#EMPIRE OF THE HAND MOVIE#

No ordinary person is chosen to become a member of the Empire's Hand, and even excellent soldiers within the Imperial Army often find difficulty joining the exclusive ranks.

They are the right hand of Isegrad's upper echelons, trusted individuals selected to ensure the survival of members of the nobility at any cost. Elite warriors of the Empire, sworn to protect and serve in a capacity beyond just military duty. Not only did Mark Hamill have to keep this secret for over a year, but the knowledge of this truth has its own shock value that has led to the name of вЂњSkywalkerвЂќ becoming the influential force in all of Star Wars.'There are no soldiers more devoted to Isegrad's glory than those that bear crimson armor, the Empire's Hand. The iconic phrase, вЂњI am your father,вЂќ is uttered shortly thereafter and the astonishing revelation is horrifying for Luke and for fans watching it. The directorial approach in the moments leading up to the final lightsaber strike is epic and scary. The ensuing battle leads us to that horrible end we all remember, with Luke landing a glancing blow before Vader slices off his hand. It happens so suddenly and to this day, it still leaves me in a startled state. We hear VaderвЂ™s breath, Luke sees him before we do (again) and he ducks away as you hear the lightsaber ignite. The achievement of this startling moment is when Luke gets closer to the end of this hallway and a few things happen almost simultaneously. In possibly one of the greatest sequences of The Empire Strikes Back, if not all of Star Wars, Luke finds himself walking down another hallway. Despite this dramatic fall, Luke finds himself holding on for dear life, pulling himself up, and again searching for Vader. Vader uses the Force to hurl things at Luke until he ultimately gets sucked out of the room once a window is broken. Darth Vader approaches and pummels him in a way that shows us truly how great he is, and how unprepared Luke is at this point. When he turns completely and then ignites his lightsaber, then we see the terrifying truth behind what Luke sees. Once again, you hear VaderвЂ™s breathing, and you see Luke turn his head towards something thatвЂ™s caught his eye.

#EMPIRE OF THE HAND MOVIE#

At this point in a horror movie people are screaming, вЂњTurn aroundвЂќ or вЂњRun for your life!вЂќ Yes, The Empire Strikes Back isnвЂ™t that type of movie, because the hero has to fight the villain, but it absolutely has that same kind of tension. Luke has to go searching for him, which includes going through a creepy cylindrical hallway and another entryway is closed behind him.

Despite having a positive moment where you wonder if Vader is hurt, heвЂ™s disappeared and that is the ultimate sign of a horror villain. ThereвЂ™s also this uncanny sense of wonder as Luke climbs those stairs, where it just seems impossible to imagine anything other than Vader handing Luke a major defeat or ending his life.Д®ven when Luke gets the upper hand, knocking Vader off a ledge, you suddenly realize that Luke is alone. Yes, we hear Darth Vader before we see him, and that alone is impactful to the senses, but knowing that Luke sees Vader before we do heightens the anxiety level as it all unfolds.

ThatвЂ™s the power of this fight sequence, because the direction it takes leaves us wondering how in the world a movie could ever end this way вЂ“ if itвЂ™s not a horror movie. Similarly, Vader shows some of that same dominance and thereвЂ™s that opening sequence vibe you get from horror films where you wonder, вЂњDoes Luke make it out of here?вЂќ ItвЂ™s amazing to be presented with such an overwhelming sense of dread, especially since this is one of the final scenes in The Empire Strikes Back. The in-between moments of Luke and VaderвЂ™s fight in The Empire Strikes Back are equally compellingДЄs with any horror movie, there is usually some point at the beginning where the вЂњbad guyвЂќ kills off a character we may or may not know to be a main character.

Empire of the hand