1) Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Directed by: Irvin Kershner
Written by: Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas
Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness, Billy Dee Williams, Frank Oz, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse
The second ever Star Wars movie is, quite simply, a masterpiece. Where A New Hope dropped us into the midst of a raging conflict between intergalactic forces of Light and Dark, and raced breathlessly toward the closing credits, The Empire Strikes Back is an altogether more serious affair. As it says, right there in the title, the Rebel Alliance may have won the day at the end of the first film, but the Empire is intent on retaliation – and the team of heroes (including the newly introduced Lando Calrissian) find themselves plunged into the fight of their lives.
The beauty of The Empire Strikes Back lies in the remarkable balance between the progression of five major characters, and the momentum of the narrative as a whole. By the time the end credits roll, neither Han, Luke, Leia, Lando Calrissian, or Darth Vader are the same – and we’re delivered to a cliffhanger of legendary proportions.
An action-packed first act, involving an Imperial attack on a Rebel base, leads to the team splitting into two factions. Luke heads to Dagobah, on the advice of a ghostly vision of Obi Wan Kenobi, to find a Jedi Master named Yoda to help him hone his skills. Leia, Han and Chewbacca head to Cloud City, above Bespin, which is run by Lando Calrissian – an old friend of Han Solo. While Luke works to win the trust of Yoda, and learns how to harness The Force, Leia and Han become caught up in the politics of Cloud City – finding themselves betrayed by a manipulated Lando.
As Darth Vader reveals himself to be behind the manipulation, he takes Han, Leia and Chewbacca into custody, and freezes Han Solo in a slab of carbonite – allowing Boba Fett to take him to Jabba the Hutt and collect a bounty. Luke returns to the fray and the third act becomes about his confrontation with Darth Vader, and the iconic scene in which Vader relieves Luke of his hand, and tells him that he’s his father. Traumatized, Luke hurls himself away from Vader and is picked up by the Millennium Falcon. The remaining team members then set off to rescue Han just as the film ends.
Of all the Star Wars movies, The Empire Strikes Back stands alone as contributing the most to the development of both plot and character. No other instalment in this franchise moves the story along quite so much, or in quite such a well-paced fashion. Han becomes accepting of his fate, while Leia becomes accepting of her ability to access The Force; Luke learns the ways of the Jedi, while Lando reveals his true loyalties. Then, there’s Darth Vader, who goes from being a one-dimensional villain, to being a complex, sinister individual with highly personal motivations.
The story becomes personal, too. While A New Hope was about saving the galaxy from a weapon of mass destruction, The Empire Strikes Back is about individuals dealing with the consequences of that heroism – which requires a very different type of heroism altogether. After being mesmerised by this group of characters in the first film, and cheering their successes, this Star Wars sequel has us captivated by these individuals, as they attempt to navigate their way through times of uncertainty, and ever more treacherous hives of scum and villainy.