This Is It; Darkside Version.

Rating: 10/10 (13 November 2017)

Touted as among the definitive way to make a sequel ever, Empire gives the bad guys their due. Darker, somber, and with that now famous plot twist towards the end that every nerd dad introduces to their millennial kid (search your feelings, you know it to be true).
Empire not only expands on the universe that A New Hope established, but they play with it in creative ways, such as the arctic battle on the ice moon of Hoth (why aren't Imperial Walkers a real thing yet in 2017), the chase scene in the asteroid belt (that is clever, especially in 1980), the lightsabre fight (though to be honest, the choreography doesn't age too well with time).
If you watched A New Hope, there's no excuse not to watch Empire Strikes Back.