’s more than just a really cool adventure in a galaxy far, far and there being cool lightsaber battles, or aerial battles with speeders and AT-ATs on a snow planet or a chase between starships shooting lasers at each other in space in an astroid field. It’s all about how each and every single event in this movie leaves in impact on these characters. We care about these characters so much and with the amount of weight this film gives them on top of the first Star Wars, we’re so close to them and are invested in them emotionally and are eager to see where their fate will eventually go.
I used to think a scene like the Falcon hiding away into what they thought was the cave of an asteroid, but really a space slug was just a cool little scene that simply expanded more of the universe. But if you dig deeper it’s about our heroes trying to find safety and then next thing you know they’re driven out and become vulnerable again when the Empire chases after them. It just proves to show that the heroes feel like actual people, who aren’t flawless in their battle against evil. Also, it is truly amazing how gripping it is to watch this movie especially seeing it too many times to count.
Things don’t always work out, I mean we see the Rebels get hammered by the Empire on Hoth and on top of that the Falcon’s all damaged in Han, Leia, Chewie and Threepio's escape. This is not as easy as firing proton torpedoes into a Death Star. These are serious matters for these characters, which in that regard really raises the stakes for this story in the trilogy. You really feel that emotional gravitas between good against evil and it really does hurt to not see it work out for the characters we’ve grown to love.
Another one of my favorite aspects is the character development of Luke, my all-time favorite character, and to see his hero’s journey continue to grow. Also, it's amazing to see the mistakes made that he can eventually learn from, which makes him such a relatable character. Not to mention how he can learn from said mistakes and the movie executes this aspect in such a powerful way. Luke's training with Master Yoda are some of my favorite scenes in all of Star Wars because you learn more about the reasoning behind Luke's motivations and there's more to be learned about the Force. There's more of that fantasy element that's explored that makes Star Wars so rich in the fantasy genre.
I also couldn't forget that Yoda is such a fantastic mentor character and another one of my all time favorite characters. Seeing Frank Oz’s puppetry work is also truly remarkable. I completely bought into that performance and seeing the chemistry built between him and Luke was emotionally impactful. I also love that the movie doesn't make him another Obi-Wan mentor figure because you get the impression that he's wiser and more experienced, who has his doubts about Luke, which goes against that more optimistic approach of the mentor figure we saw with Ben. With characters like that I love that this movie can feel so fresh in that aspect. It can feel a bit familiar with a wise old mentor figure, but have enough to the character to make him feel new.
The same could be said about a character like Lando Calrisian, a great charismatic character portrayed really well by Billy Dee Williams. He could've been just a clone of Han Solo, but the film makes the clever decision of making him a gray character, trying to make something right, but making the wrong decisions in the process. There's a bit of conflict there because there are moments when I like his character and then I second guess myself, but I can also understand where he's coming from. I mean he's a human, he's relatable, and made considerable mistakes. Han Solo is a bit of a complex character as well, who's not one of your typical main protagonists, but the way we see his character play out thus far in these two films we understand that he wouldn't handle situations particularly like Lando would. Just a thought.
Darth Vader in this movie also proves that he’s one of the greatest villains in the history of storytelling because we just see this motivation grow more and more intense. I’d argue Tarkin took more of the reigns as the antagonist in Star Wars while Vader was a little more at his side, but there was still enough to Vader. Here Vader is more in power and what’s so good is that this movie can have you understand why he’s more obsessed and motivated this time around.
I also couldn’t believe how much the big twist gets to me when Vader finally reveals to Luke that he’s his father, no matter how many times I've seen the movie or heard those quotes. It’s just so crazy to see how angry and upset Vader makes Luke because of how he lost Ben and for that matter a family he never knew. Yet the idea that the enemy that he wants to defeat ends up being something he thought was lost is beyond words. This changes the context for the entire story because not only does it affect the way we view the Luke and Vader conflict in this movie and previously, but also the Ben and Vader conflict in Star Wars.
Another aspect that amazes me about this movie, even though a lot of things do amaze me about this movie, is the fact that even though a darker movie than Star Wars it still balances that light-hearted feel of this fantasy adventure. There is some great humor to be had in scenes with lines that I’ve quoted probably for years now. Also, you have a character like C-3PO in a more dramatic scene, but he’s not too over the top nor makes the film feel tonally inconsistent. This movie has some of my favorite Threepio scenes and lines. I mean the scene where he interrupts Han and Leia’s romantic moment always has me die laughing.
Speaking of romance, the way it factors in between Han and Leia just felt so genuine and not forced (no pun intended) where it felt like because it was a movie it needed romance. We saw something between the two characters in the first film and find that they must have a bit of a history together in between these two films, I mean Han mentions, "the bounty hunter we ran into on Ord Mantell." It was just really cool to see how the film had that aspect fall into place nicely and not feel awkward or out of left field.
There really isn’t much praise left to say that hasn’t already been said. Of course John Williams’ score and new themes like The Imperial March, Yoda’s Theme, or Cloud City are still fantastically memorable, iconic, and the best to be composed for cinema. All the practical effects and designs for everything still work to this day. I mean what else is there to say?
The Empire Strikes Back is a masterpiece for it raises the stakes compared to its predecessor and had me so emotionally on edge for these characters from beginning to end. The second chapter of an adventure that doesn’t stop and no matter how many times I watch it I’m still left wanting more out of the story in the best possible way. It is what defines a perfect movie and still remains to be one of the greatest films I’ve ever seen.
Verdict: A+
WOW! The Last Jedi is really freaking close and I cannot wait! The Star Wars celebration still continues on this blog, so lookout for my review of Return of the Jedi on Tuesday and my Force Awakens review on Wednesday!
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Again, thank you all so much for reading! As always see some great freakin' entertainment. Take care and May the Force be with you. Always. :-)
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