#17 Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

In Summary

The Empire Strikes Back is an example of how to get a sequel right.

With the first Star Wars film (later renamed A New Hope), more or less, a self-contained story, the job of The Empire Strikes Back is to turn a single film into a series of up to nine films - which was George Lucas' initial plan after the success of A New Hope.

The only plot thread left unresolved from the first Star Wars film is Darth Vader's escape from the Death Star explosion, making a confrontation between Luke and Vader inevitable. Aside from that, The Empire Strikes Back has a blank slate from which to tell its story and, perhaps more importantly, further build the universe of Star Wars.

In almost every way, The Empire Strikes Back is bigger and better than A New Hope. There are more settings, more characters and more action. However, it is not a film afraid to pause for reflection - none more so than in the scenes on Dagobah where Luke learns the ways of The Force from Yoda.

The overall effect is that it adds a gravitas to the Star Wars universe. This is a galaxy of multiple worlds in a state of conflict against the most evil evil imaginable. Yet, The Empire Strikes Back still manages to strike a balance between that sense of scale and having compelling and relatable characters.

From Luke's conflict between helping his friends and completing his Jedi training, to the tempestuous dynamic between Han and Leia, to the droids, to the newly-introduced characters of Yoda and Lando Calrissian, almost every character in this film has a chance to shine and a sense of their own independent history - which is what further feeds into this sense of a Star Wars universe.

That interplay between the micro and macro in The Empire Strikes Back builds towards its iconic climax, leaving the Rebel Alliance in a desperately wounded state. Having taken the baton from A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back not only increases the appetite for a sequel but is home to several of the most memorable moments in film history.

A Memorable Quote

Princess Leia: I love you.

Han Solo: I know.

Things You May Not Know

• George Lucas funded the entire making of The Empire Strikes Back on his own - costing $18 million.
• George Lucas was so impressed by Frank Oz's performance as Yoda that he funded an advertising campaign to get him nominated for an Oscar, which ultimately failed.
• Writers' and Directors' guilds tried to have The Empire Strikes Back pulled from release as the credits were put at the end of the film - which wasn't the norm back in the early 80s.

One of the Greatest of All Time?
The Empire Strikes Back is a classic example of not only how to get a sequel right but to build a universe around a series of films. The success of The Empire Strikes Back is that it builds a greater sense of a Star Wars universe while also retaining a strong focus on character - which almost every subsequent Star Wars film has failed to do.

Against some of the greatest films of all time, The Empire Strikes Back as a sci-fi film perhaps has the least to say about our own lives but in terms of entertainment, film-making techniques and visual spectacle it is a film that still stands out to this day.