Review of The Empire Strikes Back (1980) by David L — 07 Jan 2017

Regarded by many as the best film in the franchise, The Empire Strikes Back continues the saga by telling us of how the dark side fight on following the destruction of the Death Star. It's good to see a movie where the villains are the aggressors and come out on top for a change, even if it is just temporary.

You could argue that like episode 2, this is a bit of a go between piecing together key events that occur in episodes 4 and 6. Nothing major happens here, but it's really about developing the characters; Luke learns his Jedi training and his true relationship with Vader, Han and Leia become romantically involved, and we are also introduced to Lando, Yoda, and one of my favourite characters, Boba Fett.

There are several in flight battles again, which although aren't always my favourite, I guess cannot be avoided in a film entitled 'Star Wars'. There's always plenty of action and it keeps us glued from start to finish, with several injections of humour from the Droids and Solo's boyish yet arrogant manner.

It doesn't end on a particular happy note for those rooting for the rebels, as Luke loses his hand, and Solo is frozen and sent for imprisonment at Jabba the Hutt's abode, but for me this is what makes a good series, both armies enduring their highs and lows in a see saw battle of the force.

I can imagine it being the most frustrating of films with it ending in such a way that you immediately want to know what happens next, so for that you have to give it maximum credit. As with all films in this epic adventure, each one contributes a vital piece of the successful jigsaw and this is just another example of the amazing imagination that lives inside George Lucas' mind.