Movie Review: Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
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Meanwhile, Vader, with his ominous John Williams theme music and a fleet of marauding starships, hunts Luke's friends, all fleeing aboard the ramshackle ship of galactic fortune-hunter Han Solo ( Harrison Ford), who maintains a bickering romance in this one with Princess Leia ( Carrie Fisher). Of course the real payoff of this plot is when Luke confronts Darth Vader in single combat, and learns the dread secret of his family tree. Every fan knows it now, but to 1980 audiences (who did not have the benefit of The Phantom Menace and its follow-ups) it was a breathtaking surprise.
For those who think relating this hugely entertaining mix of sci-fi spectacle, fantasy, and funny robots to real life is futile, there is a noteworthy movie that puts the Darth-Luke conflict in an earthly setting. It's an Oscar-nominated Dickensian drama from the Netherlands called Karakter, in which a young man grows up in Rotterdam tormented by the idea that his father is the city's most hated and feared debt collector. The filmmakers couldn't have missed the parallels, even making the dad's looming, cloaked silhouette look like LucasFilm's Dark Lord of the Sith. And "Vader" is Dutch for "father," of course.
Fans of this film will probably enjoy the rest of the series. Other good bets include the Mel Brooks spoof Spaceballs and the fantasy adventure Willow . Older kids will enjoy the slightly more intense Lord of the Rings series. Video game fans may want to check out LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy .
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