Episode V: The best sequel ever made

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)

An appreciation by Jerry Saravia

In 1980 when I first saw "The Empire Strikes Back," I knew the secret, the big revelation by Darth Vader. I am not sure if I read the comic adaptation first or what the heck happened, but I knew the most famous line in "Star Wars" history - the one that led creator George Lucas to backtrack and make those reviled prequels years later. And when I told my parents the secret prior to the screening (don't know what I was thinking but I was a wild-eyed nine-year-old), they did not believe it. So as I watched "Empire" and the scene came up, I was still rather astonished and it was Mark Hamill's screams as the young Jedi apprentice Luke Skywalker that made the scene gripping, emotional and somewhat provocative. Gripping, emotional, provocative - these are not words which usually describe a Star Wars film. "The Empire Strikes Back" is an astonishing marvel of a movie, a masterful, exciting and illuminating film that soars above any other "Star Wars" film and most other sci-fi fantasy flicks. 

So much has been written about "The Empire Strikes Back" that there is not a lot more to say. It trounces Lucas' original "Star Wars" film by at least 12 parsecs. There is more action, imagination to spare, a love story that brews, more expert villainy, more fascinating creatures, a few bounty hunters, and a lot more mysticism and philosophy regarding the Force. The action is superbly tight and focused in bright, colorful spurts, such as the giant AT-AT walkers that shoot at our Rebel forces, the Millennium Falcon swerving left and right to avoid collision with an asteroid field and the final lightsaber battle between Luke and Darth Vader.

Imagination is on overload in this film, from the discovery of a green little Muppet called Yoda (one of the finest performances in the film by Frank Oz) who tutors Luke into becoming a full-fledged Jedi, to Luke's possible if not eventual fate in a cave, to the Imperial Droids sent to the Hoth system (an ice planet) where the Rebels are hiding, to the carbon freezing chamber that leads to Han Solo's unlucky predicament, to a city in the Clouds where the engineering to keep it maintained is something only George Lucas would understand (or the series' introduction of the smoother-than-thou Lando Calrissian, played by Billy Dee Williams), to a massively ugly creature hidden in an asteroid or some rocky formation in space that may be a nod to "Jaws."

The love story that brews occurs between scoundrel Han Solo (Harrison Ford, in top form before he turned in a lazy performance in "Return of the Jedi") and feisty Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) who likes "nice men" - they both give the film an added touch of humanity. I'd guess that everyone will shed a tear for the final scene between Leia and Han - yep, you know he loves her in this universe. It is unshakable and it could draw a drift between Luke and Leia (of course, "Return of the Jedi" reveals their true relationship).
The villainy grows when we first see the sight of the Emperor, Lord Vader's higher command, who wants Luke annihilated. There are a few more admirals under Vader's command, some clumsier in their battle strategies than others. There is the cryptic Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch), a bounty hunter who wants to capture Solo and bring him back to Jabba the Hutt. Finally, what makes "Empire Strikes Back" rise above all others of its ilk is Yoda's lessons on how to focus, concentrate and not be driven by passion, anger. Never give up trying - do or do not, there is no try. I think there is more to take away from these powerful philosophies than almost anything else that you can find in the world of science-fiction fantasy.

"The Empire Strikes Back" does something that, at the time of the film's release, was considered a no-no. There is no ending - it is a cliffhanger for the eventual conclusion of "Return of the Jedi" (this has become more commonplace in franchises of late). The 1983 conclusion should've developed more of what "Empire" set in motion, instead of just Luke and Darth Vader's meeting of the lightsaber minds that yields two more startling revelations (if you have the seen film, you'll know what I mean). If only "Return" focused as much on Solo and Leia (maybe in "Star Wars: Episode VII") rather than making do with a thinly cutesy romance where they cavort with teddy bears. But, hey, that is a different movie. As for "Empire," I shouldn't leave out the wonderful return of Chewbacca (as much a yeller as ever, but how does Solo understand every grunt and yelp as an actual language?) or the droids C3P0 and R2D2, who proves a savior in the end. "The Empire Strikes Back" is more solemn, memorable, wittier and earth-shakingly entertaining and intense than any other chapter in the saga. It is not just a Star Wars chapter - it is one of the grandest, most thrilling, adventurous and romantic space operas ever made.