The darkest and best of the original trilogy

Rating: 10/10 (27 May 2005)

One of the rare sequels which manages to surpass the original, The Empire Strikes Back is an all-time classic. A much more personal tale, this film is really all about the journey of young Luke Skywalker. A New Hope followed Skywalker as he became involved in the rebellion against the Galactic Empire. Here the rebellion is put on the back burner. This is less the story of a grand rebellion and more the story of one young man's growth as he continues to fulfill his destiny.
We pick up with the rebels in hiding on a secret base on the remote ice world of Hoth. All the familiar figures from last time around are here, including Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. And Luke Skywalker is here as well and it is Skywalker whom Darth Vader seems most interested in finding. Last time out Vader and the Empire were simply interested in wiping out the mostly anonymous rebels. Now, Vader has taken a personal interest in young Skywalker. The movie kicks into high gear as the Empire locates the rebel base and a great battle ensues. The rebels are forced to flee their base and here our heroes go off in different directions.
Guided by the spirit of former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness in what is basically a cameo role) Luke Skywalker heads for the distant swampy planet of Dagobah where he is to be trained by the old Jedi master Yoda. Soon to be one of the most beloved characters in the series, Yoda is a 900-year old, two feet tall, green alien creature. The performances of puppeteer Frank Oz as Yoda and Mark Hamill as Skywalker are crucial here. Were the performances lacking audiences might have found it hard to believe these scenes where the young Jedi trainee converses and interacts with the rather odd little creature. But Hamill and Oz pull it off well. On Dagobah Luke (and the audience) learn much about the Force and the ways of the Jedi. In the original film the only Jedi we saw, Obi-Wan Kenobi was a rather mysterious figure. Now some light is shed on exactly who the Jedi are and what is required to become one.
While Luke trains on Dagobah, Han Solo and Princess Leia are sidetracked on their journey to meet up with the rest of the rebels. Harrison Ford is terrific again playing Solo as he has the ultra-confident wiseguy role down pat. Carrie Fisher is again strong in the role of Leia, who drops some of the pretense of the last film and begins to give in to her rather obvious feelings for the swashbuckling Solo. Eventually Han and Leia make their way to Cloud City where we are introduced to another new character in the saga, Han's old friend Lando Calrissian. Han and Leia don't quite trust Lando and it soon becomes apparent that things in Cloud City are not quite what they seem. Sensing his friends are in danger Luke Skywalker leaves Dagobah to attempt to rescue them.
Skywalker arrives in Cloud City to meet his destiny. Han, Leia and the rest of the characters fade into the background as the climax, much as the entire film, will be all about Luke Skywalker. Where the original Star Wars ended with an epic space battle, here everything leads up to a thrilling one-on-one showdown capped by one of the most jaw-dropping revelations ever seen in film.
Some will say the ending of The Empire Strikes Back leaves the audience hanging. It is true there is not a clearly defined traditional ending as in the original film. But the ending here is powerful in its own way. It leaves you in great suspense, eagerly awaiting the inevitable conclusion to the saga. The film is not truly self-contained, it requires the knowledge of what has come before and the expectation of what will come after. It is by not going for the easy Hollywood ending that The Empire Strikes Back truly triumphs.
Taken on its own merits The Empire Strikes Back can be said to even surpass the original Star Wars. The acting performances are again first-rate. Yoda is a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable new character. In playing Lando Calrissian, Billy Dee Williams gives us someone well worth rooting for. Or against, we're not quite sure. The John Williams score, including the famed spine-chilling Imperial March, is magnificent. The visuals are dazzling, as would be expected. And most importantly we have a truly great story. The Empire Strikes Back, much more so than A New Hope, is Luke Skywalker's movie. It is fascinating to watch his journey as he moves towards fulfilling his ultimate destiny.