Review of Back Roads (1981) by Mrmoviebuff — 16 Dec 2015

There is almost nothing I can say that hasn't been said before about 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back', it is a great sequel, and the best "Star Wars" movie of all time.

The sequel is known for being darker and more personal than "A New Hope" (1977). This is a more character-driven installment than the previous movie, but still contains the non-stop high energy fun that we remember.

We see our young hero Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) return after destroying the death star in the previous movie. Little does he know that he has become the victim of the evil Darth Vader's (voiced by James Earl Jones) vicious plan as he has become obsessed with finding him. Luke travels far along to meet up with a master Yoda (Frank Oz) as he trains to become a true Jedi and stop Vader at his tracks.

Meanwhile, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) attempt to hide in an asteroid field inside Han's Millennium Falcon which is where we see the romantic relationship between Han and Leia growing.

During Luke's journey to becoming a true Jedi and attempting to stop Vader at his tracks, Vader lets Luke realize why he is so important to him, in a plot point that would count as a spoiler still, but by this time, you'd know what information that is. Luke then tries to escape Vader at every turn, but no matter what happens, something will always draw him back.

This movie, like I said above, is more character driven than the original, it is also a little bit slower in pace than the original, but you are engaged more than ever simply because there seems to be more at risk here.

The characters show more emotion and the drama rises, the special effects also improve slightly, offering a dizzying, albeit, electrifying visual experience for anyone who is a fan of complex filmmaking.

All in all, 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back' truly is a sequel to end all sequels, and one cannot help but wonder what other adventure we will see these characters get up to, next.