Best of the saga is an understatement.

Rating: 10/10 (11 April 2016)

The first instalment established the premise and the mythology of Star Wars, but the characterisation is defined in Empire Strikes Back. Often regarded as the quintessential sequel, Empire Strikes Back emphasises more depth with the characters depicted through emotional dilemmas.
The ideology of the force is also implied with much more significance this time around as opposed to the brief exposition addressed in A New Hope. The training sequences with Yoda are among the best in the saga, exploring a variety of relevant themes and various aspects of the force, notably the contrast between light and dark.
Han and Leia's chemistry was one of the film's highlights. No dialogue came off as cliché or stilted and Harrison Ford's improvisation during the "I love you scene" on his iconic line "I know" was significantly more impactful as opposed to the initial scripted exchange of "I love you too."
Darth Vader is also more compelling in Empire, with the tension paying off with the final climax, resulting in one of the most iconic scenes in cinematic history.
For a film so close to perfection, minor flaws should be noticeable. As much as I love C3P0, some of his comic relief, notably in the Bespin segments, came off as forced and inconsistent.
Regardless, Empire Strikes Back is a masterpiece and one of my favourite movies of all time.