Better than the original

Rating: 9/10 (11 January 2006)

As we already know, sequels are rubbish. They are nothing more than someone taking the characters from the original and putting them into a new setting that no one really cares about (see Men in Black 2, Neverending Story 2, etc). But every so often a sequel comes along that is just as good, if not better than the original, such as Aliens, Termenator 2, X-men 2 and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But the Empire Strikes Back is the GREASTEST sequel in film history.
Empire may not be as flashy as the original, nor does it have as much action, but it has one thing Lucus has neglected with the prequels: a good, solid story. Empire, like any other great film, has a few flaws, such as dragging on with needless information and too little of Boba Fett, but it makes up for it with fun characters (including news ones like Yoda and Fett), better SFX and that famous revelation of the truth about Darth Vader. Also, despite what some say, there is character development. For example, in the original, Luke Skywalker was an innocent teenager who hungered for action, while in Empire, he is more mature and serious. In the beginning of Empire he is a little like the Luke from the original, half way through he becomes more impatient and at the end he is emotionally confused.
The film maybe a bit childish, like so many say (but everyone is entitled to their own opinion), but you must remember that the target audiences for Star Wars, as Lucus said, are children.
In closing I'll just say Empire is a great film to watch while you sit down and relax and, like I said for Star Wars, is one you must see at least once.