The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

When The Empire Strikes Back arrived in cinemas in May 1980, the pressure on everyone involved was considerable. The original Star Wars (1977) had become one of the highest-grossing films in history and a genuine cultural landmark, so producing a follow-up that could satisfy rather than disappoint that enormous audience was no small task. Lucasfilm took a notable gamble in handing directorial duties not to George Lucas himself but to Irvin Kershner, a filmmaker best known at that point for smaller, more character-driven pictures. That choice, with Lucas remaining on as producer and story originator, gave the film a noticeably different texture from its predecessor: warmer in its human relationships, more willing to sit with its characters rather than simply hurtle them from one set piece to the next.

The production was based on a story by George Lucas, with a screenplay credited to Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan. Filmed largely at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire as well as on location in Norway (providing the frozen landscapes that open the film), it was a major undertaking by any measure. At 124 minutes it is a film that takes its time, which in a franchise built on pace and spectacle was itself a kind of statement. The returning cast, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher, had by this point settled into their roles with real ease, and the dynamic between the three of them gives the film much of its warmth and wit. Billy Dee Williams joins the ensemble here as Lando Calrissian, bringing a smooth, morally ambiguous charm that the saga genuinely needed. Anthony Daniels reprises his role as C-3PO, providing comic relief that never quite tips into irritation. Hamill in particular is asked to carry a great deal more emotional weight than in the first film, and it is worth noting that his work here stands up rather differently when you consider how he has continued to shape the Star Wars universe, including Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, decades later. For a broader sense of what Hamill can do outside the saga altogether, there is also his very different turn in Batman: The Killing Joke, which is worth a look.

The film picks up the Rebel Alliance on the back foot, pursued across the galaxy by the Imperial forces led by Darth Vader. Luke Skywalker seeks out the Jedi Master Yoda on the swamp planet Dagobah, while Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and the droids find themselves in increasingly dangerous circumstances. It is a plot built on pursuit, loss, and hard choices, and it carries a weight that adventure films of this kind rarely attempt. Whether Kershner and his collaborators fully succeeded in that ambition is, of course, a matter of opinion.

Possibly the best sequel ever made. If A New Hope was the spark that ignited a cultural phenomenon, The Empire Strikes Back took that flame and turned it into a full-blown inferno. This is Star Wars at its darkest, most emotional, and most gripping. From the incredible Battle of Hoth to Yoda’s cryptic yet wise teachings on Dagobah, every scene feels essential. And then there’s that moment "I am your father" arguably the most shocking twist in cinematic history. It completely redefined the saga and gave it a depth no one expected. My daughter was 10 when she watched this film and even though I tried to shield her from it, even SHE had already seen the moment somewhere. Slightly below A New Hope for me personally, but still an absolute masterpiece. One of the greatest films ever made, and a sequel that didn’t just live up to its predecessor but should be the benchmark for what sequels could be.

Looking back at it now, what strikes me most is how confident the whole thing feels, confident enough to end on something close to defeat, to leave questions open, to trust the audience to come back. That is a rarer quality in blockbuster filmmaking than it ought to be, and you certainly do not find it much in the more recent entries of franchises like the ones I have looked at in my reviews of F9 and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. The Empire Strikes Back earned its reputation the hard way, by being genuinely good rather than just enormously popular. Sometimes those two things do coincide.

Rating: ★★★★★  | Year: 1980  | Watched: 1999-03-03

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Trailer

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Where to watch

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Related on Movies With Macca

More with Mark Hamill: The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) · Batman: The Killing Joke (2016) · Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) · Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
More from the 1980s: Nightmare City (1980) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Style Wars (1983) · Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers (1980)
More adventure: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · The Eagle (1925) · Louisiana Story (1948) · The General (1926)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)