Greatest Sequel To Grace The Screen

Rating: 10/10 (15 June 2013)

It has been echoed an infinite amount of times before. It has been chanted from the highest hilltops and the most well known critic sites on the internet. It has been said time and time again. Star Wars Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back is not only the best Star Wars movie, but the best movie sequel ever made, and a prime example of how follow ups can match up and even prevail over their predecessors. While I like the prequels and the film that started it all in 77, The Empire Strikes Back has always been the SW film that glowed the most for me and had the best scenes out of the entire saga. It also introduced my all time favorite Star Wars character and my favorite movie character in general, brought to life by a man who based the character's look and facial expressions off his own. The Empire Strikes Back is the ideal Star Wars film for me, and although it received a mixed reception when it was first released, it has garnished a monstrosity of a following these last couple decades and it shines as one of the greatest sci-fi thrillers with loads of twists and turns to quench your thirst.
From the opening battle on the snowy world of Hoth to the final confrontation between Luke and his soon to be revealed father, Darth Vader, this film has a scale, a scope, a powerful, eminent feeling to it. John Williams' exuberant score plays through like an orchestra at an opera and each scene carries suspense and magnitude as you see the events the main characters must live through. As a sequel, it also digs much deeper into the characters' souls and puts them up against powerhouses we never thought they'd go up against, not even in the first movie. Luke Skywalker must train to become a jedi on the swamp planet of Dagobah and at the same time, he must learn what makes the ways of a jedi work. He must be patient and believe in the unbelievable, which is something he fails to do at first (That is why you fail!). He also must learn to avoid the temptations of the dark side and learn what the force is all about. The force is not always about lifting things and tricking people's minds, it's a much bigger entity than Luke could ever imagine, and it's something that touches every life form. In a peanut shell, the force is with everything and allows all creatures to coexist and be bound together as one solid package. This is one of the many lessons Yoda teaches Luke in the second act of the movie.
Luke's friends, Han and Leia are also met with extreme challenges in this sci-fi sequel. As they are constantly on the run from the relentless Empire, they must learn ways of hiding and working together for the benefit of surviving the Empire's vicious clawing. Han and Leia must also balance their romantic feelings for one another and learn to get along as well as not let their inner devils get the best of them. But in the realm of seriousness, there is also a bit of comedy and endless excitement. I love Han's relationship with C-3P0 (Never tell me the odds!) and that the Millennium Falcon is always malfunctioning and breaking down. It can't even make the jump to light speed, which it did so frivolously in the first outing. The chase through the asteroid field remains one of my all time favorite scenes out of the saga and John Williams' score for the scene amplifies it's awesomeness.
Now let's talk about Yoda, my favorite Star Wars character and movie character of all time. Designed by Stuart Freeborn, Yoda drew inspiration from Albert Einstein, Buddha and even Kermit the Frog, but overall came off as a wise little creature with a brain as big as the galaxy itself. He undeniably has the best dialogue out of the movie and at times, it's hard to believe that Yoda was a puppet and not some real life alien from another world. Luke takes his teachings seriously, but when Vader uses Luke's fears to his advantage (by torturing Han and Leia), he flees in a state of franticness and his inexperience is the main reason why he fails against Vader in the Cloud City "windy room". When Darth Vader revealed himself to be Luke's father, many jaws dropped, many undies were pooped, and many gasps were heard throughout the theaters back in 1980. Today, the climatic twist is still as legendary as it was then and it has been lampooned bazillions of times on television shows, parodies and other movies. What makes the scene great is the build up. It's something we weren't expecting and when it came, it smacked us hard in the faces.
Of course, there is so much more to talk about, like the Fett man, the awesome Harryhausen style stop motion of the AT-ATS and the tauntauns, the brilliant, exotic looks of the environments and the overall quality of the film, but I've rambled on long enough. The Empire Strikes Back is a mesmerizing experience that still holds up some 33 years later. If you had to watch one Star Wars movie and didn't know which one to watch, why not give this one a viewing. I don't even think you need to see the first film to enjoy this masterpiece, for it's energy and richness makes it stick out like pink hair. It's truly an experience that will leave lifelong lasting memories, so if you need a getaway, take a trip to that galaxy far, far away and let George Lucas' imagination do the talking.