A truly breathtaking film

Rating: 10/10 (11 January 2007)

Overall I would say that Episode V is the best of the Star Wars films.
Star Wars Episode IV had great special effects however the standards set by that film are easily surpassed by the effects seen here in the Empire Strikes Back. That said though very few films have been carried by the visual trickery alone, Episode V could not simply have been an effects driven film as this would have meant that it offered nothing new to the Star Wars saga. I do, though, love the visual effects in this film. In my opinion they are the best of any of the six episodes my reasoning for this is that although you can tell a few things have been faked it is nothing like episodes I, II and III where nothing looks real due to excessive and often unnecessary use of CGI.
Brilliant as the effects are though they never upstage the actors (as they do in subsequent Star Wars films). Mark Hamill is at his most convincing in Episode V this though, I think, is largely due to a script that gives his character much more depth than in Episode IV. The conflicts within Luke are very well played out, his frustration with Yoda, his inability to control the force and his eventual recklessness in choosing to face Vader, without completing his training, present the very real prospect that he might succumb to the dark side - indeed when I first saw this film I felt Luke would have no choice but to submit to Vader after their duel on Bespin.
Elsewhere the love story between Han and Leia develops gradually becomes more intense as the film progresses. There is the hilarious verbal sparing whilst the battle rages on Hoth followed by the tender scene on the Falcon in the asteroid field where Han and Leia admit their feelings for one another. All this builds up to the highly charged scenes in Cloud City where Leia expresses doubts about Han's staying power before accepting, as Han is about to be frozen, that she loves him (which of course he knew anyway!). I would say that Harrison Ford gives his best performance as Han Solo in Episode V as he actually has his own story line where as in Epiosde IV he is almost there for delivering (great) one-liners whilst he cuts a bit of a peripheral figure in Episode VI Perhaps what I love most about this film though is the more subtle touches and the little things that make the whole thing real and something that you can relate too. For example I love that moment where Han Solo hits the Falcon's control panel after it fails to light up - haven't we all been there?. Then there's the constant bickering that occurs (especially between Han and Leia) that makes the characters so real. Meanwhile Vader is at his most menacing - proving that the empire has most certainly struck back. Although at the end when Admiral Piett is expecting to be swiftly executed after the escape of the Millennium Falcon (as Admiral Ozell and Captain Niedhar were before him). However Vader chooses to let Piett be cleverly suggesting that Vader's meeting with Luke has altered Vader substantially an advertising that often actions speak louder than words.
The only problem with this film (apart from being at the whim of George Lucas) is that you really need to see episodes IV and IV to fully understand it therefore meaning that as a stand alone film it's not quite as perfect as it is in the context of the other films in the saga. Indeed if you read my comment you'll probably see that most of my observations are relative to the other Star Wars film. However as episodes IV and VI are great films you've really nothing to lose by watching the whole lot. Oh did I mention it has quite possibly the best twist in cinema history?