Darker, more creative and more balanced than the previous, Irvin Keshner George Lucas and surprise the viewer and further expands the saga

Rating: 9/10 (16 May 2020)

After the resounding success of A New Hope, George Lucas became one of the most admired filmmakers and most successful film industry. As the director got the profits from the previous film, he was brave and put much of the money earned in the 1977 film, the production of The Empire Strikes Back. And here he was able to make an even better job. Amplifying all we had shown earlier and presenting new facts of great importance for the entire series of films in cinema, The Empire Strikes Back, even without a beginning and an end, is regarded by most fans as the best of all movies.
Being the second film released and the fifth in chronological order, as George Lucas was the executive producer to focus better and have full control of the plot, and gave the synopsis for the screenwriters Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan could develop the plot. To not get overwhelmed, as before, Lucas entrusted the direction of the long Irvin Kershner, who happily held a job and raised even more irreproachable quality of the saga, confirming its success.
It is a critical period for the Rebel forces. The adventure continues in this "Star Wars" sequel. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) face attack by the Imperial forces and its AT-AT walkers on the ice planet Hoth. While Han and Leia escape in the Millennium Falcon, Luke travels to Dagobah in search of Yoda. Only with the Jedi master's help will Luke survive when the dark side of the Force beckons him into the ultimate duel with Darth Vader (David Prowse).
Mark Hamill returns to play Luke Skywalker and continues to play well the hero challenging, courageous and with enormous potential for the "Force". The actor shows the determination of the young man trying to become a Jedi, and seeks to defend his friends from the evil forces at any cost. Curious fact is that due to a serious accident of the actor just before the start of filming, which meant that he spent several surgeries and his face stayed a little different, George Lucas had to modify the beginning of the story, making Luke was attacked by a monster and had his face disfigured and rebuilt plastically.
Harrison Ford back as Han Solo. Between the first and this second film, Ford has also been involved in classic praised Apocalypse Now (1979) Master Francis Ford Coppola. Carrie Fisher also back as Princess Leia Organa and earns a highlight even greater following. She empathizes with Ford, despite not knowing if you really want to be with Han or Luke. The cast is so mingled that the chemistry of the actress works well with both. Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Kenny Baker as R2-D2 also return. Who appears well is Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian. Your participation and where you live is fundamental to the conduct of the climax of the plot. The Merchant of gas that can be seen at first glance, as a traitor to our protagonists, shows the course of the plot, that their participation is much more thorough. David Prowse with the body and James Earl Jones as Darth Vader voice still leaving threatening. His cruelty appears, for example, when you kill without hesitation a commander who failed a mission. We also see the Emperor Cos Palpatine (voiced by Clive Revill), which dictates the rules for Darth Vader and clarifies its importance only because the villain fear him.
No wonder that this is regarded as the main movie of the saga. Is it that important and memorable events that generate consequences in this and the other films occur. Without "The Empire Strikes Back", we can say that the series would not have the same impact today in the minds of moviegoers. Among the main events is the fact that it was here that we hear so famous and world renowned Imperial March, Darth Vader is also seen as the authentic ruthless villain and not just as the commander of the imperial troops, the dear Master Yoda first appears emerging in more depth in philosophy Jedi when he starts training Luke to have mastery of the "Force" and not be susceptible to its "dark side." Appointed as an extremely powerful in the previous film, we were surprised to see an old, softly speaking in funny rhymes and appears harmless but hides within itself a fascinating inner peace. Seeing him not imagine how powerful it is, but anyone who has seen the scanned version of Yoda in "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith" knows what he is capable; see the progress of the relationship and Solo Read, which at first was full of taunts with not wanting to reveal what they felt for each other and then at a crucial moment for him, end up revealing their feelings for one another, a kiss in the next episode would be revealed as "Incestuous"; see the tanks AT-AT. also arise Boba Fett and Lando Calrissian, is the first lightsaber showdown between Luke and Darth Vader, and still have the bombshell revelation that would shake the foundations of science fiction, narrowing the list of enemies and then would have a decisive role in the final Episode VI.
George Lucas and his creative team, do not fall into temptation to sin by exaggeration and knew dosing masterfully adventure, action, romance, and science fiction. In the scenarios, the art direction of the trio Leslie Dilley, Harry Lange and Alan Tomkins, nominated for an Oscar for the work along with photography Peter Suschitzky worked precisely with a much wider variation of environments. If at first were introduced to the desert climate and abandonment of Tatooine, beyond the city, here George Lucas presents us with glaciers on the planet Hoth, meteor shower, the huge and well developed where Lando Calrissian and his people live in the City the Clouds, and swampy and gloomy planet Dagobah where Yoda. Without doubt, the new scenarios and photography from white snow to the darker tones of the final climax in Cloud City and Vader's ship, beyond the synopsis of the story itself that keeps the bad guys winning almost all the time, made this the darkest film of the series. Here, as the title suggests, nothing was easy for the Rebels.
The special effects are even better than the first film. At the Battle of Hoth, for example, when the AT-AT appears, leave the audience puzzled. Animated in stop-motion with false (which never sounds fake) leave early in the film the feeling that we were facing a great movie. Following the persecution of the Millennium by the rain among asteroid, is very well done. The sequences in Cloud City, including the final climax, are tense, exciting and full of adrenaline. There are still scenes in the nave of Darth Vader and exciting and revealing fight between the villain and Luke. The battles are well choreographed and more realistic than before.
The issue remains the same language for the entire series. Paul Hirsch and Marcia Lucas work giving an impressive agility and speed to chase scenes and the ships and the fight scenes especially. The transitions that give an atmosphere fades over TV series remains. John Williams returns once again in the composition of the soundtrack, so keeping track of signs and worshiped still presenting the Imperial March with several clever variations during the long. Again the track is in perfect harmony with the sound, every sound working independently without ever seeming contrived. No wonder that the sound along with the special effects have taken the Oscar deserved.
The direction of Irvin Keshner takes us inside asteroids and planets around with incredible realism. Besides these scenes are worthy of applause battle on Hoth with AT-ATs and all sequences of intense action of this battle, the escape of the Millenium by asteroids, and the fight scenes and character development. specially the scene of the great revelation of Darth Vader to Luke is highly valued by management. After an intense lightsaber duel, the two characters on the edge of an abyss, discuss until Vader, filmed from the ground up to enhance the feeling of power, says the famous phrase, leaving Luke and all the spectators in shock. The close in the face of Luke is also striking.
It is curious to see, looking at all the movies, the perfect symmetry created by George Lucas from "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Attack of the Clones," In the two secondary reinforces the narrative construction of the personality of the main hero (Luke in training "Empire", and the dating of Anakin in "Clones"), and a fantastic scene including a dueling saber light-end. Not to mention the most important: a hand severed works representing the change in the two films.
Darker, more creative and more balanced than the previous, Irvin Keshner George Lucas and surprise the viewer and further expands the saga idolatry, leaving everyone looking forward to the last episode of the saga, concluding all the points raised. A major landmark of science fiction, which only increased the number of followers of Luke Skywalker and his warring parties. It is, along with "Revenge of the Sith", a milestone in the franchise.