Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Opening in theaters today

A favorite saying of music critics is that every band is trying to make there "Sgt. Pepper" a nod to the fact that most people consider "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" to be the peak of The Beatles artistic career. Now, with the release of the fifth movie in his saga, George Lucas may have just made his "Sgt. Pepper."

This series had a bit of a rocky start with the release of Episode I in 1999. However, we have seen the series mature and grow but still remain relevant to the 12 year old adventurer in all of us. It is with this chapter that the drama has reached it's peak. All the cards are unfolded and laid on the table, but like a true master of the cliffhanger, Lucas lays everything out for us, only to close up shop and leave us guessing for another 3 years.

This movie is a return to the darker tone we saw in Episodes II + III, as opposed to the Saturday afternoon fun of Episode IV. However, it must be noted that we never get anywhere near as dark as the Order 66 sequence in Episode III.

After 4 movies in the director's chair, Lucas has chosen to reinvigorate his franchise with some fresh blood, he has brought in director Irvin Kershner. The fresh vision behind the camera does show, in all the right ways. Even the most gifted of directors can become isolated and jaded when entering the 5th movie of a series, especially with these movies coming one after another, and each one taking almost 3 years to produce.

The cinematography and art direction are incredible as always, especially upon entering the film's 3rd act and the amazing Cloud City. This film pulls back on the special effects, only to a degree it is still a feast for the eyes and ears, and really lets the story and the characters play out.

Watching this movie one is reminded of the dramatic movements of Shakespeare. It is really this underlying dramatic arc, the heroic archetypes that raise this movie and this whole saga above your standard sci-fi or fantasy adventure movie. It all flows very naturally and never feels like it was forced to follow a paticular path based upon the other 4 movies.

We have a movie where the bad guys are winning, the heroes are given blow after blow, but like all good heroes they refuse to throw in the towel. Secrets are at last revealed, loves are formed and lost, and the stage is set for the grand finale (unless those rumours of a 9 movie saga are true). The next 3 years are going to be a very long wait, but we do have this movie now to enjoy over and over and over again.