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Directed By
Irvin Kershner
Written By:
Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan
Cast:
Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams, Alec Guinness, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Frank Oz, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Clive Revill, Julian Glover, John Ratzenberger, Jeremy Bulloch
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The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
December 4th, 2008
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'The Empire Strikes Back' is widely regarded as the best of the six canonical Star Wars films, and I would agree, and add that it is also the most engrossing and thought-provoking, the one that most clearly explores the mythic nature of this universe and the corny philosophy that guides it. The Force is a pseudo-religious concept; the Lucas alternative to God, the thing that defines what is good and what is evil, and the place to which all return upon death, to reappear as phantoms at their whim, as illustrated by Obi-Wan (Alec Guinness), who shows up to tell Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) that he must travel to the remote swamp planet of Dagobah to meet with an exiled Jedi master, which we know is Yoda.
This is the movie that introduced us to Yoda, a puppet created and voiced by Frank Oz, and yes, he looks very much like a puppet, especially in the original theatrical version, not so much in the re-released DVD versions, where he is more sharply and realistically animated.
He displays emotion remarkably well; sadness, worry, pride, his expressive face communicates more than his words. He has a unique way of speaking, with occasionally inverted syntax, but he is wise, and will train the young Skywalker, just as he trained Obi-Wan and countless others. Luke is easily frustrated, and doubts his abilities, ready to give up prematurely, but Yoda encourages him to be more confident, knowing that the future of the galaxy lies in Luke's hands, if only he can become a Jedi, and hone his mastery of the Force.
The Emperor seeks to bring Luke to the dark side, and sends the villainous Darth Vader out to capture him. Everyone now knows that Darth Vader is actually Luke's father, Anakin Skywalker, and that he reveals this to Luke in a scene that was sure to have floored audiences back in 1980, since there was absolutely no way to anticipate this revelation. We have the luxury of seeing the prequels, and watching Anakin transform into Vader, seduced by the false promises of Senator Palpatine, who is really a Sith lord seeking to undermine the Republic and establish an empire. We also know that Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) is Luke's sister; they are not aware of this when she kisses him on the lips, in an obvious attempt to make Han Solo (Harrison Ford) jealous.
Leia is attracted to Han, and they are both of aware of it, but she is too stubborn to admit it. Their back-and-forth relationship is one of the more delightful aspects of the picture. One cannot help but love the little droid R2D2, so loyal to Luke, and expressing himself with mechanical beeping noises that can only be properly interpreted by his stuffy companion C3PO (Anthony Daniels), who is far less useful, except when it comes to translating bizarre alien languages.
C3P0 is there primarily for comic relief, and so too is Chewbacca, another iconic character whom I was never that impressed by, because he never served any meaningful purpose. He is Han's sidekick, mechanic, and co-pilot, though Han can never understand anything he says, since it all comes out as a series of barks and yelps. I liked the addition of Billy Dee Williams's character, Lando Calrissian, an old acquaintance of Han's; we learn that he was the former owner of the Millennium Falcon before losing it to Han in a card game.
Vader is a menacing presence; richly voiced by James Earl Jones, offering steep punishments to those imperial officers who fail in their duties. The flick starts off on the ice planet of Hoth, where the rebels have a secret base. Luke is attacked and dragged back to the lair of a Yeti-like monster, but escapes and collapses in the snow. Eventually, imperial armies will show up with their lumbering heavily armored Walkers, designed to resist blaster fire, but extremely vulnerable in many other locations, notably the legs.
The special effects are indeed amazing, even by today's standards; from the striking design of the Cloud City, to the lightsaber duels and spaceship battles, Lucas obviously spared no expense and his fertile imagination is on full display in every scene. He handed directing duties over to Irvin Kershner, and writing duties to Lawrence Kasdan and Leigh Brackett, maybe that explains why the dialogue is better, the storytelling more cohesive, why there is thankfully a more playful, believable, and less serious romance that emerges. Of course, everything is intended to set up the third installment, Return of the Jedi, but that is not as bothersome here as it is in other franchises, like the Matrix.
The performances are stronger and more convincing; noticeably in the case of Hamill, this is where he really grew into the role of Luke. My favorite member of the cast is undoubtedly Ford; he brought the same kind of facetiousness to Han that he would later bring to Indiana Jones, smart remarks, a fragile ego, and all the makings of a hero, though an imperfect one, prone to mistakes and not always able to avoid danger, but the way he responds to perilous situations is priceless.
Let it be said that John Williams is the greatest film composer of modern times; he is responsible for the most recognizable cinematic themes from the last three decades, from the simplistic rhythms of Jaws, to the sweeping orchestral pieces he created for space epics like this, to the heartbreaking sadness of the Schindler's List soundtrack.
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