Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was, as far as sequels go, quite a gamble when it was released exactly 37 years ago today (May 21, 1980). The adventure it took the heroes and villains of the galaxy far, far away on was completely different from A New Hope, it took a considerably more serious tone than the original film, and this did not sit well with all critics and filmgoers at the time. Nowadays, however, The Empire Strikes Back is widely hailed as the best Star Wars film by far. Do I agree with that assessment?
Partially.
The Empire Strikes Back was directed by Irvin Kershner, not George Lucas. Many fans point to his direction as the pinnacle example of why Star Wars works better without Lucas at the helm. This is also the only Star Wars saga film in which Lucas is not credited as a screenwriter. Because of this, several online fans believe the reason The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars film is simply because it was neither written nor directed by Lucas.
I have to disagree with that assessment. Leigh Brackett, the first credited screenwriter, died shortly after finishing the first draft of the script, which Lucas found unfaithful to his characters and vision of Star Wars. Practically none of Brackett's draft made it in to the final film. I have mad respect for Lucas for still crediting her. Lucas actually modified the script himself before hiring Lawrence Kasdan, the other credited writer, to complete the final draft. Lucas may not be credited as a screenwriter, but The Empire Strikes Back is still 100% his story, and still contains lines (mainly from Han Solo) that sound right at home in a script he's credited with.
As for Kershner's direction, I think it is very good. He uses a variety of angles and lighting during critical moments in the film, and they pay off quite well as a method of visual storytelling. I wouldn't go so far as to call The Empire Strikes Back the best-directed film in the saga. I think it shares this distinction with another Star Wars film. Don't expect me to tell you which one, though. You'll have to wait until I get around to reviewing it to find out.
Is The Empire Strikes Back my favorite Star Wars episode? There I can solidly say no. It clocks in as my fourth favorite of the six that I've seen. There are some issues I have with it that are small in scale, but still there.
A New Hope, as I mentioned yesterday, is my least favorite episode mainly because it feels much more small-scale and self-contained than any of the others. Given the circumstances, that's completely understandable, but it still feels off compared to the other five.
The Empire Strikes Back, on the other hand, loses a few points on my scale mainly due to Han Solo and his romance with Princess Leia. I get that Han's way of "flirting" with Leia is pretty in keeping with his established character, but it's really hard for me to consider his behavior of forcing himself on Leia when leading up to their first kiss as a touching moment. Leia tells him to stop touching her, and he doesn't. I may be male, but I'm pretty confident when i say that by today's standards, this would not hold well with most women.
Another minor complaint: for me the most distracting "blue screen" moment in the entire saga is in this film. In the carbon freezing chamber, during the scene where Han is put out of commission for the rest of the film, two people are seen standing in the background at the top of the stairs where Darth Vader later waits for Luke. They're as dark as shadows, but it's painfully obvious to me that those two people are part of the matte painting used as the background for this scene, because they never move at all.
But enough with the criticism, because The Empire Strikes Back has a lot of memorable moments and characters that deserve all the praise they've gotten over 37 years. The effects, while showing their age, still work well, and the sound is especially impressive on Blu-Ray. The opening act of the film on Hoth is executed very well, and the battle against the Imperial AT-ATs (one of my favorite Star Wars vehicles) is always a blast to watch. In the middle portion, when the main heroes split up from each other, the asteroid field chase scene is equally entertaining, but the real scene-stealer is Yoda. The Yoda puppet in this film is so well designed; he's easily the best movie puppet I've ever seen, and the only thing that reminds me he isn't real is the fact that he can't accurately mouth his lines. Beyond that, though, his explanations of how a Jedi's strength flows from the force are superbly written and delivered.
In the final act in Cloud City, we're introduced to Lando Calrissian, who is sadly underused. His decision to overthrow the pressure the Empire has put on him and abandon the city he's led for a long time is a very courageous act, earning him loads of respect from me. Boba Fett also makes his first appearance in this film. He looks cool and is silent and mysterious, but there's really not much else about him that interests me (at least, not yet). Clearly, many fans feel the opposite way.
Of course, I can't talk about The Empire Strikes Back without mentioning the famous misquoted line: "No. I am your father." This twist actually was a twist for me; nobody I was growing up with mentioned it before I first saw the film in 2004. I was surprised. But I was also intrigued to find out if he was telling the truth or not, and that whole scene has become the quintessential Star Wars scene for the same reasons. James Earl Jones's awesome voice delivers that line and every other one in that scene so powerfully, which only adds to the intensity. Hats off to Lucas, Kershner, Jones, and Mark Hamill for keeping that line a tight secret until the films release. Even David Prowse, the actor inside the Darth Vader suit, didn't know that Vader would claim to be Luke's father.
John Williams delivers another home run of a score here. "The Imperial March," introduced in this film, is so catchy and menacing, and I really like Yoda's theme as well. Another highlight in the score comes in the final chase as the Millennium Falcon's crew struggles (yet again) to fix the hyperdrive before being caught in the Imperial Star Destroyer's tractor beam. A steady and tense ostinato punctuates all but the most surprising and most personal moments, specifically Vader making one last attempt to convince Luke to join him through the Force before he escapes.
While The Empire Strikes Back is not my favorite Star Wars episode, it is definitely one of the best directed and paced. The praise it has gotten is (mostly) well deserved, and it's a very worthy Star Wars chapter.
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