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I'll go to my grave believing The Empire Strikes Back is the bravest sequel of all
times.
Instead of following in the wake of A New Hope, it tried out a different road.
It turned everything we'd seen in the first movie on its head and came out on top.
It took the risk of potentially alienating audiences and a budding fan base, and this
risky gamble yielded one of the most beloved and respected films of the franchise.
Whatever praise we shower Empire with, none is more important than pointing out its refusal
to rest on its laurels and settle for being a slave to A New Hope's template.
Whereas the first film is optimistic and carefree to a fault, Empire is a cautionary tale, a
reminder of what happens when underdog David cannot defeat humongous Goliath.
The shift of tone is not too radical, however.
It hasn't shifted from a fairy tale in space to a brutal account of civil war.
No, it's still a space opera, only seen through a different prism.
As we'll come to learn, to understand how Empire made good on its ambitions, is to understand
how to take a calculated risk.
The tone of A New Hope gave away the ending.
It was obvious the heroes would pull ahead of their adversaries.
The excitement stemmed from their overcoming one obstacle after another to earn ultimate
victory.
Empire tries a different tack.
By conscious design or not, the movie deconstructs the concept that heroes must always win in
order to be heroes.
One element that Empire retains from the previous movie is the theme of "united we stand."
It may not seem that way at first glance, not when Han Solo and Princess Leia spend
half the movie hiding from the fact they care for each other.
Leia is standoffish and actively in denial, while Han is too arrogant and egotistical
to make things easier on the two of them.
The walls begin coming down throughout the movie, but never to a degree that's wholly
satisfying for the characters.
And they're cruelly torn apart before they reach emotional intimacy.
Two ways of looking at this outcome.
We can be angry/sad that it took Leia and Han so long to arrive at a moment where they
could be vulnerable with each other, or we can be happy they at least made it that far.
Taking the latter stand is the best way of approaching this film emotionally.
Han and Leia are far more humanized in Empire, but the deconstruction of idealized heroism
affects Luke Skywalker more obviously.
His first scene in the movie ends with him bushwhacked by a snow monster.
Later on he escapes, but if not for Han Solo, he would've died of exposure in the cold
wasteland.
Unlike in the Battle of Yavin, Luke is not the ultimate hero in the Battle of Hoth.
He does come up with the perfect means to bring down the Imperial Walkers, but it falls
upon a different pilot to carry out the deed.
Luke is responsible for shutting down a Walker all by his lonesome, but impressive and gravity-defying
though it may be, it's a hollow victory.
It doesn't slow down the Empire's assault on the rebel base, so the euphoric rush of
victory peters out pretty fast.
To remind the audience
he's no superhero, but a fallible if well-intentioned person.
Even his one victory in the dream fight against Darth Vader is tainted by the suggestion Luke
is vulnerable to the dark side.
He tries his best in the duel against the real Vader, but he's outmatched in combat.
As in the beginning, he escapes death with the help of friends, not by his own means.
I want to make clear that's not a bad thing.
We should not be angry that Luke needs assistance to escape disaster, we should celebrate that
he has friends willing to risk their own necks to save his.
We should not be upset that Luke fails at his tasks; we should rejoice that he even
tried, and that he's willing to try again.
The main characters make up the soul of this movie.
Despite their differences, it's easy to tell that nothing comes ahead of their love
for one another.
Not freezing temperatures, not a Jedi training, and not even pursuing Imperials.
To put it simply, Empire is about looking at the glass half-full.
You can either concentrate on the big defeats, or on the small victories.
It's easier to remain optimistic when you have a string of victories to egg you on.
The real test of character comes when disaster hits.
A New Hope is very efficient at getting its audience to feel good, and that's a worthy
accomplishment.
But Empire prepares us for the more frequent moments in life when things won't go our
way.
Both are indispensable and in need of each other.
Pretty much like the characters in the story.
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