Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

The Empire Strikes Back is the fifth and penultimate film in the Star Wars saga, and the best way to describe it is to say that it raises the stakes on all levels. Han Solo and Princess Leia, whose relationship is aggravated, are forced to flee with Chewbacca, R2D2, and C-3PO, with the Empire hot on their tails. Luke must flee as well; the spirit of Obi Wan leads him to the Degobah System where the Jedi Master Yoda trains him in the Jedi ways. Darth Vader is continually consumed by his obsession with turning Luke to the Dark Side, and he captures the now romantically involved Han and Leia at Cloud City. Luke can feel the suffering of Han and Leia and he leaves before his training with Yoda is complete in order to save them. At Cloud City, Han is frozen inside a block of carbonite, a gray material, and Darth Vader gives him to the bounty hunter Bobba Fett who is out for the bounty on Han’s head. When Luke arrives at Cloud City Vader attempts to capture him in carbonite as well so that he can be taken to the emperor and turned to the Dark Side. Luke and Darth Vader dual through the dark setting of the city in the clouds and it is here that Luke learns the truth about his father, that Darth Vader is in fact his father Anakin Skywalker. (Anyone now knows it, but the way I here it, it was quite the shock back in the day.) Luke escapes with this horrible truth, and without his right hand, which is later replaced by a robotic one. Leia and Chewbacca are saved by Han’s old friend Lando. He was the ruler of Cloud City until the Empire took over, and he promises to go save Han. The movie ends here, with the fate of everyone hanging in the balance; Darth Vader continues his hunt for Luke, Han is still captive in the carbonite, and The Rebel Alliance is no closer to destroying the Empire. That’s the story, once again the special effects were amazing at the time, and the score by John Williams continues to get better with throughout the movie. Also like the last one, the strength of this movie is in its simplicity of construction, yet it’s epic scale and grandeur of story telling. As the title implied, this one goes to the empire, but don’t distress, because as great as this movie is, it’s not quite over yet.

A+