Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Released: June 1980

Directed By: Irvin Kirshner

Rated PG

Run Time: 124 minutes

Cast:
Mark Hamill: Luke Skywalker
Harrison Ford: Han Solo
Carrie Fisher: Princess Leia
Billy Dee Williams: Lando Calrissian
Frank Oz: Yoda(voice)
Darth Vader: David Prowse, James Earl Jones(voice)
Alec Guinness: Obi-Wan(Ben)Kenobi

When Star Wars: A New Hope was released back in 1977, it sent shock-waves throughout the entire movie-making community.  Nobody had ever seen or done anything like what George Lucas did.  From the use of models to the way camera moved during the battle sequences, the movie blew everyone’s minds.  It shattered records, won 6 Oscars, and was nominated for several more.  There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Star Wars was something special.  It gave us incredible special effects, characters, story and a rousing musical score that blew everything else away.  No other movie came together so perfectly.  It also came out of nowhere.  Names like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Darth Vader became household names overnight.  The merchandising was off the charts.  Records, books, comics, and toys came soon after the movie was released.  It came as no surprise that a follow-up film would be in the works.  George Lucas soon began work on the follow-up film when he received word of how successful his movie was.  Because he had spent so much time and effort trying to get Star Wars made, he gave up the director’s for the second movie.  Irvin Kirshner took over as director and as a result, we have the best sequel to any movie ever made: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

After the destruction of the Death Star, the Rebel Alliance is on the run from the dreaded Galactic Empire.  Taking refuge on the remote ice planet Hoth, the Rebels plan their next strike against the Empire.  Meanwhile, the Empire has sent thousands of probe droids throughout the galaxy in an attempt to flush the Rebels out.  Because of the Death Star’s destruction, Darth Vader has taken a particular interest in Luke Skywalker.  Skywalker receives a vision from the late Obi-Wan Kenobi telling him to go to Degobah.  He is to train under the guidance of the legendary Jedi Master, Yoda.  Suffering a devastating defeat at the hands of the Empire, the Rebels scatter throughout the galaxy, and Luke heads to Degobah to begin his training as a Jedi Knight.  I don’t think that people were surprised to hear that a sequel to Star Wars was coming, but I think people were surprised at how amazing it was.  The filmmakers took everything that was great about the first movie and amped it up for The Empire Strikes Back.

Story-wise, it feels like a natural progression that the Empire would unleash its entire military force on the Rebels.  The Rebels had destroyed the Empire’s prized Death Star after all.  The opening battle sequence on Hoth shows you just how hopelessly outgunned and outmatched the Rebels really are, both technologically and in manpower.  So, it’s only natural that after the Alliance’s first major success, they are handed a very sound defeat.  The Rebels are running one way, with Han and Leia outrunning Imperial Star Destroyers and TIE fighters in another direction.  Luke is flying solo to a remote and swampy planet to train as a Jedi, so things are looking pretty grim at this point.  That’s another thing that took people by surprise: The Empire Strikes Back is a much darker film than the previous entry.

The Empire Strikes Back introduces three new central characters to the story.  The first is the Jedi master, Yoda.  This diminutive creature has trained Jedi for 800 years and exiled himself to Degobah to hide from the Empire.  He takes Luke under his wing to train Luke in the ways of the Force.  The next character is another charming rogue: Lando Calrissian.  Billy Dee Williams is simply fantastic as Lando.  We learn that Lando was the previous owner of the Millennium Falcon that he lost to Han in a card game.  The final character is the bounty hunter Boba Fett.  Clad in Mandalorian armor, we never see his face or hear his actual voice.  The character is as mysterious as he is lethal.  Each of these characters play a significant role in the events of the film.

As I mentioned in my review of the original Star Wars, what makes these movies special is their use of visual effects and sound design.  From the laser blasts of the Imperial Walkers to the metallic engine whine of the Falcon, the sound really hits you from all sides.  Visually, this is as distinct a movie as you can get.  The icy environments of Hoth are appropriately chilling.  Yes, that pun was intended.  Degobah is a swamp planet that is wet, muddy and riddled with bizarre creatures.  Cloud City on Bespin is something to behold.  It’s massive, and some of the most important conflicts in the movie happen here.  From Leia and Lando’s escape to the lightsaber duel between Luke and Darth Vader, it feels pretty claustrophobic at times.  The action sequences are incredible.  The opening battle on Hoth with the walkers is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, even today.  Then you have the sequence where the Imperials are chasing the Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field.  This is one of the most memorable moments of the film.  It’s fast paced and absolutely intense.  Since the film’s been out for 34 years, everyone pretty much knows how the lightsaber duel ends in this one.  The choreography is fantastic, but it really hits an emotional core towards the end of the fight.  When Vader reveals that he is Luke’s father, everything changes.  Nobody was expecting that.  Even the actors were kept out of the loop during the making of the film.  That was to make the impact that much more visceral and it worked.

I mentioned that one of the greatest things about Star Wars was its music.  The Empire Strikes Back is no slouch in that department.  John Williams introduced a few new themes.  A new romantic theme for Leia and Han, Yoda’s theme which is elegant and emotional, and the Imperial March.  The March is the Empire’s theme and it’s very powerful and sinister, just like the government it represents.  Like the film before it, The Empire Strikes Back gets everything right.  For millions of fans, The Empire Strikes Back is the best film in the series, and it’s really, really hard to argue that point.  This is exactly what a proper sequel should do: Give fans what they love and know from the original film and expand upon it with new and exciting stuff that fits in with the movie’s mythology.  As I mentioned in my Star Wars review, George Lucas went back and did some tinkering with Original Trilogy when the tech became available.  Unlike the first movie, some of the changes in Empire are mostly cosmetic like the Falcon’s approach to Cloud City as well as some of the city’s vistas.  It’s really hard to improve on something that’s so well done that there’s really not a whole lot to improve.  There is a particular change that was made to the DVD release of the film, and that’s with Vader’s conversation with the Emperor.  In the DVD and Blu-Ray releases, Ian McDiarmid reprises his role as The Emperor for the film.  It’s one of the changes that I agree with, as it adds more continuity to the series.  Overall, that basically covers it for the additions to the film.  Like the film before it, The Empire Strikes Back still stands up after nearly 40 years, and will continue to do so for who knows how long.  It’s a film that you can watch again and again and still get excited about, and that’s the mark of a great movie.  I only wish that this trilogy would be re-released in theaters before The Force Awakens is released.  I haven’t seen the Original Trilogy in theaters and I would love to be able to.  The Force is strong with this one: 10/10.

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