The Best of the Star Wars series

Rating: 9/10 (24 October 2000)

Say what you like about A New Hope, Return of the Jedi, or The Phantom Menace. For sheer emotional power, this one has got them all blown out of the water.
The first time I saw any of the Star Wars movies was when I was laid up at home after having my wisdom teeth removed the summer before my senior year in high school. The movies just blew me away, but not having time to get overly attached to any of them, I decided that the Empire Strikes Back was the best, for many reasons. We get more plot in this movie than in any of the other three. There isn't necessarily as much action as the more exciting Return of the Jedi, nor is it all as new and visually exciting as A New Hope, but the story is more important here than all that extra stuff.
When the original Star Wars came out, people were so blown away by the special effects that no one really noticed what a bad movie it was. Not that it was a terrible movie, but the dialogue was terrible, the acting was atrocious, and the direction was, well, choppy. It was a great movie, but very badly made. Does this ring a bell? Sounds almost exactly like what we have been hearing about the Phantom Menace, doesn't it?
Return of the Jedi was a much better movie than A New Hope. All the actors had gotten a little better. It was a very different cast than in the original. The action was more intense, the story was wrapping up, and we got one final titanic battle with the Empire. Special effects technology had gotten better as well. The biggest problem with the movie was how long-winded it was. How many ways can the emperor phrase the same statement? You'll have to watch it to find out.
Which brings me to The Empire Strikes Back. The action wasn't as intense, the acting wasn't a whole lot better, and loyal Star Wars fans got ticked off at how cute Yoda was. There's really no pleasing some people, you know? They reacted the exact same way with the Ewoks and Jar Jar Binks. Amazing. Anyway, with all these problems, why go see the movie? The answer: here is where the plot thickens. Just when it seemed that the Rebellion had gotten the Empire on the run, the Empire comes back and just about crushes their best hopes. We get the shocking truth about Darth Vader's identity (well, it was shocking when the movie came out...I don't think anyone who has even heard of Star Wars doesn't know it by now). We get crucial hints to the relationship between Luke and Leia. You get murder, betrayal, and a truly terrifying encounter in the swamps of Dagobah (hint: not Yoda). There is so much more to this movie than to any of the others. That's the reason I consider it to be the best so far. I'm ready for Episode II.