The best of the Star Wars Trilogy by far.

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 1998)

The Empire Strikes Back has remained one of my favorite films since I saw it as a seven year old in a theater on the Ocean City Boardwalk (NJ). It was the first movie I really cared about--its offbeat and dark atmosphere is still a treat--and it introduced me to a wide range of cinema. Few blockbuster movies are as unconventional and audacious. Unlike the other two Star Wars movies, ESB can be taken seriously or not taken seriously at all and still be thoroughly enjoyed.
Empire is the only movie of the series in which the acting is uniformly solid. Despite their individual flaws, all three lead actors give convincing (if not quite Oscar caliber) performances. Irvin Kershner, the man who directed this second chapter of the Star Wars Trilogy, was a much better director of actors than either George Lucas or Richard Marquand.
The script, penned by the late, great Leigh Brackett (The Big Sleep, Rio Bravo) and Lawrence Kasdan (Body Heat, Raiders of the Lost Ark) is the best written and most nuanced of the entire series. With Kershner's help, the two screenwriters deepen the motivations of the movie's characters. The effect of this is two edged: Han, Leia, Luke and the other characters in the series move closer to us and become mythic heroes at the same time. In ESB, simple facial expressions convey a lot more about the characters than a ton of deadweight dialogue in Star Wars and Return of the Jedi.
Empire's pacing is brilliant. Kershner unleashes the excitement early with two unforgettable action sequences, slows the movie down with a beautiful legato middle act, and then picks up the pace again with a moving and fast paced climax.
The movie's editing and cinematography are nearly flawless. Like Pauline Kael once said, Empire's cascading and visceral images stay with the viewer long after he or she has finished watching the movie.
The Empire Strikes Back has a soulfulness and emotional richness that the other two Star Wars movies lack. Every frame is packed with beautiful, flowing visuals. The picture is a precise, yet heartfelt piece of moviemaking---something that children and adults can appreciate and love.

Empire Strikes Back carries most of the emotional load of the Star Wars Trilogy, yet does so with such subtlety and grace that it is often overlooked in the greater scheme of the "Star Wars Myth". In fact, I would go so far as to say that what transpired in this middle chapter of the series allowed the series to gain "mythic" resonance with the public.
And after all of that it's still ripping good fun.