In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the entertainment world was completely enthralled with a trilogy of films. The original Star Wars trilogy was spectacle of modern cinema. The sound and visual effects have been marveled at ever since it’s release. The first two films of the trilogy are generally considered to be the superior films of the entire franchise. Star Wars, later retitled to Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope, and The Empire Strikes Back, also known as Star Wars: Episode V-The Empire Strikes Back, are widely considered to not only be two of the greatest science fiction movies of all-time, but two of the greatest films ever made.
Even though The Empire Strikes Back is a sequel to Star Wars, the film’s tone is vastly different. In the previous film, Luke, Han, and Chewbacca rescue Princess Leia with the aid of Obi-Wan Kenobi and two droids called R2-D2 and C-3P0, and later destroy the Empire’s greatest weapon, the Death Star. The film is an underdog story with a lighthearted tone. There are a few minor twists, but at the end of the film the good guys win and the Empire and Darth Vader are left broken and humiliated. This carries over to the sequel. Darth Vader is given full control of the Empire’s forces and uses them to hunt down Luke Skywalker and the rebels. Throughout most of the film the protagonists are burdened with struggle, while Darth Vader seems to be getting closer and closer to victory with every scene. Luke trains with the Jedi master Yoda for most of the film and has trouble believing in the Force, flowing energy from the universe and a Jedi’s source of power. Han, Leia and the rest of the gang have been marooned on Han’s broken down starship, the Millennium Falcon, on an asteroid. Vader is having much better luck. After destroying the rebel base where the protagonists are stationed in the opening scene, he successfully uses bounty hunters to track down Leia and Han. He uses them to lure Luke to their location in an attempt to capture him. However at the end, Han is taken away by the bounty hunter Boba Fett, Luke’s hand is severed, and it is revealed that Darth Vader is Luke’s father. This twist and the sudden cliffhanger ending, are very different from the first film. The rebellion is left broken and Darth Vader has won.
Darth Vader is much more dangerous in The Empire Strikes Back. He kills his own men throughout as punishment for failing him. In the first film, Grand Moff Tarkin held him back from killing or intimidating his men. In Empire, Vader expects results from his men and uses force to get them.
Star Wars is filled with mythology and The Empire Strikes Back expands upon it. Luke is taught the ways of the Force by Yoda, after Obi-Wan explained them in the previous film. Darth Vader uses the Force during his climactic duel with Luke as well.
One of the biggest differences is the climactic duel at the end of both films. In Star Wars, the rebels attack the Death Star and Luke uses the Force to shoot at a small opening and cause the Death Star to explode. Luke is the underdog and wins against Darth Vader, who is chasing him from behind. In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke engages Vader in a lightsaber duel. Darth Vader is a former Jedi, and quite experienced with the Force. Luke is the underdog and it shows. He hardly challenges Vader and when he finally does, Vader slices his hand off. Vader taunts Luke throughout the fight and tries to persuade him to join the Empire. At the end of the duel, Luke is beaten and rescued by Leia.
It is crazy how different these films are, but how beloved they are by audiences around the world. These films stand the test of time and continue to thrill and amaze viewers to this day. One can only imagine, what a modern day Star Wars film could do, and the world will see in less than a year’s time. Whatever the outcome of the film is, it will not try to be as good as the originals, because as Yoda told Luke, “Do or do not, there is no try.”
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