The Empire Strikes Back is often considered one of the best sequels of all time and the best of all the Star Wars movies. A New Hope was about a young man who followed his dreams of being a pilot and found a purpose and camaraderie in the rebellion. The themes in the sequel are more mature, although the film doesn’t shy away from a joke. While A New Hope set up many ideas and characters, The Empire Strikes Back expands upon them in such satisfying ways. The film steers away from focusing on the rebels as a group and instead dials in on our central trio. While everything about the movie is bigger and better, from its production design to the score, the story becomes smaller, a brilliant choice by Lucas and writers Laurence Kasdan and Leigh Brackett. 

The film picks up three years after A New Hope. Luke Skywalker and the rebels have destroyed the Death Star, but the fight against the Empire is not over. Darth Vader escaped the explosion, and the rebel base on Yavin 4 was exposed. The Rebel Alliance needed to relocate to a new planet, Hoth, to head their operations. Han Solo and Chewbacca joined the rebellion, too, but they know the bounty is still on Han’s head. He claims he needs to deal with Jabba the Hutt, much to Princess Leia’s secret disappointment. These two are always sassing each other; bickering and quarrelling are how they flirt. They only stop when Han has to rescue Luke from the Yeti that attacked him. The trio has gotten exceptionally close over the last few years. 

Darth Vader is desperate to find Luke. When the Empire gets word from their probe that there are lifeforms in the supposedly uninhabited Hoth system, he immediately instructs the Admiral to change course there. Once the rebels realize their position has been compromised, they start shipping everything and everyone out. The Empire gets there quickly. Rebel fighters must protect the transports so they can relocate once again, and ground troops are battling the AT-ATs. Luke is a commander now, and he leads a squadron against them. Han, despite claiming he’s going to leave, keeps coming back to save his friends. His big talk is a ruse for a soft heart. Eventually, everybody escapes, although Luke splits up after he decides to follow the instruction from Obi-Wan’s force ghost to go to the Dagobah system to learn about being a Jedi from Yoda. 

The splitting up of the characters allows them to move their character arcs forward. Luke chooses to go down the spiritual journey of becoming a Jedi. He assumes that Obi-Wan sent him to train with a great warrior, but Yoda isn’t concerned with teaching battle strategy. Luke is an immature young man with little patience and a love for adventure. Yoda hesitates to instruct him at first, but Obi-Wan convinces him to teach Luke the lessons that really matter: patience, determination, commitment, peace, and positivity, to name a few. Luke learns the best he can, but their lessons are not without conflict. After seeing a force vision, he wants to save his friends, but Yoda believes he should stay to continue training. This struggle between love and avoiding attachment plagues every entry of the Skywalker Saga. It calls into question whether the Jedi are as good as they present themselves. Although in the original trilogy, they are certainly considered the good guys.

Somehow, in a spectacular sci-fi film, the writers include a beautiful love story. Han and Leia invented the forced proximity trope. They try to get away from the Star Destroyer chasing them, but they end up stuck aboard the Millennium Falcon, hiding in the asteroid field. As Han attempts to leave the Rebel Alliance, Leia is battling her feelings for him. She’s a leader of the rebellion, and he’s a scoundrel! She can’t possibly be in love with him. Her emotions seem at odds with her strong sense of morality. Han struggles with his desires, too. He enjoys being free, not tied down to anything besides his ship and Chewie. Unfortunately, he is too good of a man to actually leave the rebellion, not to mention he’s now emotionally invested in Leia. Only at the end do they come to terms with their feelings. These two invented romance. They have stolen kisses and heated exchanges. Most importantly, their love improves each other.  

Darth Vader was primarily an enforcer in A New Hope. In this film, he becomes three-dimensional; he has a personal goal that may not align fully with the Empire’s best interests, no matter how he tries to spin it. Also, without Grand Moff Tarkin, he gets to be the primary leader of the Empire apart from the Emperor. It’s hilarious to watch him cycle through Admirals as they continue to disappoint him throughout the film. We also learn he is not the robot he appears to be. He is a man with damaged skin. He cares about family. He’s invested in what he and Luke can be if they work together. He is a great war strategist, not just an ultra-powerful force user. The character has moved beyond mere aesthetics. 

The performances are just as great on the hundredth rewatch as on the first. Mark Hamill is more often than not talking to nobody, and he’s spectacular at it. Acting without a human being across from you can be a difficult task. Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford have insane chemistry. Everybody who contributed to Darth Vader, including James Earl Jones, is also fantastic. They brought him to life perfectly. I haven’t even had the chance to comment on the character of Lando Calrissian! It must be noted that Billy Dee Williams is so utterly charming. Although he looks sleeker, Lando’s a little more seedy than Han, which makes Leia more appreciative of Han. 

As mentioned, every aspect of the film has improved from the previous one. In this film, we get the iconic Imperial March from John Williams, the perfect auditory companion to the look of Darth Vader. Irvin Kershner took over directing from George Lucas, who directed A New Hope. He was able to transition the film to the mature tone it needed. Also, Lucas found his concern for character appealing, which paid off a hundred times over. The film is edited perfectly between Luke, Han and Leia, and Darth Vader, all equally balanced, with their stories easy to follow. The cinematography is among the very best of the series, especially when Han is being frozen in carbonite and Luke is fighting Vader. Every environment feels tangible and real. The VFX holds up nicely despite the film being released 45 years ago. It’s easy to get caught up in the excellent filmmaking, but the character work is so rich, their arcs baked into almost every line. Speaking of which, there are about 10 iconic lines, all of which anyone on the street could quote. The Empire Strikes Back is synonymous with culture. 

It is difficult to comment on a perfect movie besides giving it compliment after compliment, which I fear I did. There are endless words about what The Empire Strikes Back means to film culture, the film industry, and society. One of its lasting impressions is how it became the measure of how all sequel films are judged. It set the standard that so few films have been able to reach. It must have been so radical in 1980 to write a sequel where our group of rebels didn’t “win the battle” per se. They lost. The film ends on a melancholy note. It doubles down on the notion that the fight against evil is not an easy victory. We must take comfort in our loved ones, stay dedicated to being good, and remain vigilant against tyranny. The Empire Strikes Back is not just a movie, but a work of art.