The great movies: the empire strikes back - The ChThe Empire Strikes Backroni Reviews

Sometimes, it seems that the world is separated into two categories; those who are Star Wars Fans and those who aren't. For the most part, I can understand either way why you feel as you do. The six-part saga is massive and reaches the fans in not just it's visual entertainment, but in the immagination as well. The films can also be an overload of the senses and be outlandishly complicated or trite. For the record, I have been a fan of the films since birth (for the first five years of my life, I knew nothing but Star Wars). But now I'm also a critic. Looking at all six films in sequential order recently, I realized that most of the films are more guilty pleasures for me than great art. But there is one film in the series that validates these films into the relm of masterpiece. That film is The Empire Strikes Back. The reasoning behind this is rather simple; the film doesn't play to the audience, but requires the audiance to follow the characters from Point A to Point B on the film's terms. This cannot be said for any of the other films in the series. There are three major stories going on throughout the film; 1) The training of Luke Skywalker to be a Jedi by the legendary Yoda (a muppet in this film that carries the weight of the film's most important themes). 2) The blossoming romance between Han Solo and Princess Leia and their betrayal by Lando Calrissian. 3) The evil Darth Vader's hunt for all three of them. The film connects all three stories together at the beginning and the end, but that's all. But what's amazing is that decisions made by one story affects the other two. Example, Darth Vader's use of bounty hunters sets off a chain of events that lead to the other two stories climaxing at the same location. Dialog-wise, the most quoted dialog comes from this film. The dialog is that fresh. Most of it either coming from Yoda (who waxes phiolosophy about the force in such poetic tones, you'd almost believe it as a real religion) as well as Han Solo, whose one-liners and rougeish charms just tickle the tongue. But there's more than that. Everbody talks as though they understand the weight of the situation around them. This is a dark time for these characters. They understand that they are treading into unknown territory and that the stake are already high as it is. It's easy to say "I love you", but what's the most honest thing to say back, especially if you are not certain to see them again? This film also foreshadows better than any of the other films. And I don't mean the shocking revelation that everybody knows about. Just think about this; how is it that Leia was the one he could link himself with while he was dangling on those wires? What about that last line Yoda gives as Luke speeds away? I want to credit Lawrence Kasdan for these things. He obviously knows more about screenwriting and believeable dialogue than George Lucas, as anyone who has seen any of the prequels can testify. I also have to credit Frank Oz for his masterful puppetry of Yoda in this film. This character holds serious weight in the way he walks to the way his body feels heavy on his bones. You can tell that this is a creature whose seen much in his 800 years of life. And when he talks, you listen to him. Name any other non-human character who can do that? Even Gollum didn't say much that resonates with the same power as Yoda. And yes, I have to credit George Lucas for his structure. The second films in most trillogys are usually the best because they don't have to worry about the beginning or the end. This is no exception. But only a true master can make the second act end on a desperate note, not exactly hopeful that the end is near, nor cynical that things are only going to get worse. We are left in perpetual Limbo until we see what happens next. I can only imagine how hard it was for fans to wait 3 years for the answers to their questions. Now that the saga is complete, we can sit back and observe Star Wars as a finished piece. It works in places and not in others. I cannot recommend it to everybody because of it's wide range. I can state that The Empire Strikes Back is the most crucial, as well as the most fascinating chapter of the Star Wars Saga.