The ideal middle of a trilogy

Rating: Null/10 (27 November 2004)

"The Force is with you, young Skywalker, but you are not a Jedi yet." Everything the middle section of a trilogy should be: quirky, incomplete, downbeat. The ending is famously glum; Luke missing a hand, Han Solo frozen in carbon. The beginning isn't much cheerier either. The rebels are on the run, probably wondering why they bothered blowing up that Death Star in the first place. After a scrambled retreat from the ice world of Hoth, the story forks in two. Luke visits swamp planet Dagobar to learn more about the Force from Yoda, a master of garbled syntax. Much more enjoyable are the attempts by Han, Leia and the rest to escape the Imperial star fleet. The very endearing plot device here is that the Millennium Falcon is old, crap and keeps breaking down. This is rightly regarded by Star Wars fans as the best of the lot. Irvin Keshner's handling is a great improvement on George Lucas' clunking efforts, the actors have grown into their characters and give performances which are at least competent. The special effects are wonderful once more and create a host of unforgettable images. My pick from a very strong batch: the At-At Walkers pounding across the snow and Luke clinging to the underside of the Bespin Cloud City.