The Empire Strikes Back Review (Reposted)

NOTE: This is a review drafted on 12/26/2015 on a different blog that is no longer in use. I decided to transfer content from that website to this to maintain consistency. 

The Empire Strikes Back Review

Release date (US): May 21, 1980

Rating: PG

Starring: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Billy Dee Williams, Jeremy Bulloch, Frank Oz

Blurb/Synopsis: After the rebels have been brutally overpowered by the Empire on their newly established base, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) takes advanced Jedi training with Master Yoda (Frank Oz), while his friends are pursued by Darth Vader (James Earl Jones/David Prowse) as part of his plan to capture Luke.

Expectations/Background: There weren't really any expectations for this because I was not alive for this movie. I was not alive to see this movie in the theaters, but I have heard that people have lined up in front of the theaters to see this new movie because of the success of Star Wars (we are going to ignore the episode numbers). However, I will tell you about my experience. Unfortunately, I was introduced to Star Wars in the worst way: with the prequels first. Fortunately, I was young enough to not realize how bad they were. I saw all of the prequels first and thought they were brights, loud movies, which is all I had really wanted from any movie when I was young. However, a little later, I did see the original trilogy, and then I did realize how amazing they were. Again, unfortunately for me, I was under the misconception that the prequels were also great movies because they were the only memory I ever had of them, so I lived a happy 5 years leading up to the announcement of Lucas selling Star Wars thinking that every single one of the movies in the saga were great. Then, I had the displeasure of watching the prequels again, and I saw how they were just so bad. I watched other movies reviews for those movies, other spoofs and just realized how much they paled in comparison to the original trilogy. After having watched the Force Awakens, I wanted to revisit the Empire Strikes Back, it being the supposed best of the original trilogy, and so I rewatched it the day after Force Awakens expecting to be blown away.

The Movie: **FULL DISCLOSURE: Since this movie came out in 1980, there will be heavy spoilers, so if you have not seen this movie, SPOILER ALERT** As I was watching this movie, I kept thinking to myself, oh my gosh, how amazing is this movie on its own. And then, when I put into account that this movie was released in 1980, a good 35 years ago, it made me even more stunned and amazed to think about it. This movie is incredible. The characters have compelling arcs, motivations, and depth. The settings and set pieces were jaw-dropping, especially compared to the prequels, who relied so heavily on CGI. When watching the Empire Strikes Back, you look at the ships and the sets, and you feel engaged in the world of Star Wars because nearly everything is a model and is practical. Han Solo and Leia's chemistry and romance together, as well as their banter is gold. And yes, there is the weird incest kiss between Luke and Leia, and at first I thought it would be okay because I was willing to forgive to Lucas due to the fact that the reveal was in Return of the Jedi. However, rewatching the movie, Yoda gives the line, "No, there is another." Since that kiss had no repercussions in the following movies other than to make Han jealous, which really doesn't make that much of a difference since they confess their love at the end of the movie, I don't really know what Kershner or Lucas was thinking, but it's a minor, minor thing that bugged me a little. Han Solo is back to trying to get out of this mess, only to be caught up in the adventure yet again. Leia really is not given much to do, but Carrie Fisher's portrayal of this strong female character is phenomenal. We start out the movie watching Luke on a mission, and watching him train and develop with Yoda (more on him in a minute) adds an extra layer to him, showing that he is not ready to face Vader. It's completely satisfying because in Star Wars, Luke is a whiny teen looking for power converters but trying to harness his power. In Empire, we see him training to harness the power, and in Jedi we see how much he has grown over the events of all of the films. And Yoda, oh my goodness, Yoda. Now for some reason, I don't remember Yoda that well from when I saw Empire when I was younger, but when I watched the Empire Strikes Back, I realized just how funny Yoda actually was. There were genuine laugh out loud moments from Yoda. "Looking? Found someone you have I would say hehehehe." And when Yoda was just going through Luke's stores and grabbing food, you couldn't help but loving this little thing that popped out. And of course, when that little thing turns out to be the grandmaster Yoda, he takes on a more serious air. My one singular complaint about Yoda is that he seems way too serious once it is revealed that he is Master Yoda. I would have liked a little more humor just to show that it was that same little creature, but that's really nothing. It shows, how much the prequels made him dour and uninteresting and boring, which is a shame. Darth Vader is taken to a completely new level, with the reveal that he is Luke's father. Questions start popping into your head, like who's the mother? How long has Vader known this? All of this was the point of the prequels, which failed spectacularly, but I will perhaps write a separate article about why the prequels suck in a different post. Even fan-favorite characters like Boba Fett are introduced. And personally, just personally, I know this isn't the popular opinion, but my favorite ship is not the Millennium Falcon, but rather Boba Fett's Slave I. The Slave I is just such a cool ship, but more on that in a separate post. We also get our first taste of Emperor Palpatine, who appears in a hologram. He has the right amount of mystery surrounding him that it gives him intrigue. The Imperial March makes its debut here, and it immediately became one of the singular most iconic pieces of music ever. The cliff hanger ending was so great, because it sets up Return of the Jedi so well with the notion that Han is frozen, Luke is still untrained and weak and has to finish his training, and that there is another Jedi out there. The plot drives forward as the characters find themselves in different situations as the Millennium Falcon is broken the entire movie. Some people may have found this annoying, but I honestly thought that the whole gag of C-3PO being ignored by every one the whole movie was actually rather funny, although I had no idea why he had to be broken into different pieces at the end; that was the most random part of the movie. Lando Calrissian is alright, he was just there to have some friend of Han Solo betray him to give it a little more emotional oomph, although it felt a little bit rushed because we are introduced to him at the very end where Han mentions he has a friend in Cloud City. The Battle of Hoth is amazing, where the AT-ATs are walking around and where the snow speeders are flying around trying to destroy these giant walkers while the other Rebels are trying to evacuate. One small nitpick I did have was that Luke kinda did leave the other X-Wing fighters to die, did he not? I know he said that they were not going to rendezvous with them, implying that they had their own place to meet, but still, he kinda just ditched everyone to go to Dagobah, but still. That being said, this film, on a whole, is amazing. 

The Cast/Characters: Each cast member adds even more to their character. This extremely talented cast, including Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams, Peter Mayhew, Frank Oz, and Anthony Daniels. Every single character has more added to them. Solo has that cockiness and confidence that only Han Solo has. Leia remains that strong cornerstone for her female character. Luke grows more as he trains under Master Yoda, played (puppeted?) brilliantly by the wonderful Frank Oz. You can find a character to relate to, whether it be Yoda, the teacher, or Luke the student who just can't do what his mentor is asking of him. Each character from Star Wars is built upon and each character remains outstanding.

The Villain(s): Darth Vader continues to be the most intimidating villain in cinema ever. In Star Wars, we are introduced to this menacing villain who is willing to do anything to get what he wants, with James Earl Jones personifying the evil but calm persona so beautifully. But in this movie, we see several new layers added to him. We obviously see that he is Luke's father which adds a complete level of humanity to Vader, because it puts him into perspective. He is a father, like so many people, and in a sense, he wants what's best for his son in his eyes. He wants his son to join him. You can see this when the Emperor informs him that he is Anakin's son, and Vader suggests turning him to the dark side rather than killing him. You also see one quick scene where his helmet is coming on his deathly pale head, which adds another level of intrigue to Vader. You also see how powerful he is when he chokes the Admiral through the screen, as well as when he is confronting, as well as toying with Luke. Palpatine, as mentioned above, is a mysterious figure, as is Boba Fett, which add new characters to an already amazing mythology. 

The Verdict: This movie was everything that I had expected it to be. Lots of people say this is perfect. And, to be completely honest, I would not label this movie as "perfect." Rather, I would label this movie as "as near to perfect as I possibly wanted." It is not a movie where my brain just exploded with the amazingness of the movie, but it was just so perfect in terms of technical design and in terms of story. At some points, I wondered why characters said certain things because in real-life scenarios, they wouldn't say that. That being said, again, it is as close to perfect as I need or want it to be. Letter Grade: A Number Score: 9.9 **please note: the letter grade and the number score may not match 100 percent, although they mostly will**