The darkest in the series...

Rating: Null/10 (8 January 2001)

Empire takes us from the bright colors of "Star Wars" to the desolate whites and greys of "Empire". The film takes place a few years after the first, where the Rebels have been forced to evacuate their jungle planet fortress for an icy hide-out. However, things get complicated when the Empire forces them to escape. As the base evacuates, Luke journeys on a quest to learn more about the force while his friends in the Millenium Falcon become hounded by an Imperial fleet directly under the command of Darth Vader and aided by a group of skilled bounty hunters. This all leads up to one of the most stunning conclusions in motion picture history. Although "Empire" is, when you come down to it, a chase movie, it manages to rise above it with stunning visual FX(The effects are so good they were hardly touched up at all for the special editions) and direction by Irvin Kershner. Even Mark Hammil gives a powerful performance as Luke.