SIGNIFICANT STAR WARS: Episode V

Yes, Empire is that good

(and it just might be the greatest movie of all time)

As a long time devotee to Wars I've gathered many thoughts on the films. I've gone on to defend the prequels (even though they're truly not worth more than a small conversation, if that) and I've recently even made arguments for Phantom Menace, but really... we're not here to talk about prequels. In fact, I'm here to say that as much of a rebel scum I am in defending all the films, I'm here on behalf of the Empire, following the crowd in deeming Empire Strikes Back as not just the best film of the entire saga, but also arguably the greatest film in human existence.

 I'm going to break down Empire as a Star Wars movie and then as a film; a truly quality FILM. I might do one before the other; it might happen at the same time. It might get weird. I'm just gonna let unplanned typing do its thing. But let's kick this Millenium Falcon to infinity and beyond into hyper drive already.

CAM-GAROOS

  We begin our story on frozen planet Hoth; the setting is cold, desolate, unpredictable; instantly perfect and it sets the mood flawlessly.

  George stated from the beginning he always had a much, MUCH larger, grander universe planned behind his universe that he brought us to in 1977 and as with any successful blockbuster (this being one of the first ever), the next inevitable step is doing the big sequel. Now I don't know if it's because George simply had a much larger sequel in mind all along or if it was because it's one of the only Star Wars films he ironically didn't direct, but from the get-go of Hoth's frozen atmosphere, the film instantly matures.

  The Empire is afoot; our heroes are scattershot and somewhere in the deep reaches of space, Vader's still breathing heavily. The cold desolate snow planet is the perfect setting for our heroes to start in. Luke begins fulfilling the hero's journey as all good heroes do: riding through the eternal winter on the back of a snow camel-kangaroo... Cam-garoo... F**k if, let's just call them Tauntauns. Suddenly, Luke's camgaroo gets thrashed from the abominable snowman and our hero is left for dead in the bumble's igloo with no lightsaber at hand and no possible chance at survival (WHAT EVER SHALL HE DO).

Cocaine is a hell of a drug

  I like to think of all great sequels of cinema having something magical in common; perhaps it's the building; the growing; the evolving; the story growing darker, heroes fallen and villains risen; that notion of bringing all the positive elements of act one down, leaving everything dismayed and scattershot in total darkness so we can prepare for the inevitably disappointing finale of act three. I do like to think of the hero's journey is one that is usually kicked into full gear in the heart of each truly great sequel; Michael Corleone finally stepped into his father's shadow; Ripley finally took command as a worthy lieutenant; Sarah Connor was finally defending the fate of Judgment Day; Jaws was on his way to finding his revenge (are there any puns to be intended with that last one? Probably not)... And Luke choosing his destiny is no different. And while hanging upside down with no hope left; nothing but himself and his demand of the completely unknown but all powerful Force, Luke begins the hero's journey.

  Because as important as Luke's mission was in A New Hope, it's ALL set up; it's all a tease. Yes, one could argue that Luke's journey to being the hero truly began when he calmly, collectedly blew up the Death Star and defeated the Empire (or so he thought) at the end of ANH (though the moment was ACTUALLY when he left home on Tatooine realizing he literally had nothing left [but there were no actual stakes yet]) but Luke's journey as the hero had only just begun. You see, because the film opens with Luke being in the face of death from the Bumble, he has no choice but to use the Force to save him and ultimately help him gain that confidence that he would later master when he shows up to Jabba's palace in the beginning of Jedi. This also, very importantly, marks the first time Luke actually uses the Force to his physical advantage. By using sneaky Jedi mind tricks to flip his lightsaber from the thaw and into his hand, he reached a power beyond the average human and that's what sets him apart from anyone else because it's part of what makes a Jedi not just a badass but an ACTUAL Jedi (good for you Luke).

  Let's continue. The battle at Hoth ensues; the giant ATAT (AKA the badass dino-bot) is taken down, singlehandedly by Luke (easy there ego); Han and Leia FINALLY let their sparks crackle (what's this, Lucas? Budding ROMANCE?); and the Rebels split up with their new destinations on their maps. With Luke going to Dagobah to seek out Master Yoda as Han, Leia, Chewie and the professor head towards Cloud City, the story finally delves into why it's really THAT good. Because Hoth... Hoth was just setup; Hoth was just seeing the mood. It's the next destinations that get really juicy. Let's start with Dagobah; continue with Luke's story.

Dope hangout spot

  The tone of the film at this point is completely staged. Gone are the nuances of playful three act story structure where the unknown hero rises up to take down the villain; that's not this film. But something that resides with Empire remains not just a little more serious but a little more focused. Now you can't blame a Star Wars movie for being a little goofy or comedic at times. It'd be a drag to watch if the film was 100% focused on being this deathly serious tale of father-son dilemmas (don't worry, we'll get there) and embedded themes betrayal and dismay, but in a great sense this film is exactly that and that's exactly why the film works. The tone is again more focused than anything. It knows its goals; it knows where the story's going even when the audience doesn't. It's rewarding.

  With the mood of the movie set, we're gonna focus on Luke, like I said, fulfilling the hero's journey and there's something important to note about Luke during this middle chapter of the saga. At this point Luke represents the total essence of good; the pure, innocent spirit that wants nothing but balance to the Force (if he even knew what that meant at this point); essentially what it means to really be a Jedi; at least that's where he WANTS to be. And what makes the journey through Degobah so fulfilling is that while Yoda's training is arguably predictable, he shows Luke that he indeed has a dark side. Of course, Yoda's gonna make Luke perform Rocky-style training; sweating, running through the woods and eating  raw eggs Bantha fodder while Yoda rests in his nap sack whispering sweet nothings in his ear but Yoda also has the green stones to tell Luke to enter the dark side in order to truly search his feelings. One of the most poignant pieces of Degobah and not just Empire but most of the Star Wars film canon, outside of a true explanation and example of what the Force is and how to control it, is the scene where Luke stumbles into the darkness of the murky swamp jungle and has a hallucination of Vader; We all know the one: 

  Fog. Slow motion. Luke hears the breathing. Draws his lightsaber. Vader approaches. Luke CUTS VADER'S HEAD CLEAN OFF. The helmet rolls. The sounds of a small explosion and machine wire fizzing sound effects. Luke's head is seen in the helmet staring back at him.

  Sure by storytelling standards this is a bit of a cliche moment (but it's hard to achieve a moment this powerful and not be) but this is also a crucial turning point in the film. It's the first time Luke and the audience confront the idea of Luke turning to the dark side (it's also a huge foreshadowing of the idea that Luke will become the very essence of his father [a theme so popular that upon the film's release everyone thought Luke would be Kylo Ren going into the new film, 30+ years later); a constant theme throughout the remainder of the franchise and arguably the most important conflict of these films; the reason why these films are as good as they are. Luke finds himself in those woods because it's the first time he has to choose a side or even realize that choosing a side is even an option or reality for him at all. And so it is here that the hero's journey finds its nitche; it creates a purpose; Luke has a reason for choosing light over dark... At least that's only the very beginning of Luke's struggle. The struggle doesn't become real until Cloud City... 

Sh*t's about to go DOWN

  At this point Luke thinks he has to choose a side but his options never become more clouded than on Cloud City (it's a fitting name for a place like this). But BEFORE we continue with Luke, let's jump back to the rest of the gang for a sec.

  While Leia, Han, Chewie and the Professor escape worm holes (literally giant holes that end up being worms), they land the Millennium Falcon into the third act where they are greeted by old pal Lando Calrissien at Cloud City's gates. Naturally one of the best surprises during their entrance is the fact that they've been led right into a trap (thanks Admiral Ackbar) by Vader who SO graciously welcomes them with a full dinner table sitdown. From the moment Vader's revealed the mood immediately shifts. Chewie roars. Han shoots blasts (STOPPED BY VADER'S HANDS [in case anyone was still questioning how badass Vader was, by this point]). Han's blaster is ripped by Force from his hand and into Vader's. Boba Fett steps in for all of one of two moments of the film. Our fallen heroes turn to Lando who looks upon them with defeat: "they arrived right before you did. I'm sorry." To which Han quips back with disappointment: "I'm sorry too." It's a tragic moment but an important one. This brings us to a turning point where naturally Luke comes back and rescues his friends, defeats Vader and they sail through the stars happily ever after, right? RIGHT? 

  Upon Luke's arrival, the audience is one step ahead of him in the plot. We know Vader's there and so we can do nothing but fear from him. But everything's gonna be okay, Luke trained with Yoda so now he has the skills to overthrow Vader and bring balance to the Force, right?... RIGHT??? 

There's something to be said about Empire that's beautifully tragic. On paper, yeah it's just a regular Star Wars movie but remember, the mood has shifted for this film. The comic reliefs don't ambush the villains with goofy weapons or jokes to make the moodiness lighthearted. Our heroes are in a legitimate threat and of course they're not gonna kill any of the leads, but this is the next closest thing.

  Once Luke shows up and meets Vader face to face, things instantly get interesting. Luke is there, dead set on freeing his friends and killing Vader, that's right killing Vader. Upon learning the terrible truths (we're almost there don't worry), Luke has no other mission in mind than to murder him. The way Luke fights; the way he swings his lightsaber; he's angry, and for good reason. For Yoda's sake, this is the man that killed Ben Kenobi; who killed Luke's father...... RIGHT???

  The big twist of the movie is arguably THE most well known twist in all of Hollywood. Still doesn't take away from the fact that it's the most vital and important piece of Star Wars history and the driving theme of Luke's journey. FINALLY the hero's journey is more than Luke just fighting darkness just to become a Jedi. He must now face the fact that his FATHER is the biggest, baddest boss in the entire galaxy. The poetic irony of Luke having to continue his quest at becoming the hero with this knowledge is literally the driving force of the franchise (force pun intended?). It's a game changer and a brilliant way to shake things up. What's better is Vader has already cut off Luke's hand at this point, reaching out to him (LITERALLY) asking him to join him. And honestly, it's f**king BEAUTIFUL. Let me break for a sec.

Making an offer you won't refuse

  Luke must be recognized for this specific moment for THIS reason. Now this is a fellow who was basically orphaned, never knew his real family, harvesting water as a f**king FARMER on a DESERT (get it together Lars) and has dreamed of being a pilot among the stars. And after thinking he had destroyed the man who is (like I said) the biggest, baddest boss in the whole galaxy, Luke finds out that this dude is his own damned DADDY; the baddest of the bad; a force (pun intended for real? Cmon guys) who CHOKES people from across the room while never lifting more than a hand; a man who's anger amounts to the voice of James Earl Jones calmly saying "I find your lack of faith disturbing" before hurling his victims into titanium walls; a man who is such a boss, all he has to do is waltz into a room with his big black cape and immediately everyone cowers in fear; a man who OWNS the Galaxy. So I must ask, for the naysayers in the room... Who WOULDN'T want Vader as a father?

  I mean think about it, Luke joins Vader, hangs out on the darkside, and he's set for life. He never has to work again. Sure he's asked to take over the family business and rule the Empire but in a sense, by joining Vader, Luke gets everything he's ever wanted in life. He's reunited with his long lost father among the stars and gets to be that pilot and gets to rule the Galaxy... Not that Luke ever really wanted exactly THAT, but hey, it's a really sweet offer.

  But this is Star Wars and Luke must fight the good fight and fight for the good of the new hope (*eye roll*). And so he chooses to jump down the endless shaft into an unknown void of escape, one handed, ultimately hanging by his legs on a pole beneath the space station with inevitable endless clouds of death beneath him (though to be fair, clouds of death are better than many other forms of death. Luke DOESN'T have it that bad right now. But let's hold on Luke for one sec and rewind.

  Before the big reveal, before Luke shows up, Han and the gang are suffering the consequences of Lando's betrayal. Boba Fett steps in and has his ONE shining moment in the entire franchise and he does it without lifting his blaster. With Boba's one and most recognized line, "he's no good to me dead," Vader prepares to essentially ship Han out as a package to Jabba's palace. Now save for the fact that they added this storyline in because Harrison Ford's contract was only for two movies, it's a pretty cool and fairly bleak way to go out... At least in a galaxy far, far away. And so Vader prepares Han to be frozen in carbonite. Carrie Fisher says "I love you," to which Harrison improvises "I know," (like a boss) after trying out a tasteless "I love you too," one too many takes. He accepts his fate willingly. He's lowered into the chamber. The wind gusts through Harrison's wavy brown locks and BOOM. HAN SOLO CARBONITE REFRIGERATOR DOOR (now only $159.99!)

no really, this is an actual thing.

Our heroes are banished. Han becomes a piece of décor for Jabba's living room. Lando takes control of the Falcon and escapes with Leia, Chewie and the professor into an unpredictable future and Luke is left hanging (literally) to die, one handed, amongst the clouds.

  Our heroes FINALLY reunite (and it's only the ending too). Leia 'feels' Luke's presence and knows to turn the ship around to find him; a solid foreshadow to Luke and Leia being more linked than they or the audience realizes (spoiler alert but not really: they're brother and sister, a spoiler saved for the next movie as to not overshadow Daddy Vader). The Falcon picks him up. They give him a robot hand (good as new!) and they sail off into the stars as Vader wins the day.

  Now I know what you might be thinking; the ending's not as bleak as it sounds. Our heroes are in despair but it could be a lot worse. What this ending does though is it kinda sucker punches both our heroes and our audience. It flips expectations on our heads because we totally go into Empire expecting Luke to beat Vader being a now experienced Jedi. But what's great about it all is it shows that Vader is even better than the villain we mistook him for in the first film. Now don't get it twisted, Vader makes his presence VERY well known from his first entrance in ANH. We never questioned his level of being a boss but Hollywood might have. 

  Not initially green-lighting a sequel for George changed the outcome of that first film. We blow up the Death Star. Vader is seemingly dead (or is he? In fact I believe there is a shot of Vader in his TIE fighter escaping the explosion into the starry night). POINT IS, it was all setup. As good as ANH is (and it really is outstanding), Empire takes Star Wars to that next level and shows us why we really love this franchise. When most people think about why they love Star Wars they think about it as a franchise and when you think about the best parts of Star Wars you think about Vader being the best villain in movies; you think about Yoda; you think about legit lightsaber battles (considering the lack of enthusiasm in Obiwan and Vader's encounter, Empire consists of the first fight that actually amounts to something worth worrying about [and what an outstanding lightsaber battle it is]); when thinking about Star Wars you think about what builds this story as a FRANCHISE. Sure there are the select few who aren't really on board with Star Wars as a franchise and really only dig the original; I know some of those people. But MOST people love Star Wars because of its rich, grand universe and Empire is where all of the stakes are upped. Empire is where we jump from 'good' to 'mind blowingly orstanding,' and like I've said, and I can't emphasize it enough, ANH is great but I don't believe that a person can truly appreciate the grand universe that Star Wars has to offer without at LEAST acknowledging Empire. Hell, I'm even okay with you not acknowledging Jedi (do I personally feel like everyone overreacts to Ewoks teddy bears defeating the Empire at the end of three, long hard-earned movies? Sure) but you can't acknowledge what's truly GREAT about Star Wars as a franchise, without taking Empire into account.

  The movie is so important to cinema because it's not just an outstanding film on its own two feet (it's the 1980 equivalent of The Dark Knight in the sense that as good as the original is, you don't need it to appreciate the sequel as its own thing) and I'll even go as far as saying that if you wanted to be a crazy person, you could ditch the original Star Wars altogether and just accept Empire as the standalone Star Wars movie and again that is NO backlash to ANH or how hard George worked at the original (or how GOOD the original is), it's merely highlighting the fact that we can't talk about Empire enough because essentially it alone paved the road for Hollywood sequels everywhere.

  I'm going to very quickly reiterate that Empire paved the road for HOLLYWOOD sequels everywhere, not just sequels in cinema, in general because that award goes to The Godfather Part II, which came out six years before Empire. You can't mention sequels in cinema without acknowledging The Godfather Part II as the literal godfather of movie sequels. But if the original 1977 Star Wars literally invented the term 'Summer Blockbuster' (and it didn't, Jaws did that same year), then Empire invented the "sequel blockbuster" for the sole fact that Lucas made it okay to continue your story for the singular purpose to entertain audiences. Yes, Godfather holds the (arguably) better sequel, but Empire literally inspired fantasy franchises to put out not just sequels, but excellent sequels; sequels better than their predecessors, and they can't go without mention: Aliens, Road Warrior, T2: Judgment Day. Now, am I saying that Jim Cameron and Ridley Scott were watching Empire in 1980 and going "OH, sequels are okay and it's okay for them to be better than the original," of course not. I'm sure sequels were a thought in people's minds from the getgo; the second a movie blows up the box office. But without Empire, I can confidently say that sequels wouldn't have been shaped the same way they've been over these last three-and-a-half decades. Would we have gotten there eventually? Sure, people LOVE sequels. Hell, look at movies the last 10+ years: all sequels and remakes. But Star Wars was the first sequel to put a landmark on Hollywood blockbusters and needs to be recognized because of it.

  Because at the end of the day, Empire is just THAT good. It consists of the whimsical fantasy that makes Star Wars Star Wars, but it's also everything you could want in a movie; I said it earlier, it's a throwback to the days of swashbuckling heroes dueling with villains in capes; the beginning of the hero's journey; finding out the purpose of one's quest; leaving our heroes in dismay; creating legitimate threat to our franchise; focusing on what makes a film great: the tight script; ACTUALLY plausible dialogue in a Star Wars movie (yes the campy nature is there but it's the only Star Wars script that doesn't fall into totally goofy territory at some point), the acute direction (like I said, believable romance [the only time it's ever happened in SW history]); the mystical training with a wise old creature; the inevitable build to the rise of a villain and the fall of a hero; the DISMAY; the big twist; the pulling the rug from under the audience's feet by giving us the most influential twist in all of cinema (if Empire were to come out today, the twist wouldn't mean anything to anyone because it's been done so many times [BECAUSE OF THIS MOVIE]); it's just THAT DAMN GOOD.

  

  I don't know what else to say. Accuse me all you'd like of getting on the Empire train and blindly worshiping the film as a flawless piece of cinema (it's not flawless of course but the movie's good enough to not acknowledge the flaws) but watching Empire is the epitome of feeling like a kid again. It has that affect over me and has transcended time (and space?) in cinema and there's a reason people are still talking about it, almost 40 years later. The most important, vital piece to note is the fact that while yes, it's an outstanding film in its own right, we remember Empire because everything about Empire represents why we love Star Wars so much. Star Wars is arguably THE most important franchise to cinema. It is a global phenomenon and as of this last month, it consists of one of the highest grossest movies of ALL TIME (and we're not talking about the 1977 original, we're talking about a movie that came out A MONTH AGO [YES dammit I know inflation is a thing no one takes account for BUT LET ME HAVE MY MOMENT]). 

  Star Wars is SO ridiculously important to movies in general and though the original is the movie we have to thank for that, it is The Empire Strikes Back which stands for why we love sequels and franchises. It's so overwhelmingly influential that without it, sequels and franchises wouldn't be what they are today... Okay like I said, we'd get there eventually but it's BECAUSE of Empire that sequels and franchises were not only tolerable but desirable. And as much as people rag on the Ewoks, I think most people would argue that they would take Jedi as an acceptable trilogy capper, over The Godfather Part III (if we're being totally honest) and that INFLUENCE exists because Empire changed the whole game for cinematic sequels. We have it to thank for everything good in movie franchises, and because of that, Empire alone will stand the test of time. And if you don't agree, I find your lack of faith disturbing. That is all.

May the Force be with you.  

May the Dark Lord have mercy on your pathetic soul.