The Empire Strikes Back

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Director: Irvin Kershner
Cast: Mark Hammill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams
Memorable Line: "Luke, I'm your father."

Although it is a bridging movie in the Star Wars saga, The Empire Strikes Back is considered by many to the best of the entire series and I must say that I agree.

The Plot of The Empire Strikes Back
The movies starts as we find Luke (Hammill), Han (Ford) and Princess Leia (Fisher) secluded with rebel forces on a frozen planet. After some initial intrigue when Luke encounters a Yeti-like creature, the rebels find themselves ran off the planet by empire forces. Han (andChewie ) and Princess Leia head off with the fleet of rebels, but Luke, directed by the ghostly influence of Obi Wan, detours off to a jungle planet to be mentored in the ways of the force by the mysterious Yoda.

Han pulls out every thing in his bag of tricks to escape the empire's forces and they do finally make their way to a remote sky complex that just happens to be led by Han's old friend,Lando Calrissian (Williams). Meanwhile has started his Jedi studies with Yoda. The tables get turned on Han and empire forces along with Darth Vader close in on Han and Princess Leia. Luke sensing their peril heads off to rescue them and face off with Darth Vader only to have a terrible truth revealed to him.

The Performances, Writing and Direction of The Empire Strikes Back
It seems as if Lucas let go of the reigns of the Star Wars series in this movie. Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasden have crafted the most mature script of all the Star Wars movies and the Kershner's direction supports this maturer and darker take on the series. The actor's performances seem invigorated by Kershner's handling because all of the cast members do their best work in this episode, specifically Ford. My only criticism is that the character of LukeSkywalker seems to come off as petulant at times.

Summary Judgment on The Empire Strikes Back
There's a depth of story and character in this movie that seems lacking across all the other installments. There is time taken to allow the character's and their relationships to breath and mature. Some might find this bridge episode in the series unfulfilling, but I've always found The Empire Strikes Back to be the best of the series.