Like its predecessor,
The Empire Strikes Back is one of the greatest movies of all time. It's a sci-fi epic, one that ventures past the shallow waters of typical blockbuster filmmaking and into deeper, murkier territory. Although it initially garnered lukewarm reviews, many fans and critics now cite this episode as the best in the entire saga. Understandably so. It's a dark film, daring to plumb the depths of its characters' minds and souls. Action sequences share time with intensive characterization, and the pace is slower, almost meditative. It's eerily hypnotic. As an adult, I adore
Empire. It's a grim, but fitting, middle chapter.
As a kid, though? Not so much. In elementary school (before the prequel trilogy, mind you), everybody either loved
Hope or
Jedi. I felt the same way. Those movies were action-packed roller coasters, with lots of cheeky humor and optimistic moments. But
Empire? The black sheep. I remember seeing it in theaters and experiencing all kinds of emotions I wasn't used to feeling as a child. Mostly fear. To me, this movie was truly
scary. The wampa snow monster, with its jagged teeth and white fur matted with blood, was an absolute nightmare. So too were the flying parasites inside the asteroid, which squeaked and squealed in hideous tones. Worst of all, though? I
hated the pivotal lightsaber battle between Luke and Vader. Strangling tension, punctuated by a particularly brutal jump-scare? No thanks. I couldn't handle
any of it.
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| ...the Empire literally standing between their friendship. Love it. |
Even worse? There was a lot I didn't comprehend. My 7-year-old brain just couldn't handle it. Luke's trippy encounter in the cave, ripe with symbolism and surreal visuals, was an absolute mystery. What was going on? I was equally confused by the character of Lando.
Why would somebody do that? I wondered.
Isn't he their friend? My mind whirred, and all the while I hated the character more and more.
Sure, there were things I liked. Yoda, for one - I became
obsessed with that little guy. I also loved Cloud City, the look and feel of it. I even enjoyed the deepening mystery of Darth Vader, with that quick glimpse beneath the helmet and the implications of his once-glorious past. But like Vader himself, the bad outweighed the good. Internally, I bounced between surprising fear and irritating confusion. Not exactly the recipe for a kid-friendly adventure flick.
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| Luke's training scenes are some of the saga's finest. |
But I warmed to
Empire. As I grew older and experienced more, it became essential. I remember sitting in my 9th grade health class, talking to my friend Bill about
Star Wars. He said his favorite installment was
Empire because "it's got balls
and brains." In that moment, I decided he was right. When he asked what mine was, I too said
Empire. And just like that,
Return of the Jedi was dethroned (permanently) and I had a new number one. It remained my favorite for
years. The more I rewatched it, the deeper I fell under its spell. I became infatuated with certain moments and characters: The opening Hoth scenes are beautifully staged and photographed, from the frigid exteriors to the gloomy interiors. Lando, with his sleazy swagger yet assertive leadership, is a fantastic foil. Han and Leia's love story is funny and deeply moving. Best of all? Luke's training on Dagobah, and his subsequent lightsaber duel with Vader. All these varied pieces fit together with mechanistic precision. Everything works beautifully.
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| Fantastic love story. |
Even the gloomy mood works. The buoyancy of
A New Hope is wiped away, and we're treated to the darker side of a galaxy far, far away. There's in-fighting, betrayal, jealousy, and a whole
lot of insecurity. The production design mirrors this emotional shift - everything is dingy, foggy, on the verge of collapse. Even Cloud City, with its pearly facade, seems dangerous. What's going on below the surface? What threats lurk just out of sight? John Williams' score is equally menacing. The infamous "Imperial March" establishes the film's first act, with "The Clash of Lightsabers," a truly haunting piece, near the end. The only real musical stability provided, the placid "Yoda's Theme," nonetheless aches with sadness.
Heartache? Confusion? Anger?
The Empire Strikes Back is a dusky tapestry of negative emotion. It's also a cinematic contradiction: thrilling yet thoughtful, expansive yet intimate, frustrating yet fun. As a kid I couldn't handle everything it threw at me, but now I understand.
Empire is an incredible film, heavy on atmosphere and thematically versatile. It is perfect.
Final Grade: A+
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