Review of The Empire Strikes Back (1980) by Wesley W — 09 Nov 2015

Everything that made the original Star Wars a classic and even more. The Empire Strikes Back is a masterpiece of cinema and one of the greatest sequels and sci-fi films of all time. The conflicts get more intense, the battles are more expanded, the emotional levels are more deep, the special effects even more impressive, the comedic banter between the trio of Han, Luke, and Leia is even more funny to listen to, and the characters get more development on them.

Empire continues the tale of the rebels fighting against the evil Empire and Luke Skywalker's journey into becoming a Jedi knight. The script here is even more tight and the world of Star Wars becomes even more fascinating to experience.

This time around George Lucas does not direct, instead we get Irvin Kershner who proves he can be such a talented director whom not that many people have heard of prior to this movie. He gives us an even more focused look into Luke Skywalker's character transformation and the Empire's reign over the galaxy.

The Imperial March score by John Willaim's just like his main Star Wars theme is one of the best pieces of music ever recorded and composed and it is one of the best themes ever for a army of villains.

The fact that most of the movie was accomplished on practical effects is truly great. There isn't a whole bunch of green and blue screen special effects going on like there was in the Star Wars prequels.

They took their time more building these incredible sets and setting up models for the spaceships and designs on the creatures. The cinematography was gorgeous to watch. You get lots of more beautiful landscape and space shots and the lighting also stands out as well.

More importantly the story is as engaging as ever and this world continues to keep you involved. Darth Vader shows even more in this original trilogy that he is one of the greatest villains in the history of cinema and James Earl Jones booming voice adds to the menace and presence of the character.

Luke Skywalker's journey into the Dagobah System and meeting Yoda is one of the best aspects ever shown in a Star Wars movie and Yoda's entrance and aspect of training him is as memorable as ever and he brought a great burst of comedy and mystery to the character.

To add on the reason why the film is memorable, it comes up with one of the most shocking and incredible twists ever heard on film and it is a twist that ends up becoming spoofed and parodied in pop culture.

It left audiences in awe and made them wonder and anticipate what was gonna happen next. Overall, I like this even more than the original Star Wars film and just like the original, it will remain a classic for more and more generations to come.