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Star Wars Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back Leia: "I love you." Han: "I know." It's a middle movie. But it never felt like one. The opening battle on the ice planet Hoth with the imperial walkers is just stunning. I remember being totally floored when I saw it in the theater. (Yes, I'm old enough to have seen "Empire" in the theater.) And I was shocked down to my socks three times -- when Vader cut off Luke's hand (they didn't do stuff like that so much back then), when Vader told Luke he was his father, and when they dropped Han Solo into the carbonite. I watched "Empire," like, two days after it was released and I was totally unspoiled. Ah, for the good old days. Darth Vader was so much scarier. Maybe it was the string of hapless commanders that he killed for displeasing him. Although it was probably mostly the big revelation of who he was. I also remember how exciting it was to catch the smallest glimpse of Darth Vader without his helmet. How tantalizing to learn that Darth Vader was human, and disfigured. It instantly gave him more dimension, even before we learned he was Luke's father. I must admit I loved the Han/Leia romance, too. Yes, it was juvenile, but Harrison Ford pulled it off, and Carrie Fisher managed to keep up with him. Less enjoyable (now that we know) is Leia kissing her twin brother. Although it continued with the popular archetype of a princess torn between a good guy and a not so good guy. This movie had a bigger budget and better writing than the original, and it showed. The story was exceptionally detailed and compelling. They had the most amazing Muppet ever created, plus the most exciting male lead in the movies, Harrison Ford. No wonder that "Empire" is nearly everyone's favorite Star Wars movie. Bits and pieces: -- Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher were both noticeably better than in the original. -- C3PO was classic in this one, working much better as comic relief than ever before. -- Loved the clever introduction of a hugely favorite character, Yoda. At the time, he was the most complex and believable puppet that had ever been created. -- The addition of the imperial march to the classic score still gives me chills. -- The walkers have always been a favorite of mine, even though I always thought the legs made them way too easily toppled. -- I always liked the sequence where Yoda trained Luke. (Maybe it was Mark Hamill's biceps.) And the khaki on Luke on Dagobah was always my favorite look for him. -- This episode's dismemberments: Luke lost his hand, of course. The snow critter in the opener lost his arm. Luke decapitated his Vader hallucination. And C3PO ended up in pieces. "Empire" is by far and away the most quotable Star Wars movie, so here you go: Leia: "I'd just as soon kiss a wookiee." Han: "I can arrange that." Han: "Laugh it up, fuzzball." Leia: "Why, you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy looking... nerf herder!" Han: "Who's scruffy looking?" C3PO: "Sir, the odds of successfully navigating an asteroid field are approximately three thousand seven hundred and twenty to one!" Han: "Never tell me the odds." Leia got to say it this time. "I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this." Luke: "I'll give it a try." Yoda: "No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try." Darth Vader: "Apology accepted, Captain Needa." Obi-Wan: "That boy is our last hope." Yoda: "No. There is another." That drove us nuts. Who could they possibly be talking about, we endlessly discussed? Lando: (looking at C3PO in pieces) "Having trouble with your droid?" Han: "No. No problem. Why?" Darth Vader: "No. I am your father." He never says "Luke, I am your father," but that's how he's always quoted. Much like "Play it again, Sam," which Humphrey Bogart never actually said in "Casablanca." "The Empire Strikes Back" is one of the best movies ever made, and beloved by geeks all over the world. Four out of four stars, Billie |
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