Conflict in the Shadow of Darkness

Rating: 10/10 (9 January 2020)

Conflict is never a one-sided affair, where there is great victory for one side comes great tragedy for another. This film is one of my favorite films of all time, it's my favorite "Star Wars" film of all time and my favorite sequel of all time.
Indeed, this truly is one of the not just the best sequels that really helped set the standard in how to continue a franchise but also just simply established "Star Wars" as a saga in general. Let alone this is probably one of the darkest sequels ever as it's not the most cheerful which to me makes the film and story all the better because as an old saying goes sometimes when things are at their worst, is the time when people are at their best.
The action is great, there are lots of memorable action pieces like one of my favorite battles of all time of course is the Battle at Hoth. I really love those Imperial Walkers I thought they were just awesome looking and at the same time really menacing as they look like giant dogs. I really love the model designs and stop motions effects by the late great Phil Tippit.
There were also the first mechs I've ever seen, I really like how they move which is tank like which makes sense as they're by their nature giant tanks. Personally, I don't mind in fact sometimes like that kind of movement in mechs the best, as opposed to the flighty movement you would see in anime like "Gundam". Let alone the fact that these Walkers don't go down so easily, where in most anime despite how awesome looking the mecha is, they always seem to be built so flimsy as they go down in one hit or two. In a way this battle was sort of like a David vs. Goliath battle as we see the Rebels devise a clever tactic to taking down the Walkers which is cool because it's simple.
The space chase with Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and C3PO is also awesome as we see they are all just jumping though hoops and going though the motions, doing their best getting steps ahead of the Imperial pursuers. Like going through the asteroid field which really put my on the edge of my seat as we know one wrong move your dead. Along with the cave they were all hiding in which to me is probably one of the biggest close calls ever, literally.
Along with the saber action, really liked seeing Luke use the light saber a bit more in the film even the fight with Darth Vader which is one of my favorite one of one battles of all time. Sure, there was the fight between Obi Wan and Vader in the first film, but this fight I thought was a lot better because there was a lot more to the fight. From seeing not just Luke and Vader clash with he sabers but also utilizing and even using what's in their environment as their weapon. I even like in this battle it really feels like it could go either way, despite how skilled Luke is it might not be enough as Vader is more experienced. Or even from how the fight goes there are moments when it seems Luke might be able to turn the tables but there are times when it really looks like fate isn't smiling on Luke.
The story and what I love in the sequel is that the character is better than before where their a little more fleshed out, three dimensional and less archetypical which makes us care about them more.
From Han and Leia, both are one of my favorite fictional couples of all time. It sort of fit with the 80's decade as there were lots of TV shows based on romantic couples like "Moonlighting", "Macross", etc. Like with those shows both conflict and romance just go together and make a beautiful combo as both are somewhat the same, what is romance without conflict and love can really hurt and be scary sometimes. But most importantly in both this and those shows we already know these two belong together and are going to come together but it's a question of when.
I really love the banter between both, which is funny but also endearing, both are somewhat opposites in many ways from class to just simply disagreement on just about anything to everything. But many both are in conflict because of how both feel for one another which is love. Han is more forward with his feelings despite not outwardly confessing and Leia is constantly in denial or confusion over hers which is why she is unable to admit her feelings to both him and she. As both spend more time together, we see just like any ship going out of light speed their feelings start emerging, which also makes what happens in the end even more tragic.
Luke as usual is being Luke though here we see he's became a little more mature as he is now a rebel commander, so he's taken a little more responablity in both his career and life. However, that and time has not quilled a certain fire in his soul that is blazing out of control as Luke has became a lot more impatient and reckless which unfortunately leads to some bad choices that not just Yoda and Obi Wan are in disagreement with but us also. Sure, in some of those choices he had good intentions and in one scene goes out to help, but as two old sayings go, "good intentions are nothing if there is no follow though" and "good deeds don't go unpunished." Things like that just show Luke still has a ways to go in the way of the Jedi.
Darth Vader as usual is himself but we see he's a little more ruthless and even angrier than before which is reflected from his relentless determination throughout the film down to even offing anyone that makes one error too many. But what I like about him in this film is you get a little character out of him. There is an actual sense of emotion in his pursuit for Skywalker. This really deepens the mystery of the character more. Really liked one scene where he is talking with his master "The Emperor" whom we see for the first time, where it seems like in the conversation Vader voice sounds like he cares about Luke and what happens to him, but we're not sure why.
Of course there is the new edition Yoda whom is voiced brilliantly by Frank Oz best known for his puppetry and vocal work in "The Muppet Show" and "Sesame Street", really like the look of the alien which is cute looking but also has a respectability about him. Yoda is one of my favorite characters in the franchise, to me he's sort of an alien version of Mr. Myogi. Just like Myogi he has his comical side but when the comedy ends, he really gets down to business. From the tone of his voice you really buy him as a person with a heavy amount of wisdom as well as emotion which makes both Luke and us take him seriously.
The other thing is the story which I feel is both a rich sci-fi fantasy adventure but at the same time a rich personal character drama. The plotline we see the good guys are in a very bad place despite scoring a goal, the puck is now in the bad guys court and they are hitting them hard. Really like in this film we see some really dire locations from the Ice Planet Hoth, the swampy dank Dagobah system, and even part of the lower levels of Cloud City it really reflects the state and state of mind the good guys are in, all bad. But I like how despite this the good guys aren't going to sit there and take it; they might go down but their not doing it without a fight.
The ensemble throughout the film are all split up, their barely together in the film except in a scene or two. But this actually turns out to be a good thing because it give each of the characters a chance to have their own story all interconnected into one big one; as well as us to become better acquainted with them and understand more of the universe they occupy.
I really love some of the philosophy going on in the film which is mainly in the Jedi Training at Dagobah; it's richly thoughtful and one of the first films that actually go me into Philosophy. Really love seeing the Jedi Training going on, which kind of makes the film "The Karate Kid" in space. You really see how just like in any walk of life it takes hard work to become a warrior or anything else you want to be in life. Also the philosophy in the film really taught me about what fear really is and where it comes from, but also about the power of faith and what it really means.
Then of course there is the big reveal near the end of the film, which was a total shocker at the time, even I was one of the people shocked I remember thinking "You've got to be fraking kidding me!". It was something I couldn't see 30 to 40 miles away. And I love that, I felt it was an example of a twist when done the right way, there was never any hints throughout the movie and there were never any in the previous film. This made it even more effective but also all the more dramatic because it actually makes sense.
As an old saying goes, "the battle may be lost, but the war is far from over."
Rating: 4 stars