The Empire Strikes Back DVD
20th Century Fox Home Video
Rated: PG
Genre: Sci-Fi
Length: 129 minutes
Director: George Lucas
Year: (1980)
Britt Gillette's The Empire Strikes Back DVD Review
It all begins, "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…" And the Star Wars saga continues to this day.
No personal film library can possibly be complete without the greatest trilogy in cinema history (sorry Lord of the Rings fans, but Star Wars is the true king). The complete DVD trilogy offers the three original episodes (which are really episodes four, five, and six) with even more changes made by creator George Lucas for the DVD release.
The three films - A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983) - follow the adventures of young farmhand turned rebel fighter-pilot Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), his sister and comrade in the rebel alliance Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and their mutual friend Han Solo (Harrison Ford) as they work with the Rebel Alliance to wage a galactic war of liberation against the Empire, an evil regime headed by the all-powerful Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) and his notorious henchman Darth Vader (David Prowse with voice by James Earl Jones).
Following the release of the first Star Wars film, the settings and characters brought forth by the imagination of George Lucas took the world by storm. The Director's personal fascination with political history, adventure, and space fantasy is brought to life through the use of ground-breaking special effects and truly original space creatures. Without a doubt, Star Wars is the defining movie series of its generation, spawning entirely new industries to sell its merchandise and quench the desires of its loyal fans for more of anything whatsoever that's Star Wars related…
Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Reestablishing its base on the remote planet of Hoth, an icy wasteland on the outskirts of the galaxy, the Rebel Alliance plots its next move in the insurgency against the Empire. But while Han and Luke are scouting the surface of the frozen planet on their tautauns (one of the few creature indigenous to Hoth), they encounter an Imperial probe droid - one of thousands dispatched by the Empire throughout the galaxy to find the rebel base. While doing battle with the droid, it self-destructs. Alerted by the droid's presence, the Rebels begin immediate plans for evacuation.
It doesn't take long for the Empire to react to its newly gathered intelligence. Several star-destroyers from the Imperial Fleet encircle the planet and Imperial Walkers are deployed on the planet's surface. The alliance fights valiantly, but faces a major setback as they must flee their headquarters in haste and regroup elsewhere.
Escaping the Battle of Hoth, Luke Skywalker sets off for Dagobah, a swamp-like planet where he hopes to encounter the Jedi master Yoda. Luke crashes his ship, and along with R2-D2, he meets up with sought after Jedi Knight. Yoda teaches Luke the ways of the Force, putting him through a rigorous training schedule that includes a brief interlude with the Dark Side of the Force. When Luke feels that his friends are in danger, he wants to go save them. Yoda discourages him because his Jedi training is not yet complete. He warns Luke that his friends are in danger because Darth Vader hopes to lure him into a trap.
Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the Battle of Hoth, Han, Chewy, and Princess Leia seek refuge from Han's old friend Lando Calrissian, Baron-Administrator of Cloud City - a majestic trading post suspended in the clouds of Bespin. However, the fugitive crew does not realize that they've been followed by the notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett who seeks to cash in on the reward offered up by Jabba the Hutt for Han Solo. Boba Fett tips off the Empire, and Darth Vader arrives in Cloud City.
Hoping to capture Luke Skywalker alive so he can convince him to join the Dark Side of the Force, Dark Vader lays a trap with the hopes of cornering Luke inside a chamber where he will frozen in carbonite. Not wanting the Emperor's prize to be damaged, he has the technique employed on Han Solo with Han's encased body given to Boba Fett as a reward.
When Luke Skywalker arrives, the city is locked in battle between the forces of the Empire and the independent mining colony. Luke encounters Darth Vader and the two engage in an exciting battle of lightsabers. Cornered, Luke has his hand cut off by Darth Vader who then reveals to Luke that he is his father. Vader makes an effort to convince Luke to follow him and the two of them can overthrow the emperor and rule the galaxy together. Rather than give in, Luke falls down a long trash shoot where he is rescued by a fleeing Millennium Falcon. Lando, Chewy, and Leia safely retrieve Luke and fly off to fight the Empire on another day…
Britt Gillette
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Posted on 21 November 2004