When people discuss the slow yet unstoppable decline of quality film-making within commercial Hollywood cinema, they often point to sequels as one of the symptoms. Sequels might also be taken as a symbol of those trends, because they illustrate the lack of creativity within big-budget cinematography; instead of innovation, resources are poured into well-established and repetitive formulas. Naturally, the movie often blamed for inspiring such unfortunate trends, Star Wars, had its own sequel. But, luckily, it was one of those precious few exceptions to the rule—The Empire Strikes Back was the sequel that rose above the high standards set by its glorious predecessor.
Unfortunately, the quality and real importance of this film are often overlooked due to the simple fact that it is frequently referred to as “the second in the Star Wars trilogy”. Unlike the original, which could be seen as a standalone adventure, The Empire Strikes Back required a built-in audience, and that audience, as well as the critics, had some difficulty in appraising the film as a single artistic achievement. Those who did mostly consider the second film to be the best in the trilogy. The author of this review shares that sentiment, as do the heroes of Kevin Smith’s Clerks. I might also add that I consider it one of the best among the many splendid science-fiction films made in that golden age between 1977 and 1982.
That same era was perhaps splendid for fans of science-fiction cinema, but the content of those films, like Mad Max, Alien or Blade Runner, was mostly pessimistic. The feeling of gloom influenced even such a light-hearted and fairy-tale saga as Star Wars. A dark atmosphere is evident from the beginning; the previous chapter ended with the Rebels celebrating the destruction of the Death Star, a powerful weapon of the evil Empire. Yet, despite their triumph, they are far from a decisive victory in the war. The Empire still has the upper hand, and that is clearly demonstrated when Imperial forces destroy the main Rebel base on the ice planet Hoth. To save themselves from total annihilation, the main Rebel force is dispersed across the Galaxy. The heroes from the previous film are separated into two groups; the first group is Rebel commander Luke Skywalker (played by Mark Hamill) who, together with his faithful droid R2-D2 (played by Kenny Baker), flies to the swamp planet Dagobah. His goal is to fulfil his personal vision and find Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz), a 900-year-old Jedi Master, who will complete his training in the ways of the mystic Force. The other group of our heroes—rogue pilot Han Solo (played by Harrison Ford), his co-pilot Chewbacca (played by Peter Mayhew), Princess Leia (played by Carrie Fisher) and droid C-3PO (played by Anthony Daniels)—are aboard the spaceship Millennium Falcon, being mercilessly pursued by the Imperial fleet, whose leader, the evil Lord and former Jedi Knight Darth Vader (played by David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones), wants to capture Luke Skywalker.
The sequel to the megapopular Star Wars defied many unofficial Hollywood rules about sequels. Instead of simply enhancing the well-established, attractive and obviously successful elements of the previous film, this sequel used them as a foundation for its own, original narrative structure. Instead of relying on bigger special effects, bigger explosions or more spectacular sights and sounds, as many sequel makers do these days, the creators of The Empire Strikes Back actually worked very hard to remedy those few flaws the original had. Most notable of all was the cardboard characterisation. That task was given to the talented creative team of Leigh Brackett, a respected fantasy/SF author, and Lawrence Kasdan, whose directorial star would shine in the next decade. They managed to develop their characters, breathe some life and new dimension into their appearance, and also forced them to confront difficult moral dilemmas. The clear boundary between Good and Evil was slightly blurred in this film, when even some members of the Imperial military were given the opportunity to express human emotions. But, most of all, the difference between Star Wars and The Empire is in plot and sinister overtones; the heroes of the film are no longer superhumans immune from misery. They get maimed, hurt, tortured, both physically and emotionally, and this time the viewers, even those who consider the whole trilogy to be escapist fantasy, are truly compelled to care what happens to them in the end. The aliens, who used to be one of the more entertaining attractions of the previous film, are mostly left out of the picture; there are no nice, fuzzy creatures here—apart from Yoda, all the aliens are hostile or, alternatively, prosaic domesticated animals that “smell bad”. That was another element of gritty realism that distinguishes this film from the rest of the trilogy. The film is also full of surprise twists, and the final one is probably the best-known in the entire history of cinema.
Even the acting, often regarded as the weakest segment in the whole Star Wars saga, is here at its prime. Mark Hamill is very convincing as the suffering hero, probably because the bad things that happen to his character corresponded with some bad things that happened to him in real life. Carrie Fisher was also brilliant, especially in her scenes that witness the unresolved sexual tension between Princess Leia and Han Solo. Even Billy Dee Williams is good in his limited role as Lando Calrissian, one of the rare new characters of the saga. However, the most impressive character addition is Yoda, a small and frail, yet spiritually strong figure. The magic of the Muppet creators, the suggestive voice of Frank Oz, combined with Yoda’s sharp lines (one of which would become the nemesis of Beverly Hills plastic surgeons) left a strong imprint on many generations of Star Wars fans.
Apart from the screenplay and well-defined characters, The Empire Strikes Back also benefited from superb direction by Irvin Kershner, whose career reached its peak here. The look of the film corresponds with the change in atmosphere; the colour blue dominates Peter Suschitzky’s photography throughout. Special effects are improved over Star Wars and remain impressive after eighteen years (one proof is the 1997 special edition, which, unlike the other two parts of the Star Wars trilogy, leaves most of them untouched and brings only small improvements). Even the musical score by John Williams, with his immortal “Imperial March” theme, sounds like the best in the trilogy, its dark overtones brilliantly corresponding with the general feel of the film.
The grim atmosphere of the film, however, cannot prevent many generations of viewers from experiencing the very same “sense of wonder” that overwhelmed them in the previous picture. The Empire Strikes Back is an original, very special segment of the Star Wars saga, yet it is nevertheless an integral element of that saga. But even those who somehow managed to escape the magical charms of George Lucas’ universe and failed to become hardcore fans could enjoy the magnificent quality of this masterpiece.
RATING: 10/10 (+++++)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on October 29th 1998)
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