One for the ages

Rating: 10/10 (24 February 2005)

As great as the original Star Wars may be, The Empire Strikes Back remains the best film in the series. As the years pass, the real achievement of Empire only grows. While the original film has grown somewhat dated in appearance, and Return of the Jedi feels a bit silly now, Empire has maintained remarkable staying power. The effects in the film feel as fresh now as they did in 1980, and as importantly the story and tone of the film still hold an ominous feel and lend the series the grandeur that made it so lasting. Without Empire, Star Wars would have been remembered but not nearly in the same way. Everything that was begun in Star Wars was expanded and improved upon here, right down to the score Remember, this was the movie that introduced the now-famous and ridiculously overplayed Imperial March composed by John Williams. And virtually every scene is now iconic--the Imperial Walkers in the snow, Luke's training in the swamp, the asteroid field chase of the Millennium Falcon, the Cloud City, Luke's lightsaber battle with Vader. When I think of "Star Wars", most of the images that come to mind first are from Empire. The colors and textures of the film are so sharp and rich.
A truly majestic film. One of the great visual statements in the history of movies, and one of the most successful realizations of a movie vision we will ever see.