Logan Sork Film Reviews
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Stirkes Back
After Star Wars became a surprise critical and financial success and essentially changed the film industry forever a sequel was inevitable. Despite the original film somewhat ending in a somewhat concluding fashion, creator George Lucas still thought there was more of the universe to explore and audiences were eager to return. The result of this was The Empire Strikes Back, the film that in my opinion serves as the pinnacle of the franchise and has yet to be topped (and probably never will). This greatness can be attributed to the improved technical elements such as effects and set pieces, well developed and likable characters and a story that is so much more than standard.
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back is directed by Irvin Kershner and is the second installment of the original Star Wars trilogy. The story is set weeks after the events of the previous film, with the Rebel Alliance having successfully destroyed the Death Star thanks to the efforts of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Despite this, the Empire remains as strong as ever, forcing the alliance, including Luke, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) to go into hiding. They are eventually tracked down by Darth Vader and are forced to escape their hidden base. While Han and Leia work to evade the Empire’s forces, Luke journeys to the mysterious planet Dagobah after a vision of his old master Obi-Wan (Alec Guinness) told him that the Jedi Master Yoda (Frank Oz) would help him complete his Jedi training.
To say that The Empire Strikes Back is an improvement on its predecessor would be an understatement. This film takes the standard set by the original and improves on almost every single aspect to create one of the greatest films ever made. This can be seen in the technical elements of the film and how greatly they are improved. The special effects and space battles are made even more lifelike and realistic after having been refined through trial and error in the first film. Even to this day the effects and action sequences in this film hold up (and sometimes even look better than what is being produced in today’s films). There is also a noticeable difference in the direction of the film as well. While George Lucas was good enough, Kershner brings a certain visceral feeling to the film that makes it feel more engaging than its predecessor. The cinematography and set design also work beautifully to complement one another, allowing each element to bring abut the best in each other. And of course, John Williams score is even better this time around, introducing even more iconic themes. These are just a few examples in which this film is an improvement over the original in the technical department, but this film improves on more than just that.
Another area this film builds upon is the fantastic characters that were introduced in the original. Here, they are more developed and fleshed out, growing past their fun, yet somewhat derivative, archetypes established in the original film. Luke is a flawed hero, he constantly makes mistakes and puts himself into dangerous situations. While some might not like him for those reasons, it makes the character more realistic and forces him to grow and change in a natural way. Han Solo also grows past his own selfish ambitions and shows he’s willing to do anything to save those around him, even if it means putting himself in harms ways, all without sacrificing his comedic charm. The biggest improvement on a character however is the way in which Princess Leia changes. In the original she was mostly relegated to a damsel in distress, in this film however, she proves she can hold her own and shows great leadership skills even in the most trying of times. Even Darth Vader is improved as a character, growing from a run of the mill henchman to someone with deeper meaning than we were led to believe. In addition to the old characters being improved greatly, we are also introduced to some entertaining new ones. From the off-beat yet wise Jedi Master Yoda to Han’s former comrade Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) the new characters bring their own feeling to the table, allowing the cast of colorful characters to grow ever larger and more colorful.
While the character and technical improvements certainly help this film stand above it’s predecessor, those reasons are not the true reason as to why it is a better film than the original. This can be seen in its fantastic story, which takes the saga into some dark and intriguing places. The original film was great, but its story was admittedly pretty standard. Hero dreams of bigger things, he goes on a journey, he meets new people big things happen the end, you get the picture. It is in this film however that lot of these standard story tropes are broken and instead replaced by some truly great moments that make this film even more unique than the original. One notable thing that happens frequently throughout the film is how much our characters lose. There are several moments in the film where our heroes are defeated by the villains in the story. This is very rare to see in films like this. But it is in these moments that our heroes learn from their defeats and live on to fight another day. Seeing our heroes struggle against seemingly overwhelming odds is much more engaging than just having them defeat every challenge that comes their way. The film also explores the inner battle between the light and dark that dwells within every person. This can be seen through Luke’s arc in the film, who battles constantly with his inner self on weather or not to make the right choice despite the wrong one seeming so right. There are also several sequences in which we explore the mindsets of our characters and how they are reacting to their situations. It is between these moments that this film truly rises above the original and becomes something more than your standard sequel.
This film is beyond perfect. Not only is it the best Star Wars film, but it is also one of the greatest films ever made. This can be attributed to the fantastic technical elements, wonderful characters and the willingness to take the story in an interesting and unique direction. This is my personal favorite of the Star Wars films and frankly, I don’t see any other one ever topping the heights this film reached.
10/10