As an adult though I've come to appreciate this movie more than I did as a kid. Vader still scares the crap out of me, but he no longer fuels my nightmares like he did 24 years ago. While The Empire Strikes Back isn't my favourite movie in the Star Wars saga, it's the best Star Wars movie that has ever been made. With the introduction of Yoda and the further exploration of the Jedi and the Force, this movie is probably the most iconic of all the Star Wars movies. It's also the most quotable film in the franchise too. From "No! Try not. Do or do not. There is no try" to "The Force is with you young Skywalker. But you are not a Jedi yet!" to "No, I am your father", this movie has the most memorable quotes in it.
The reason for that is how much sharper a script this movie has. Lawrence Kasdan took over writing duties from George Lucas after the initial draft was completed and you can really tell. The relationships between the characters are stronger, and the new characters, such as Yoda and Lando are more complex than the archetype characters like Han, Luke and Leia that we were introduced to in the previous movie. Even Vader is a more dynamic villain and is also a more interesting one. Though one has to wonder if he was all that smart since he was so intent on capturing the Millennium Falcon, believing that Luke was onboard, he didn't stop to consider until the end of the movie that maybe Luke had gone off on his own following the Rebels's escape from Hoth.
As I was watching the 1995 VHS release of this movie last night, there's something I picked up on that I really hadn't before this viewing. In the scene in his home, Yoda mentions that he'd been watching Luke for a long time. We know from the original Expanded Universe, as well as from the sequel trilogy that Force users, be it Sith or Jedi, can watch an individual through the Force, as Luke was able to do that with Han, Leia and their children in the post-Return of the Jedi novels published throughout the '90s. But with this movie, none of that was written yet and George hadn't really developed the Force yet prior to Kasdan coming in and doing so for him with this movie, so had Yoda been using the Force to help Obi-Wan keep an eye on Luke between the Prequel Trilogy and Star Wars? Also, did he know Luke was coming to Dagobah and that's why he chose to test Luke the way he did?
The parallels between Obi-Wan in the previous movie and Yoda in this movie is pretty spectacular. I mean both are meant to represent the wise old mentor figure from the Hero's Journey as laid out by Joseph Campbell, but they both tested Luke differently. While Obi-Wan is the wise old wizard sent to watch over the hero, Yoda is more the old man on the side of the road, that the hero dismisses at first sight due to the situation he finds the old man in. But regardless of their methods, Yoda and Obi-Wan both tested Luke in their own way. Of course, Obi-Wan and Yoda must've planned for Luke to journey to Dagobah so Yoda could train him to be a Jedi at a specific point in time, and that just happened to coincide with the events of this movie.
My favourite relationship in this movie is between Han and Leia. Their witty banter is great and just the way they bounce off of each other is pretty great. Han almost becomes more mischievious in this movie when he's around Leia because he knows it'll piss her off. Which is pretty bold, considering we saw her grab a blaster out of Luke's hand and burn down several Stormtroopers in a row in the previous movie. And just the way their relationship developed through the course of this movie felt way more natural than some relationships have in modern movies and TV shows.
I also really like Lando in this movie. He's a lot like Han was in the previous movie, but while you knew that Han was a good guy, there's something a little off about Lando throughout the first part of his appearance. He's too charming and forgives Han way too easily for whatever slight Han committed against him in a previous adventure, which isn't talked about, apart from Han saying, "That was a long time ago. I'm sure he's forgotten about that by now", after Chewie makes a comment, resulting in Leia looking at Han sideways for a moment. Even when Lando is talking to Vader after Han, Leia, Chewie and Threepio gets captured, you aren't really sure whether Lando is a good guy or a bad guy, though you definitely getting the feeling that dealing with Vader makes Lando uneasy. As it should considering he's Darth freaking Vader, the right hand man of the Emperor. I'd be uneasy too if I was dealing with a person like that.
The character that I think is highly overrated in this movie and in the next is Boba Fett. Yeah, he looks cool, but he does nothing in the entire movie. Aside from taking Han, frozen in Carbonite, to Jabba the Hutt of course. But he doesn't do anything except stand there and talk back to Vader. Yet somehow he's gotten a cult following, which, in turn led to the development of the Mandalorian race, which then led to the creation of the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian. Which I'm not complaining about, but I do think Boba Fett is the most overrated character in the entire Star Wars franchise.
Final Thoughts and Rating: Overall while The Empire Strikes Back isn't my favourite of the Star Wars films, it's still the best Star Wars movie ever made. The story is precise without any extra material that makes it drag, the characters are more dynamic and their relationships are more solid, and the further development of the Jedi and the Force is pretty cool. I'm giving The Empire Strikes Back 10/10 stars.
To Be Concluded in Return of the Jedi...
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080684/?ref_=tt_sims_tt
No comments:
Post a Comment