
Image from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080684/
I knew from a very young age that this movie was something special. I didn’t know why I at the time; it wasn’t even the Star Wars movie I’d seen the most. But I remember that if someone were to ask me what my favourite episode was, I would say “…STAR WARS FIVE”
Of course, strictly speaking, The Empire Strikes Back (directed by Irvin kershner) is the second Star Wars movie, but the fifth chronologically. If only I’d been able to watch it in cinemas for the first time! I can’t imagine how incredible that experience would have been. Although I have to admit, as it’s the middle chapter of a trilogy, the ending would have left me frustrated because I would’ve had to wait three years to see how things resolved! But that’s not a problem for today. All in all, this movie is for me (and many others), the greatest Star War movie…and one of the best movies full stop.
And who saw that coming? After the smash hit of “Star Wars” (A New Hope) in 1977, could anyone have thought that it would be outdone? Well surprisingly, from a quick glance of my trusty friend Wikipedia, the film received mixed reviews upon release. So, it took it’s time, but ‘Empire’ is now the most critically acclaimed of the saga. In fact, it’s so iconic that people often use it as a phrase to measure the quality of a sequel or middle chapter: “That movie was the Empire Strikes Back of the franchise!”, not much unlike how people use “Citizen Kane” as a benchmark (a movie I must confess… I have not seen yet…we’ll get there one day!)
Whilst I’d say that A New Hope is certainly better at telling a more self-contained story, Empire is the better movie. After all, it’s not attempting to be ‘self-contained’. New Hope was narratively crafted in such a way that for it could easily have stood on its own, without any sequels. It ended both happily and satisfyingly. But people were hungry for more! And boy does Empire deliver! Keeping the fantastically defined three act structure, the movie is perfectly paced.
More than that, it seriously just dials up everything great about the previous movie. Character development is rife and relationships blossom under dire situations. There are incredible revelations (you know what I’m talking about), impressive choreography, stunning imagery, and gorgeous camera work. Everything works…except a couple things added in the special additions…some minor nit-picks. And like every movie needs…a great score. This is one of John Williams’ best, guys. He beautifully captures every moment. From big to small, loud to quiet, dramatic to light-hearted, it would seem that there is nothing that this man cannot do in the world of music.

As for the synopsis, it’s now been three years since the rebel victory against the Empire, in which the Death Star was destroyed. In saying that, whilst the battle was won, the war continues, and the Empire is still running the show…and they are not happy about what happened to their favourite weapon. So…it’s time to strike back! They’ve been able to track the new rebel base to the Hoth System, where Darth Vader (David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones( is desperate in not only crushing the rebels, but in finding Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill. I won’t say anymore, in case people haven’t seen it. But beware, I will be going into spoilers further below…don’t worry I’ll warn you! But better question, why haven’t you seen this movie?
What’s also fantastic about the trilogy, Empire especially, is that although they have depth, they’re also really simply plotted. It’s super easy to follow, because there aren’t a million things going on. And you know…I think this was one of the major problems of the prequels. Now, there’s a lot of great story in the prequels, but I find them at times really convoluted, with so many things happening both on and off screen (especially Attack of the Clones). I enjoyed them as a kid, but I didn’t get 50% of the stuff that was happening. The Original Trilogy, however, is extremely focused on the story it’s trying to tell.
Aaaaand I’m afraid that I’ll have to stop there as far as non-spoilers go. For those who haven’t seen it…or those that don’t care, ye be warned.
I won’t be talking about everything but just a few key highlights! Firstly…Han (Harrison Ford) and Leia’s (Carrie Fisher) relationship; better than most in movies today. Three years later, and the banter is strong with these two! And really, it’s more than just banter, they outright insult each other throughout the first half of the movie (“Scruffy-looking Nerf-herder!”). The back and forth between these two is just as entertaining…as entertainment gets (in terms of human relationships). Also, there’s just a charm to Han’s arrogance. Not that it would be good in real life. Guys, under no circumstance suggest to the girl you like that you know “how they feel” about you, or that “they couldn’t bare to let a gorgeous guy like [you] out of their sight”. But it works wonders for the big screen 😊…at least here it does. Do it right.

Image from: https://www.mic.com/articles/186792/does-the-best-star-wars-movie-hold-up-in-the-metoo-era-lets-ask-han-solo
Anyways, we watch these two go on and on like this, until gradually…their true affection starts to emerge. Even at one point whilst escaping from the Empire during the whole asteroid field sequence, Leia is slightly less patronising than usual. After Han’s ‘clever’ idea, she says to him “you do have your moments…not many of them, but you have them” and gives him a kiss on the cheek. This is awesome! If only we could see more relationships like this! It all comes to a climax when Han is being frozen in carbonite; a test run to ensure the system works for Luke when he arrives to save them: it’s a trap! Clever Darth Vader…Whilst Han is being prepared, and just before he is about to go down, she says “I love you”. And honestly, Han couldn’t have responded in a way that was more…well…Han! He simply says, “I know”, which technically for him means I love you too. Brilliant.
Luke! Still a little whiney from time to time, but again not a gripe! He’s developed from where he was in the first film. Growing in courage and heroism, he is now ready more than ever to become a Jedi, like his father before him! After the battle of Hoth, he separates from the others to seek out Jedi Master Yoda in the Dagobah system, under instruction from Obi Wan’s force ghost (Alec Guinness). Upon crash landing into a swamp, his X-wing is trapped. It isn’t long before he encounters one of Jim Henson’s Muppets from the popular 70s show, Kermit the…it’s not Jim Henson, nor is it one of the Muppets. But! He is a puppet, and he is voiced by none other than Frank Oz; the voice of Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy to name just a couple of his famous characters. But as we know, despite first impressions as an annoying and disruptive little green alien, he turns out to be Yoda! He was just testing Luke’s patience…a test which he failed. So much so that Yoda doesn’t even want to train him…it takes a pep talk from Obi Wan to convince him!

They really took a gamble with this one…having Yoda be a puppet. And it actually works marvels. It gives so much more impact to pivotal scenes. At one point, when Luke believes that he is unable to get his X-Wing out of the swamp with the force, Yoda has this to say: “Size matters not; look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?” Yeeeah boi! This resonates so much with the Christian life. We must never fall into the mistake of thinking that it’s by our own strength that we can accomplish things...though I’m guilty of this all the time. Why else would God choose unlikely people all throughout the Bible to accomplish His work? He uses the broken, the flawed and the weak. I’m sure that for everyone else, these people were just “small” and unimportant. After all, think of David and Goliath! Who would win? A shepherd boy with the grace of God, or a near giant? Indeed, our size matters not! St Therese of Lisieux emphasises “littleness”. The smaller we are interiorly, the more that God will lift us and fill us. Not that we don’t do anything; we still need to cooperate and do our part to live virtuously. But it’s about total reliance on God’s strength, and not our own. Love you so much Yoda.
We see this pay off, when after hearing this little speech from Yoda, Luke responds indignantly, saying “you want the impossible”. To this, Yoda is all like “mmmm, k. But watch this tho…” and then proceeds to lift the X-Wing out of the swamp with the force…despite being just a little puppet. It’s one of the greatest scenes in Star Wars; you know what? Maybe one of my favourite movie scenes ever, and again the score just elevates it to new heights. Sometimes it makes me think of a parallel whereby God lifts out the person stuck in whatever situation they find themselves in. Whether that be sin, despair, hurt, or whatever it might be. At least that’s what I think when I see that X-Wing gradually resurface! It really it a beautiful moment. And Luke? He’s stunned. “I Don’t believe it!” he says, to which Yoda replies, “that is why you fail”. Oh, ye of little faith!

Image from: https://popculturalstudies.wordpress.com/2019/12/12/the-empire-strikes-back-favorite-scenes/
Now, I talked about the force and its implications from a Catholic perspective in my review on A New Hope, so I won’t really repeat too much of what I already said. To summarise, I said it doesn’t fit with Catholic spirituality obviously, but this is a fictional universe that is completely divorced from our world. Moreover, it still contains some cool (though imperfect) analogies to the grace of God (again refer back to my other review). And this movie continues to develop the mystery of the force.
Again, analogies come back into play, particularly Yoda’s description of the dark side. When Luke enquires as to whether it is stronger than the light, Yoda answers “no; quicker, easier, and more seductive…consume you it will!” This is basically what we’d call sin in our world. Sin always takes on the appearance of something that we perceive as being good or attractive, because after all, the greatest lie has an element of truth in it. But it’s always a distortion of a true good. It always does harm, even if it may not be apparent in the short term. And it’s also at the heart of why we all sin. It’s seems appealing, at least in the moment, and it's easier than virtue; although in the end does not fulfil you. And God, more than anything wants us to reach our ultimate happiness (through Him), not settle for something that will leave us broken in the long run. We just start to feel, and become, empty on the inside. Again, it’s not a perfect analogy, as Yoda says that “anger, fear and aggression” are on the dark side, and suggests that if you begin on that road “forever will it dominate your destiny”. Of course, in reality they can become disordered and that’s not a good thing. But they do serve a legitimate purpose if we’re looking at it holistically, and from a Catholic understanding. There is righteous anger, after all, and sometimes we need aggression, so as to defend ourselves. Fear also serves a purpose, but these feelings are something of a utility that help us in the moment. They shouldn’t become all consuming and define us, and if that’s what Yoda means then he’s right. But in my opinion, I don’t think that’s what he was going for. Also, these things don’t have to dominate you, even if you’ve started down that path; they only will if you let it! But again, not a massive gripe, it’s a made-up universe!
Not much time left! Cloud City? The best final act of the Star Wars films…although Return of the Jedi is also really good (throne room!). For me, the duel between Vader and Luke here is easily the greatest of the franchise. Sure, the choreography might not be what it was in the prequels, but in regard to the way it’s shot, and the emotional implications: incredible! The shadowy smoky image when they first ignite their lightsabers gives me shivers; two silhouettes engaged in a battle of good and evil. And I AM YOUR FATHER. I can’t remember a time in my life NOT knowing that. I can’t remember the first time I watched this. You know how you sometimes wish you could forget a movie just so that you can watch it and enjoy it again for the first time? Yeah, I’m like that here…

By the end, although Luke loses the battle (as well as his hand), and Han is frozen in carbonite and traded for bounty, we’re still left with a hopeful final scene, of Luke and Leia aboard a rebel ship, gazing outwards to the galaxy. They’re ready…to strike back…back… and rescue Han! Along the way, Luke learns a valuable lesson in humility, by taking on something that he wasn’t ready for, both physically and emotionally. This was despite the warnings given him by both Yoda and Obi Wan. The film continues the trend of the former, by being one of the greatest depictions of the struggles between good and evil. And honestly…just a great flippin’ adventure. I can imagine people saying “WHAT” at the end when this was first released in theatres. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait that long…
VERDICT:
Yes.
9.8/10
Caveats
· Sci fi violence
· Gnostic influences
· Scary scenes for children (that weird Dagobah cave scene haunted me for a long time…)
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