MadCap's Reel Thoughts - "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back"

Empire Strikes Back is considered the greatest film in the Original Trilogy and the greatest film in the Star Wars saga by many. And, really...I can't disagree. So, there. That's it.

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is now ava-

...okay, okay, I'll go into a little more detail.

A few years have passed since the destruction of the Death Star at the end of A New Hope and the once victorious rebels are on the run from the Empire, bunking down on the ice planet Hoth. There, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) receives a vision from his deceased mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) to see out the Jedi Master Yoda (Frank Oz). Meanwhile Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Leia (Carrie Fisher), and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) must avoid the Empire after the Battle of Hoth, eventually finding their way to Cloud City and the care of Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) who is totally not a traitor and will not hand them all over to Darth Vader (James Earl Jones).

Which, of course, inevitably it does and inevitably Luke comes looking for his friends and learns a terrible secret that Obi-Wan never told him - Darth Vader took his father's sled and his sword and the calls were coming from inside the house because Vader can see dead people!!!

Okay, yeah, you know the twist by now. People who have never even seen this movie know the twist by now - Darth Vader is really Anakin Skywalker, Luke's father.

Mind you, much like Shamalyan's two good twists in his two good films (I'll leave you to figure out which ones) the clues that were there helped to build it up and are appreciated much more on repeat viewings - in this case, Luke's encounter in the Dark Side cave on Dagobah with the illusory version of Vader.

This film is all about realizing that the past isn't dead and will come back to bite you. Pretty much what Randy said in Scream 3 except this isn't under trilogy rules...strictly speaking. And, being that I was born in an era when all three movies had come out, I can only imagine what it must have been like to have that as the final reveal of the movie and having to wait three years before finding out if Vader was telling the truth.

The film also actually ends on a rather depressing note. Sure, they've all survived, but Han is in the hands of Boba Fett and is going to be taken to Jabba the Hutt and they are still on the run from the Empire, who have effectively won the day by forcing the Rebels to scatter off to a distant corner to lick their wounds. But still, there's that feeling of optimism that they will triumph and will eventually defeat the Empire once and for all...which they will do in the latest and, until December 18th, the last chapter in the Star Wars saga.

Other than that, there's really not that much ground that can be covered. I loved the furthering of Luke's Jedi training by Yoda, adding more layers of mysticism and enchantment to the Force that the prequels were all too happy to just take a giant, steaming dump on. I loved the romance building between Han and Leia, Lawrence Kasdan's writing and the chemistry between Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher just making things oh so fiery and with nobody talking about sand. I loved Lando and all his sway coolness, as well as his arc in remembering the right side and fighting against the oppression of the Empire.

Literally, there's just about nothing I can hate about this movie. To do that, I'd have to be some kind of crazed, nitpicking jackass and that's just not me...in this particular instance. It's gold, pure and simple.

Now Return of the Jedi, on the other hand...

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is now available from Lucasfilms and 20th Century Fox.

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