The greatest sequel of all time

Rating: 10/10 (20 August 2008)

Like the original "Star Wars" film, "The Empire Strikes Back" always finds itself inside my top ten. It's extremely close in quality to "A New Hope," but I place this film just slightly below that one. This is however, in my opinion, the greatest sequel ever made. Like all great sequels, it doesn't try to be too much like its original. This film has a completely different feel to it, and it proves to be far more dramatic and intense than the last film. In this film we are introduced to one of the most well-known and most-imitated characters of the saga (and movies in general), Yoda. This character brings about not only some of the most humorous bits of the movie, but also some of the most important and challenging ones. It has a bit of a slow start, which is really the only reason I rate it less than the original. I'm not really sure why I prefer the original, but there are few circumstances when I like a sequel almost as much as the first film. The lightsaber battle at the end is probably the most intense one in the entire saga, and if you are unaware of how it turns out, watch it now and find out. This is the only perfect sequel in movie history, in my opinion. A definite favorite of mine.
**** out of ****