THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)

How do you follow up a genuine once-in-a-lifetime pop culture phenomenon like the initial release of Star Wars in 1977?  Well if you're writer/director/producer George Lucas, you use your ownership of the franchise to continue the story but in a unique new direction with a new director (Irwin Kirsher) along with a new up-and-coming writer (Lawrence Kasdan) to take over most creative decisions.  You also decide to bring back most of the main cast (Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse/James Earl Jones, Peter Mayhew) while deciding to introduce some exciting new characters including Yoda (Frank Oz) and Lando Calrissian).  Beyond that.....larger scale, more unpredictable twists, and a cliffhanger ending which left many audiences at the time genuinely suprised.  And what resulted was not only an enduring classic which not only redefined the genre but sequels for decades to come.....on the eve of its 45th Anniversary and just in time for May The Fourth, it's time to return to A Galaxy Far, Far Away!   

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK – 1980

Directed by Irvin Kershner

Starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Frank Oz, David Prowse, Alec Guinness, Kenny Baker, Jeremy Bulloch, John Hollis, Kenneth Colley, Julian Glover, Michael Sheard, Michael Culver, and James Earl Jones

Genre: Space Opera (Audio clip)

Having now rewatched this film so many times over the past 40+ years (😬) with all of the lore and the iconic moments, it feels as if most of it has just been absorbed at this point. If you're of a certain age, you almost feel as if you don't even NEED to watch it.....the Imperial Walkers...."Laugh it up fuzzbal!"....Lando's smooth intro...."Do or do not, there is no try"....the asteroid chase....poor Captain Needa....the way the timing of Hamill's reaction to getting hit with that piping (force-moved by Vader) feels just a BIT off, etc....it has all been burned into my brain at this point! It almost feels like listening to a greatest hits album where you know all of the hits. It also makes it easy to forget just how damn well-crafted EVERY aspect of this movie is. :) 

As much as I love the original Star Wars and as well as it holds up overall, you can STILL feel the seams of what was allegedly an overwrought script with some actors who were not on board with it AND strict budgetary limitations...all saved in the editing bay! (Thank you Marsha) That is much less the case here as this whole thing (this time directed by George Lucas' mentor, Irvin Kirshner) moves breathlessly from one unique location to another with sharp dialogue - refreshingly light on exposition - with every one in the cast 100% on point! It's possible that both Hamill and Fisher have never been better and I could almost say that this was also PEAK movie star charisma for Ford except he would still have three banger Indiana Jones' (plus one Witness) ahead of him. ;) 

These three main leads and the FOURTH main lead each raise their game....that would be the lethal Vader combo of David Prowse working the suit with the late, great James Earl Jones carrying the voice. It's actually tough to choose one standout from this fantastic four - they each carry the movie at critical points. Folks are often giving Ford the lion's share of credit for the Carbonite freezing scene (yes his ad-lib is priceless) but make no mistake that Fisher's mostly reactive acting during that moment as Leia is selling it JUST as well....and John Williams' all-timer score of course!  The latter of which also add adds up to an impressive soundscape (thanks to sound effects legend Ben Burtt among others) which immerses you from the very first scene with the unsettling droning signals emanating from those Imperial Probe Droids. 

And you want droids, we've GOT droids aplenty....and ATAT's and bacta tanks tech's and IG-88's and all of the metallic majesty you could ever want to see on screen! :) Few sequences could possibly top the extended Death Star battle sequence of the previous episode but I could count at least TWO within the first forty minutes which just might. As mind-blowing as the Hoth battle sequence is (including the beats of that iconic Skywalker harpoon take-down which I'm fairly confident laid the groundwork for the truck flip in The Dark Knight plus about a dozen other similar sequences since then), 

There are no shortage of interesting characters and pretty much all of them are given something interesting to do, no matter how little screentime. Undoubtedly as an '80's child, this film was my introduction to Billy Dee - his swagger, his humor - we don't even meet Lando until the last 45 minutes but he leaves an impression nonetheless. ;) During this last rewatch, it even became more obvious just how critical a character Lobot (John Hollis) was to this story even though he has virtually zero dialogue. He has some strong moments towards the end....

What it all adds up to is a superior sequel which MIGHT be the best? I don't know, but it set a high bar which very few (Aliens, Wrath of Khan, T2) have even approached since then. This DOES remain the best entry in the overall Star Wars franchise and as far as I'm concerned, nothing else even comes close. Lucas was undoubtedly the brain-child for this and deserves enormous props for steering the ship in SUCH an inventive direction this time around, but it helped that he was collaborating with some of the best out there. One key take-away from revisiting this is right there in both the text AND the subtext: even THE most gifted of Jedi or filmmakers can never do it alone. 🤫

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Speaking of which, IS this Williams' all-time best score? Not sure but it's certainly up there with Close Encounters, JFK, and let's not forget 'Raiders the year before. It's kind of crazy to think that he did two lush, banger adventure scores back-to-back until...you notice that "Marion's Theme" from 'Raiders and "Han Solo and the Princess" have pretty much the SAME exact two opening notes. 😁 Not that it lessens either romantic theme as a result. It's a bombastic score and never better than the enduringly hummable "The Imperial March" which is not only the best villains theme EVER but likely my favorite piece of music from the Master.

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

You know I can think of few films which have gotten MORE narrative mileage resulting from virtually every other character on-screen finding this ONE other character SO irritating.  I’m referring to C3PO played by Anthony Daniels who I THINK deserves a special shout-out for delivering a fantastic PITCH-PERFECT performance playing some one who has the thankless task of constantly being brushed aside, yelled at, shut down, and ultimately even violently taken apart….and he does it ALL with motor-mouthed aplomb, delivering no shortage of complex dialogue.  He makes it looks easy and I salute him for being NOT the droid compatriot that the Rebellion surely wants but the one which we all DESERVE. (Audio clip)   

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Even though I find the Hoth battle sequence SO thrillers, I still think that the overall GOAT of this film and possibly even the franchise overall might be the asteroid field chase which immediately follows it. The wizards at ILM with impressive stop-motion from Phil Tippett...they just outdo themselves maneuvering the Falcon and Tie-fighters through a series of increasingly large (and closer) rocks floating through space.  This whole setpiece lasts MAYBE less than five minutes but it's a TRUE masterclass in kinetic action filmmaking! 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

Of course EVERYTHING I have cited falls apart without a good outline or plan to follow….and structurally that comes from the script.  The main author of this pivotal episode of what is now a nine episode saga was Lawrence Kasdan, though he also collaborated with Leigh Brackett AND Lucas.  And this very screenplay (which shockingly was NOT nominated for an Oscar that year) not only delivers no shortage of memorable dialogue (it made "nerf-herder" a thing) but is beautifully structured with a narrative which always challenges our heroes, always keeping the audience on its toes. Even beyond the genuine mastery of puppetry and voice-work (from Frank Oz) which contributed to Yoda as a compelling new figure, the screenplay cannily evolves his character from a seemingly simple-minded jungle dweller just giving Luke a hard time into some one more complex....a master trainer with a job to do, trying OH so carefully to avoid past mistakes. (Laid out in the Prequels, yielding mixed results during those films) (Audio clip) 

And when it comes to this film’s lasting legacy, what most remember even almost forty-five years later is….the TWIST, that late story reveal from Darth Vader which blew everyone’s minds at the time and remains one of THE greatest cinematic twists of all time.  Now yes this was one of Lucas’ core ideas for the overall saga but it was Kasdan who formulated it on paper….not only the actual REVEAL but planting narrative seeds earlier in the story AND laying out the aftermath for the remainder of the movie. (Audio clip) 

Undoubtedly this film was a Herculean effort which resulted from career-best work from SO many involved -  from Lucas to Kirschner to Williams – but at the end of the day, it was the screenplay which carried this film over the finish line and for that reason, Lawrence Kasdan is the MVP. 

Final Rating: 5 stars out of 5 

Streaming on Disney Plus, fubo, and Prime Video

So how DOES this rank among all sequels?  Surely in the Top Five, me personally I would rank it just below Aliens and ‘Wrath of Khan….probably just ahead of Terminator 2 and The Color of Money.  Happy 45h Anniversary to THE Greatest Star Wars film and May the FOURTH surely be with you! 

And that ends another HALF-WITTED, SCRUFFY-LOOKING NERF-HERDER review!