Review of The Empire Strikes Back (1980) by Dave W — 21 Jan 2016

While I rate The Empire Strikes Back higher than A New Hope, everything about A New Hope goes in to making Empire great.

Episode V starts out on the ice planet of Hoth where the Rebellion has set up base. Luke is doing reconnaissance on a two-legged animal called a tan-tan when he discovers an Imperial spy drone. However, an abominable snow monster attacks him and captures him. After Luke uses his skills with the force to break free and slay the monster, Han Solo finds him and rescues him, but the Empire finds the base and assaults it successfully causing Leia, Han, Chewbacca, R2D2 and C3PO to flee. There is a lot of romantic tension between Han and Leia through the film.

Before the assault, Luke heads to the swampy Dagoba system to train in the Jedi Arts with Master Yoda. Yoda gives Luke a bunch of crap about being too young and eager to learn the force, but reluctantly.

The Mellinium Falcon survives a chase by a star destroyer, survives landing inside a giant creature's mouth on an asteroid, and makes it to the floating Cloud City on the gas planet Bespin.

It is often said that the bad guys win in this Episode of Star Wars, but I think that it is also worth noting that it is the Episode that exposes the flaws of both hero and villain. Darth Vader, not only exposes himself as Luke's father, but he also recruits Luke to join the Emperor, and to become stronger than his father by committing patricide. That is a bold, and tragic vehicle to move the story of Luke Skywalker. In addition, the shortcomings of both Yoda and Luke are shown. Luke is hasty to leave training to help his friends despite Yoda's advice against. The fact that Yoda failed to reign in both Skywalkers also shows a shortcoming of his teaching, though as a good teacher would, despite disagreeing with his pupil's choice gives him advice for the best course to take given his choice - telling him to remember his teaching before going to battle with Vader. It is a lot how Mickey of the Rocky movies instructs Rocky against Appolo Creed, then Rocky instructs Adonis Creed in his own title fight. In Yoda's last scene he talks about there being another hope beyond Luke. Most people interpret this as being Leia - could it also mean Vader? I'll watch Return of the Jedi again and think about that.

Han Solo's shady past finally catches up with him when he reaches Cloud City and puts his allies' fates in the hands of his acquaintance gambler, Lando Calrissian. Leia distrusts him from the start, and rightfully so. Ultimately, Lando is forced by the Empire to hand over his friends, Han is trapped in carbonite and lives enclosed as a statue, C-3PO is destroyed (as is his habit), and Darth Vader successfully lures his son in to a fight. Looking at Star Wars as a war story, it shows how the weaker factions and rebellions have to stoop to working with criminals or other groups who may or may not share their values just to stand a chance against an overwhelming enemy, in this case the Gallactic Empire. It also shows how a super power can play the smaller groups against each other by buying or extorting actions from them. In that sense, The Empire Strikes back shows the reality of the uphill battle that the rebels fight to claim independence from the Glactic Empire, and it does show by further developing and humanizing the characters, including the mysteriously cold and calculating Darth Vader.

Other than the story, the visuals of this movie are great, with the colors and settings creating an atmosphere of trial and tribulation. The new worlds, creatures, and characters that are introduced are not as elaborate as in A New Hope, but they are introduced with purpose and successfully expand the Star Wars universe. The final light saber duel begins where Han was captured, and ends in Luke's retreat and rescued by the Millennium Falcon, piloted by Lando who turned on the Empire once he was faced with the true nature of Darth Vader's mercilessness.

In the end, the Rebellion is left fleeing, Luke has lost a hand, and Han Solos is being shipped back to Tattooine in to the hands of Jabba the Hut. It sets the stage perfectly for the next film by expanding on the material from the first and taking risks by showing the weaknesses of the heroes and leaving little wrapped up in the end. This installment of Star Wars is the most important fully realizing the contrast of the Dark Side with the Jedi. It establishes the stakes of the war and creates a background story, including the relationship between Luke and Vader, that run through each of the movies, and adds depth to the re-watching experience of any individual Star Wars movie.