Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - Movie Review

Rating: 10/10 (20 April 2020)

The Empire Strikes Back is simply one of the greatest films ever made, and it's surprising how well it holds up forty years later.
Everything which was great in A New Hope is back in The Empire Strikes Back, but somehow they managed to amplify the individual elements to make such a world-class masterpiece that very few films in cinematic history can compete with.
The acting from everyone is great, the character dynamics are even better than they were in A New Hope, and the narrative is extremely engaging. It definitely feels like the middle film in a trilogy, but that's not a bad thing because it's a nice bridge between where the characters begin their journey in A New Hope and where they end up in Return of the Jedi.
The lightsaber fights were phenomenal, the scenes with Luke and Yoda on Degobah were enthralling, and the film has one of the best third acts that I have ever seen in a film. There's the big twist with Darth Vader, but that's only one aspect that goes in to making such a tremendous cinematic achievement.
Overall, it's easy to see why The Empire Strikes Back is largely considered to be the best Star Wars film ever made, and it ends in such a way that I can't help but role right in and watch Return of the Jedi.
SCORE: 100%