Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Review
Originally published April 2016The original Star Wars from 1977 was a cultural phenomenon, so expectations were high for its sequel that came out a few years later. Still, no one expected the film to be as good as it ended up being or for the plot twist that is probably the most [mis]quoted line from any movie. The Empire Strikes Back is the best movie in the franchise, in my opinion, though I didn't always think this way.
When I was a young kid, I thought Empire was boring and uneventful in comparison to Return of the Jedi, mainly because I liked how much lightsaber fighting there was in that one. Clearly, Lucas was aware of the kids' interests when he made his prequel trilogy because they had much more lightsaber action.
Image: 20th Century Fox | I didn't realize this would be a potluck. Did you bring anything?
As I got older, though, my opinion about Return changed. I started to become annoyed with the Ewoks and the way in which the lightsaber battle was shot. It was dark, lacked fight choreography, and actually not as exciting as I originally thought. I also started to find the dialogue a little too cheesy, even for my tastes. I eventually thought the original was the best of the bunch with its universe-building script and simplified characters in an action-filled environment. It wasn't until after I went through my dumb, snobbish, anti-Star Wars phase that I returned to discover that Empire Strikes Back was not only the best Star Wars movie but just a good movie in general.
Pros
If stuck with the "Enhanced" versions, this has the fewest changes
Piloting sequences in the M. Falcon or on Hoth are still exciting
Characters and their traits are amplified and complicated
Darth Vader's villainy is amplified to the max
Han and Leia's will-they/won't-they romance is more natural, interesting, and entertaining, despite Han being a womanizer
Lightsaber battle, though one-sided, is the best of the original trilogy; well-shot
Amount of cheese is reduced and the script is actually good
Cons
Movie still slows down a bit when Luke is with Yoda
Certain green/blue screen effects have not aged well
The movie still tries to explain a little too much at times
Plot & Thoughts
While some would argue that The Empire Strikes Back is more subdued than its counterparts, and they'd be right, I'd argue that being subdued is a good thing here. Nothing big happens in Empire, like a Death Star blowing up, for instance. The big things that happen are all character-related, which leads to growth among the main characters. The reason Empire is ahead of the rest is that the characters are improved and more complex without becoming too complicated. Luke is less whiny than he was before, but still impatient and in need of being humbled, which he certainly is by the end. He has his own personal story to go through with his journey to become a Jedi. Han's insecurities are more apparent with how he needs Leia to need him and how he has to pay off his debts. Han is on the run from bounty hunters and forces unknown, as well as the Empire, so his struggles in the original film are amplified here. And as for Vader, well, his status as a villain is elevated ten-fold.
Image: 20th Century Fox
Vader is the star of the show in this movie, even though he's on-screen less than the protagonists. He was a cool-looking villain in Episode IV, but his presence within the empire was unclear: he took orders from Peter Cushing but was willing to choke high-ranking officers. He was just there as an icon for the movie and to demonstrate the dark side of the Force. Here, his actions in Empire are more deliberate and defining.
In The Empire Strikes Back, it's established that Vader answers only to the emperor and that everyone else is beneath him. Those beneath him are at risk of execution, should they disappoint him. He kills a couple of his own, high-ranking officers simply because of his disappointment in their performance, and he does so without lifting a finger. In the original movie, we saw a glimpse at what the Force could help a Jedi do, but here we see how someone in control of it can kill people by just looking at them. He even does it without being in the same room. In the previous movie, Vader was mentioned as a master of the force. It wasn't until The Empire Strikes Back that we see how powerful he is by how he uses it with small gestures and dominates his opponents with minimal effort. Even Han Solo is rendered impotent when he tries to shoot him and Vader doesn't even use a lightsaber to deflect Solo's gunshots, he just absorbs the blasts in his hands.
Image: 20th Century Fox
The way the characters just talk about Vader in this movie is with more fear as well. In Episode IV, they knew him and talked about his history, but people didn't seem as concerned. Leia just insulted him like a petulant captive with no fear. Here, people on both sides build him up. Yoda is constantly telling Luke that Vader is too strong, the imperial officers are worried about breaking bad news to him, and Lando has to personally do his bidding and put up with him altering deals. While not on the screen as much as the rest of the characters, his presence is strong throughout the film.
If there is a character who loses their presence in the film a bit, it's Leia. Even though she was the princess whom they had to rescue in the previous movie, she still came across as someone who could get the job done by herself or would die trying. In Empire, she's treated more as the typical love interest type whose job is just to look pretty and stand around. Her abrasive personality is still there and the dialogue she has helps maintain her character as a strong independent woman (who don't need a man), but her physical role is reduced. If she isn't being flirted with, she's just providing support to everyone else. However, the will they/won't they back-and-forth between her and Han is still well-written.
Image: 20th Century Fox | Why don't come over to my place? I got Netflix.
The script is a big improvement over the previous film and is the best of the franchise. It manages to avoid being as corny as the other Star Wars films because it's trying to do something different. It's also not loaded with the sentimentality that would come to infect Return of the Jedi. The Empire Strikes Back isn't trying to emulate the old sci-fi serials on which the franchise is based, nor is it trying to tell some Shakespearian tragedy. It's a fugitive story with the heroes on the run; one of which goes through a Rocky montage in a swamp, while the others have to deal with constant pursuit from the villains. Plus, it ends on a downer with the heroes just barely escaping to lick their wounds.
The dire nature of the situation and the constant threat of the Galactic Empire keeps the movie tense. From the beginning, we get the impression that the villains have the advantage and that the rebels are the underdogs more than ever. After the still-exciting sequence with the Walkers on Hoth, Han and the others have to escape from a very tight pursuit through space. It's well-shot, exciting, and builds Han up as a skilled pilot with the risky maneuvers he pulls off. And each time there seems to be a bit of reprieve for him and his friends, something new comes up and ruins their day.
Image: 20th Century Fox
The strength of the villains is felt on Luke's side of the story as well, particularly when he confronts Vader. Vader dominates this fight and demonstrates how much stronger he is than Luke in several ways. For much of the first portion of the fight, he only uses one hand, he uses the environment to his advantage, and he uses some basic fencing techniques—thanks to the man wearing the suit—to show that he's more adept at using a lightsaber. Vader's power is overwhelming and he makes the fight extremely tense because of it, right up to the point where he disarms Luke (heh heh). The fact that the heroes are getting their asses handed to them most of the way is part of the reason the movie is so tense. Even if we know what's going to happen, the tension is still there.
TL;DR (Conclusion)
The Empire Strikes Back manages to do what Episode VII wanted to do. It's a Star Wars movie that manages to elevate itself above the B-movie quality that is synonymous with the franchise. It's a good film that could stand on its own with a good script, strong tension, complex character growth, and an imposing villain. It wasn't always my favorite of the franchise, but once it was, it hasn't been shaken from its perch.