Probably the best of the "Star Wars" series, "The Empire Strikes Back" was the sequel to the immensely successful "Star Wars" film from 1977. The follow-up retains the strengths of the original: great sets, costumes, cinematography and special effects. The story is even tighter and with more action than "Star Wars", and there is plenty of quality comic relief. Upon its release, "The Empire Strikes Back" became the second highest grossing film of all time, with only "Star Wars" ahead of it.
The theme once again is good versus evil. Evil is
represented by Darth Vader (chillingly voiced by
James Earl Jones), made more imposing by his
black cape and helmet. Vader represents the
Empire, which is bent on interstellar domination.
Battling Vader is Jedi master Luke Skywalker
(Mark Hamill), cynical but passionate Han Solo
(Harrison Ford), lovely but humorless Princess
Leia (Carrie Fisher), marvelous clumsy comic
relief invention and robot C3PO (voiced by
Anthony Daniels), feisty, bleeping robot R2D2,
and incoherent but endearingly loyal Chewbacca
(Peter Mayhew).
Skywalker takes time out from battling the Empire
to receive training from wise, aged Yoda (voiced
by Frank Oz), while Solo and company try to hide
from the Empire on a planet run by the
unpredictable Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee
Williams).
"The Empire Strikes Back" is a highly
entertaining film. It is difficult and even
pointless to look for flaws, although one could
ask why only a handful of creatures can
effectively use the Force, and one can wonder if
those who can use the Force constitute an
exclusive club that one can still attend even
after death. You may conclude that Imperial
Stormtroopers are all really bad shots and should
attend remedial marksmanship classes, while their
counterparts manning the controls of Empire ships
share their inability to hit a target.
In the end, the viewing must discard a cynical
approach to the film, and simply enjoy the
production values that come from a massive budget
and meticulous planning by producer George Lucas.
The dual protagonists of Skywalker and Solo,
working independently, with different goals and
methods, and yet acting in concert against the
Empire, creates much more variety and depth than
found in a typical action film. Minor elements of
the film, such as Vader's method of promoting
Empire officers, and his sinister pleasure in
serving Solo to the Alien bounty hunter, work
very well. And comic relief is always around the
corner, especially from C3PO, but also from Yoda
and Solo. (93/100)
Considered the most morally and emotionally complex of the original Star Wars trilogy THE EMPIRE STRIKE BACK continues creator George Lucas's epic sag...More at Family Video
The sequel to Star Wars chronicles the further adventures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo in their battle against the dark side of the F...More at HotMovieSale.com
Original Title: Star Wars - Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (Full Screen Limite Edition)Actors: Billy Dee Williams - Carrie Fisher - Harrison Ford...More at iNetVideo.com
For the first time ever and for a limited time only, the enhanced versions of the Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire St...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.