Quintessential Sci-Fi Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (5 December 2002)

In 2002, science fiction can only be described as laden with special effects. Quality stories are few and far between, with a return to the fantasy genre as a last refuge for the scoundrel. The two Star Wars prequels further illustrate this weakness in science fiction. In other words, we are always making comparisons to THIS film, the grandmaster of all modern science fiction films, "The Empire Strikes Back".
ESB stands on its own merits for so many reasons that I can only hope to give a partial list. Having gotten out of the way the troublesome task of introducing us to the Star Wars universe in the 1977 adventure, we can now jump into the frantic struggle of the Rebellion. Anything introduced in "Star Wars" is simply improved upon in ESB, not overproduced and overrefined. The look of ESB is real, gritty, elegant, and sometimes even glowing (as in the Cloud City). The elements of creating mood and atmosphere are so perfect that it is no wonder they are copied in so many other films, often to poor effect. The music alone goes from brooding to anxious to frantic to mysterious to exotic with such balance that it defines perfection for future SW film scores.
The acting is real and hard and makes no apologies. It is neither over-the-top nor sleepwalked through, and each character is at his/her highest note. Yes, the technobabble in some points sounds stupid at times, but it's overpowered by the myriad other positive elements in the storytelling. ESB is the last movie made before the Indiana Jones films forever influenced adventure movies with the relentlessly overlapping and often ridiculous action that hurt "Return of the Jedi" in 1983. ("Raiders of the Lost Ark" would hammer home the formula of serials to the extent that RotJ would be fraught with juvenile moments and caricaturizations of beloved characters, but that's another story.)
Yoda was, at the time of ESB's release, a technological miracle of storytelling. Here was a muppet that audiences just *knew* was real, somewhere in the Universe. His wisdom reached deep into the human soul, sounding ominous, real, and masterful. The power of the character of Yoda is seen in how many adults as well as teenagers and kids in 1980 accepted him as real and respectable.
What more could be said about "The Empire Strikes Back"? It's the masterpiece all others strive to become similar to and never achieve. It ends on a cliffhanger and yet is a self-contained story. It's a classic even if it is seen before it has had the benefit of ILM's special edition rework. It is, in short, perfect storytelling.