Throwback Review | The Empire Strikes Back

I was about 10 years old when I popped in that shiny THX VHS tape and hit play on The Empire Strikes Back.

I’d already basically worn out A New Hope more than a dozen times, but this? This was next level.

From the first blast of snow on Hoth, I knew I was in for something special. When the credits rolled, all I could think was: “HOLY CRAP!” They built on everything that made the first one magical and cranked it up.

Like every kid back then, I fell in love with Yoda immediately. That little green guy had more personality than half the adults I knew.

The Hoth battle was burned into my brain, but it was the lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader that really got me. It wasn’t just a cool fight… it meant something.

This movie opened up the galaxy in a way my 10 year old brain wasn’t ready for.

Then came the line. “Luke, I am your father.” I didn’t know what a “plot twist” was yet, but I felt it. It was wild to see our heroes lose, to end on what I later learned was a “cliffhanger.” As a kid, I didn’t have the language for it… just that uneasy feeling of “Wait… that’s it? What happens next?!”

Looking back, I get why people call Empire the best of the saga. It’s strong, bold, and undeniably iconic.

But for me, it doesn’t have as much of the magic and joy that A New Hope gave me. It’s the darker middle chapter… the one that made the galaxy feel bigger… and the stakes feel real.