I was already a fan of science fiction at an early age (thanks, Dad), cutting my teeth on Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, and wild B-movie adventures. While I had no idea what Star Wars would become, the first film, Episode IV – A New Hope, grabbed my attention, and I soaked in its sci-fi wonder. Needless to say, when The Empire Strikes Back came out, some young lad skipped school and lined up around the block opening day, excited by both the film and doing something I knew I’d get in trouble for (and didn’t care).
The film didn’t disappoint, and even today, it is a glorious rewatch, filled with dark images and sci-fi wonder. Where the first film was a beacon of hope and light, this film is full of darkness and despair, with the Empire casting a long shadow over the Rebels. Darth Vader (David Prowse) has survived to push back against the rebels, who are forced to flee their base on the icy planet of Hoth. Beautifully shot fight scenes, full of eerie silence and a booming soundtrack (once again composed by the legendary John Williams), with Imperial Walkers marching slowly to destroy all in their path, made a great combination with the cold and unforgiving backdrop.
One of the things the Original Trilogy did so well was manage the large collection of characters and still make us care about each and every one of them. In this film, the characters split off, Luke (Mark Hamill) heads off to train with Yoda, accompanied by R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), while Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) head off to hide at the impressive Cloud City, run by Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), and old “friend” of Hans. The two story arcs would meet up again later, but this helped build an even deeper connection to the characters, without taking too much away from them in terms of screen time.
While there is plenty of action to keep sci-fi fans happy, the biggest strengths are the emotional moments, which fully invest fans by the end and leave them in a frenzy by the time of Return of the Jedi. Yoda’s training of Luke featured more father-son moments, similar to those between Obi-Wan and Luke in the first film. Yoda taught more than the secrets of the Force, but the emotions and wisdom he had learned to harness and use over the years, something Luke was not quite ready to embrace. A great big shout out to Frank Oz for giving Yoda the voice of reason, and the special effects team that made him seem so real.
On Cloud City, Han and Leia had their moment before Han was frozen in carbonite and taken away by the bounty hunter Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch). It was a short, funny, and very powerful scene that cemented their unique and often funny bond for many films to come.
One of the things The Empire Strikes Back did exceptionally well was to integrate all the moving parts into a cohesive and well-paced story. The humor, characters, action, and wonder were all there, all under the shadow of the darker themes that this film brought to the table. From simple scenes to the thundering Empire theme in the score to the creepy swamp where Yoda lived, it made you feel like something bad was going to happen at every turn. Credit to George Lucas and the writers for creating that atmosphere and giving fans so much to chew on, both visually and emotionally.
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To that end, the fight between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, and the ultimate reveal that Vader was indeed Luke’s father, gave the film that one huge thing, besides all the other story lines, for fans to leave talking about. I can’t imagine this film being out in this day and age of spoilers and social media. So many people would have been disappointed. That was quite a moment, but it was quickly followed by Luke seemingly choosing death instead of joining his dad in conquering the universe, hand in hand with the Dark Side. An impressive one-two punch that was thankfully near the end of the film because honestly, how do you top that?
There are many reasons why this film continues to resonate with fans today and is considered the best Star Wars film in the trilogy. I, for example, have no idea what I missed that day when I skipped school, but I still remember every minute of that movie-going experience as if it happened only yesterday.
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The Empire Strikes Back allows fans to experience dark, adult themes while still being able to be a kid at heart, watching in awe and wonder as these characters travel across the stars, fight for good, yet remain flawed at the same time. It was like reconnecting with old friends, and watching it now, more than four decades later, it still evokes that same sense of bonding and human connection.
