The Big Whatsit

So how do you follow a film like Star Wars? George Lucas could have approached the sequel to A New Hope by rehashing the original, and no doubt the film would have made its millions in both box office receipts and spin-off merchandise. Instead, he wanted something that weighed in with a heavier blow, an altogether deeper movie experience that would wow fans with its technical prowess and narrative virtuosity.

As it turned out, the making of this sequel would turn out to be stuff of arduous legend. Almost as problematic as the production of Episode IV, difficulties on location, special effects woes, a budget that was spiralling out of control, and endless headaches over the script turned the project into a true labour of love.

Not wanting to handle the writing duties himself, Lucas handed the task to Leigh Brackett, the author of various noir screenplays, including The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye. Brackett turned in a first draft and then died of cancer before work could continue. Rookie screenwriter, Lawrence Kasdan, was then commissioned to polish it off, despite only having a screenplay for a film ‘in production hell’ called The Bodyguard to his credit. No one knows precisely how much of the work belongs to Kasdan, Brackett, or Lucas himself. Rumours abound that the former developed a full script written by Lucas, after the latter ditched Brackett’s draft as being ‘too wordy.’ However, it seems too much of a coincidence to listen to the crackling dialogue between Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher without thinking of Brackett’s words being spoken by Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

Whatever the truth, the screenplay turned out just to be the crowning glory in a movie that is now routinely considered to be the finest entry in the entire saga. We know it better as…

Episode 5 - The Empire Strikes Back

When I watched The Empire Strikes Back for this review, it occurred to me that the last time I caught it must have been nearly three years ago, when the box set of the trilogy was first released on DVD. I didn’t know how the so-called ‘better than even Star Wars’ would hold up, but as it happened I found myself grinning inanely throughout. The snappy dialogue entranced me. The effects had me at the first appearance of an imperial probe droid gliding across Hoth’s icy surface. The film’s emotional weight was heartfelt and logical. I cared about the characters, and suffered as Luke ended his adventure in heartbreaking fashion.

Empire, for all its production pitfalls, came across as the result of everyone involved being at the top of their game. The actors clearly knew their characters and wore them easily and assuredly. ILM had come on so well that dazzling effects from A New Hope now looked routine and unremarkable. Most of all, the story was an absolute delight. Not only did it show the success at the end of Episode IV to be a fleeting victory in the face of insurmountable odds for the Rebellion, it was also packed with a variety of creatively delicious moments. The Millennium Falcon, desperate to elude capture by Star Destroyers, plunges itself into an asteroid field, and finds refuge in a cave inside one of the bigger rocks. But Han Solo’s luck runs true as his ship hasn’t flown inside a cavern at all, but an enormous space worm that takes a bite at the fleeing Falcon. Later, Han realises he can’t run a Destroyer any more, and turns round to attack the much larger vessel. Suddenly, the Imperial officers on board can’t find the Falcon… because it’s clamped itself to the hull of the Destroyer. The latter scene is a genuine triumph of the imagination. It also offers an insight into why a smuggler like Han has managed to stay alive for so long, and thus stays true to the character.

The flight of the Falcon underlines the feeling of desperation that courses through the movie. A New Hope didn’t give much insight into the imbalance of power between the Empire and the Rebellion. Here, it’s painfully clear from the start that things are grim for the good guys. In an effort to hide from Darth Vader’s Imperial forces, the Rebels set their base up on the ice world, a place so inhospitable that going out after dark spells almost certain death. At all times in the film, the villains have the upper hand. As Han pulls every trick in the book to escape, the Empire is always one step ahead, making all his wily ingenuity meaningless when he is betrayed on Cloud City by someone he considers to be a friend. Back on Hoth, Darth realises he can’t attack the Rebels by simply firing on them from space. No matter! Where are those AT-AT Walkers when you need them? Tanks on giraffe-like legs, the baddies have the perfect weapon to deal with those pesky insurgents, leading to one of the most visually exciting moments in the film. The battle between the Walkers and Luke’s speeder fleet is like the overall fight in microcosm. Those fast little ships are nifty enough, but the Rebels are no real match for Imperial might, and their gallant effort against the scary AT-ATs only ends one way as the latter make their ponderous, inevitable way towards their target. Comparisons between this scene and those big elephants in The Return of the King are more than a coincidence, which surely attests to its visual power.

On paper, Luke gets something of a raw deal in Empire. While Han, Leia and Chewie feature in an exciting chase through the stars, young Skywalker travels to Dagobah to learn his Jedi trade from Yoda. Despite the fact his destiny is central to the plot, a potentially slow side of the yarn threatens to engulf him as he is forced to listen to the cajoling, harsh lessons and Jedi soundbites endlessly pontificated by an aged and bad-tempered Master. Yoda turns out to be a two-foot high muppet, one of Jim Henson’s finest creations, and a nightmare to operate as a temporary floor had to be built above the Elstree stage to accommodate his puppeteers. Interaction between Luke and Yoda was difficult as neither character could hear the other properly. And then there was always the problem that this was a muppet! The whole film could have unravelled if they weren’t able to breathe life into the character. Step forward Mark Hamill, who somehow plays alongside the foam and latex character as though he really is talking to an ancient Master. It’s Luke that gives Yoda his sense of credibility, responding suitably to his pronouncements and acting with appropriate awe when the other rescues his X-Wing, showing him the true power of the Force.

As for the Dark Side, the film defers to its fans by ensuring Darth Vader is ever centre stage. This time, the Dark Lord doesn’t have Grand Moff Tarkin ‘holding his leash.’ With the Emperor putting in a fleeting appearance, the emphasis is always on Vader, who gets an iconic, imposing new theme tune by John Williams. Clearly, being an Imperial Officer comes with a very limited life expectancy. Vader methodically works through cut glass English-accented humans as he is outfoxed by the Rebels again and again, demonstrating that in the Empire, failure is simply not an option. We even get to see under the mask briefly, a glimpse of Vader’s head from the rear revealing the yellowed skin and scar tissue that shows he was once human, if little of his humanity now remains.

Frustrated by his troops’ inability to capture the Falcon, Vader resorts to recruiting bounty hunters to assist him in the hunt, introducing a wonderful array of ne’er do wells that made for some of the most imaginative Star Wars figures available. The bare-footed alien is one thing, but it’s here the film belongs briefly to Boba Fett. With his battle-scarred armour and hard-bitten vocal tones (Temuera Morrison redubs Fett’s speech in the new version, a nice nod to his clone roots), the character looks every inch the hard-boiled space bandit, and proves his worth when he figures out how to track Han Solo.

Comedy moments are provided once more by the triumphant reappearance of droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. As before, the pair retains all the quality of an odd couple double act, ever sniping at each other. Yet it’s Anthony Daniels as Threepio who really raises a smile. Whether shouting the odds at Solo’s latest antic, or whining over his lot once he’s been blasted into pieces, he’s always good fun. The scene where he demands that Chewbacca has a responsibility for him, whilst in bits and strapped to the Wookie’s back, during a crucial Cloud City moment is a classic of ill-timed comic moaning.

As if all this excitement and derring-do wasn’t enough, Empire manages a finish that raises so many questions over the finale that it’s impossible not to feel the grim suspense. Being the middle episode, everyone’s fate is left up in the air, and certain characters find themselves in the sort of cliffhanger limbo that raises serious doubts over their future. Poor Han, for all his efforts, winds up frozen in carbonite and handed over to Jabba the Hutt. For a young viewer, the scene is a hard one to take. We’re told he’s in perfect hibernation, yet it’s tough to imagine a more horrible fate for a hero who’s so very much alive for the rest of the movie. As for Luke, who would wish his ending? The film’s young star gets to take on Vader himself, showing that he’s capable of holding his own before the Dark Lord starts employing dirty tactics. Having duelled across various chambers within the bowels of Cloud City, in a fight that puts Obi-Wan’s tussle with Darth firmly in the shade, Skywalker loses a hand, a moment that stretches the film’s ‘U’ rating to its limit.

And then we get the revelation, one of those incredible instances of movie magic that retains all its power after several watches. There’s no preparation for ‘I am your father.’ Until now, Vader has always appeared to be nothing less than the ultimate villain, a ruthless killing machine that’s virtually unstoppable. Suddenly, his character has enormous depth, an entirely new dimension that colours everything he’s done, and all he is yet to accomplish. The scene is framed perfectly by James Earl Jones’s imposing vocals, which enunciate every word with all the impact each deserves. Skywalker’s strangled rebuttal captures entirely the disbelief of the pronouncement, and also proves its truth. Even more than Han’s meeting with the carbonite freezing chamber, it makes the three-year wait for the climactic act an unbearable one. It does its job sublimely, and Lucas showed uncanny astuteness in wrapping it up in secrecy before it was unleashed on the world.

It’s a testament to the overall brilliance of Empire that of the three original films, this one is subject to the least amount of ’special edition’ tinkering. For the most part, its upgrades are largely unobtrusive and add a logical degree of continuity from the prequels, such as in the use of Morrison’s voice for Boba Fett, and Ian McDiarmid’s cameo appearance as Darth Sidious. The CGI also touches up some of the movie’s 1980 effects, and adds some luscious shots of Cloud City that would have been impossible to achieve for the original cut. Occasionally, the changes jar. There’s an added scene with Darth, in which he sounds just like a bad impression of James Earl Jones.

The odd slight niggle shouldn’t get in the way of what is an immense achievement, not only a great sequel but a rare instance of the follow-up improving on the original. Considering the love people have for Star Wars, this is a feat indeed, and I think even the most die-hard fans of Episode IV would struggle to argue that Empire adds depth to the froth of 1977’s offering. It’s also thrilling, visually wonderful and effortlessly well written, and the latter aspect makes the screenplay weaknesses of the prequels so hard to take. There’s just no comparing the insipid Anakin-Padme courtship with the sizzling chemistry shared by Han and Leia. Neither can Episodes I - III come up with a baddie that matches the menace and layers of Darth Vader, or a hero as well rounded and ready to run an emotional gamut as Luke Skywalker. Then again, the same is true for the instalments immediately surrounding Empire. It’s here that all the characters hit their heights, where the plot developments make their hardest impact, and where things are left so neatly on a knife edge. Star Wars lovers can debate this one all they like, but the truth is simple and stark - Empire is the best episode in the saga, and a smashing film in its own right. The Force is most definitely with it.