Star Wars Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back - Review

[Logan]

A near perfect film. Irvin Kirshner does a wonderful job directing here. The pacing is spot on, the dialogue is much improved from Ep. 4  and the performances are more nuanced. I loved Luke’s encounter with the Wampa on Hoth to start the film. It foreshadows the encounter he would later have with his father and is the first time in the trilogy where it truly feels like space travel and the exploration of unknown lands feels dangerous. Personal survival is not to be taken for granted or guaranteed. The stakes have raised massively in this second installment and it drives the story forward. (The first film struggles because it has to set the stage and do all the legwork to set up the rest of the story)

The score is layered and well balanced and the planet-scapes are beautiful. Yoda reminds me of the slightly crazy zen masters from the novel Musashi, particularly Takuan Soho for his disheveled appearance and unexpected wisdom. The romantic advances of Han and Lando on Leia are immature and slightly demeaning toward Leia but it’s more well done than in A New Hope. Vader is not only a menacing villain but a powerful leader. The feeling of him being in control of himself and those around him is palpable. Vader is expertly written and costumed except for the limited mobility of his shoulders which could and should have gotten him killed at some point during his many skirmishes. One thing a swordsman does not want is limited shoulder mobility.

Boba Fett is a cool character but his starship’s design and its name are both poorly thought out. This is not a mark against the movie but the AT-AT design from a military and practical standpoint is, we’ll call disadvantaged. Style-wise it looks awesome and allows for the thrilling scene where Luke takes them down. Two more minor drawbacks for me: 1. I wish we saw more training from Luke on Dagobah 2. Luke is given the title of commander almost as soon as he joins the rebellion. I suppose we just have to assume Luke has been training with his lightsaber and that the rebellion promotes based on merit and not tenure. The Luke/Vader encounters are epic and are the peak of the Star Wars experience, goosebumps throughout.

10/10