Rich and Rewarding...Beautifully Done...Perfect Production Personafied

Rating: 10/10 (10 October 2017)

Anticipation...
Star Wars Fans Waited Three Years for the Follow Up and were Not Disappointed. The Rewards were Many.
Widely Considered, with Miniscule Dissent, "Empire" is Touted as the Best of the Original Trilogy and the Best Film in the Franchise.
The Template, Format, and Style Introduced in the First Film, Homages, Throwbacks, and Classical Storytelling Solidified and now Characters are Expanded and the "Star Wars" Universe became its own.
The Film is Darker, more Violent, and Richly Conceived. The Dialog is more Mature and most of the Fluff and Fancy of the Original is Abandoned for Relationships and Edge of Your Seat Danger.
Failure among Our Heroes is Often and Everywhere. The Suspense is Forever moving the Film along at a Breathtaking Pace. The SFX are Incredible, Detailed, and Amazing. The Sets have Color Schemes that Benefit the Mood of Scenes and Never Look Like Sets.
Believable, Bold, and Brimming with Atmosphere the Entire Production is Beholding to the Detail and Artistry of the Filmmakers.
Taking a Major Chance, Unheard of in 1980, the Movie Ends with a Cliffhanger. After All, wasn't the Original Conceived as a Tribute to the "Cliffhangers" of Old? But it was something that Audiences at the Time were Not Accustomed and it was a Shocker.
Overall, Epic Sci-Fi Fantasy doesn't get any Better and the Movie Holds Up in Today's CGI World and the Film is a "Stand Alone" Achievement of its Own. That Includes the Three-Quels and Prequels. A Major Accomplishment and Movie Entertainment as Rich as this is Rare Indeed.