Movie Review: Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Darker mixed with humor, good story and action

Cons: Doesn't stand well on it's own

The Bottom Line: Continues from first

Things turn dark for our heroes

Not good viewed alone

Never Watch This Movie Again?  I'd Rather Kiss a Wookie!

Often, the middle part of a trilogy feels like a place holder.  Yes, it advances the story, but there isn't any feeling of resolution at the end of the second movie.  That is the case with Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.  But I love this film anyway.

The story picks up after the last film (A New Hope) and finds our heroes hiding out on the ice planet Hoth.  Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is ready to leave as soon as his ship is repaired; he's ready to pay off what he owes to Jabba the Hutt.  But before he can do that, the Empire, finds the rebel base, and they must flee.  Han winds up barely escaping with Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), while Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) goes in search of the mysterious Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz) to continue his Jedi training.

But Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) is determined to track down Luke and turn him to the dark side of the force, and he'll use Luke's friends to do that.  Will Han and Leia walk into a trap?  Will Luke complete his training?

The more I think about this movie, the more it does fall into the second part of a trilogy cliches.  We've got new characters introduced that wind up playing important parts in this movie and the next (the previously mentioned Yoda and Lando Calrissian, played by Billy Dee Williams).  The story continues from the end of the last part, but just winds up setting things in motion and doesn't resolve much.  Heck, we end with a major revelation and a cliffhanger involving one of the main characters.  I'm just glad I no longer have to wait the three years it took for the sequel to come out to find out what happened next.  I can just stick in the next DVD.

Normally, this kind of story telling bothers me.  It doesn't here.  I think a lot of that is because we have so much fun along the way.  There are some very funny exchanges, usually between Leia and Han.  The chemistry between Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher is great.  The action is top notch again, although this movie does slow down enough to let us get to know the characters better.  And maybe that emotional connection is part of why I like this movie, too.  These characters feel real to me in ways that the ones from the prequels never did.

This movie is certainly darker than the first one.  Some pretty bad things happen to our characters.  They are lightened by the humor injected in the film, but the overall tone does remain dark.

The special effects hold up quite well 30 years later.  Yes, there are times when things look fake.  But there are also times that they actually look better than the modern computer effects do in the prequels.  There is no real substitute for old fashioned effects some times.

The acting continues to be strong as well.  The cheese factor in the dialogue seems to have been toned way down here, but even the cheesiest of lines come out believably from the actors.  They make it work, and the result is a great ride.

If you haven't seen this film before, you'll definitely want to have the final film ready to go to see how the story points set in motion here play out in the final film.  It really can't be taken on its own, but as part of the larger whole, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a very fun film.