Thursday, December 17, 2015

Movie Review: "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back" (1980)

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Movie"Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back"
Director: Irvin Kershner
Year: 1980
Rating: PG
Running Time: 2 hours, 4 minutes

After the Empire discovers and attacks the rebel's secret base on the ice planet Hoth, the rebels flee to find a new base of operation. Darth Vader and his fleet pursue the Millennium Falcon, which is carrying Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) in the hopes of capturing Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Meanwhile, Luke and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) head to the Dagobah system to seek out the Jedi master named Yoda so he can continue his training.

"Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back" is our overall favorite film is the "Star Wars" saga, as well as one of our favorite movies in general. This film is 35 years old and we still get excited each and every time we watch it, even today. The second installment in this series seems far more character driven than the original, not that "A New Hope" lacked strong characters in the slightest. Here, we get more insight into the character of Luke Skywalker, played a bit more maturely by Mark Hamill, and what the Jedi are fully capable of as Yoda is introduced into the series as an unlikely Jedi master. Luke spends a good portion of the film on the Dagobah system, the swampy marshland where Yoda lives and where Luke crash landed. Elsewhere, Han and Leia's relationship really starts to develop, too, as they eventually confess their love for one another in a really sarcastic but tender first kiss scene. Lando Calrissian also makes his first appearance, suave and powerful but untrustworthy, as does Boba Fett, the elusive bounty hunter with a kick ass outfit. We also get much more insight into Darth Vader himself and his relationship with Luke. Each actor plays their part different and more maturely as we get a more in-depth look at each of their futures within the series.

"The Empire Strikes Back" takes a much darker tone as the Empire starts to gain the upper hand against the rebellion and continues on to a much more somber conclusion than its predecessor. To go along with all of this great character driven story, there are some excellent action sequences with great special effects that still hold up today. The battle on Hoth is awesome as the Imperial At-Ats battle against rebel speeders on the frozen tundra. Then, of course, there is the big lightsaber duel between Vader and Luke, which is great fun with one of the most humongous reveals in cinematic history. We love this movie and it will always be one of our favorites.

My Rating: 10/10
BigJ's Rating: 10/10
IMDB's Rating: 8.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!
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To see our review of "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace," click here.

To see our review of "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones," click here.

To see our review of "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith," click here.

To see our review of "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope," click here.

To see our review of "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi," click here.

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