A bit improved

Rating: 9/10 (30 May 2002)

The Empire Strikes Back is a bit more improved from the original.
First, the writing. The writing in A New Hope really needed a polish, but it really is pretty good here, though nothing Oscar-calibar. Also we get to see the great Yoda here, which he was absent in A New Hope.
Second, the acting. Mark Hamill is better here than he was in A New Hope, probably because he is in more dangerous situations than he was in A New Hope. I think this is because in the original and ROTJ, Hamill was pretty bland and flat unless if he was in a real turning point or in danger, which was pretty scarce in those films except when he found his aunt and uncle dead, or a couple of other situations I forget. Carrie Fisher isn't as semi-wooden here either, she is actually quite good.
Thridly, the effects look more polished. In the original they looked cheesy at best, but here, they look more smooth and real, except for the creatures at the beginning of the film were Luke was stranded. But the lightsabres look better, the sound effects are smoother, and is more pleasing.
Fourthly, the plot is more devolped. The plot in the original felt like it was stolen from a medival fairy tale with princesses, here, it shows more of The Dark Side, the characters are more devolped, the suspence is better, and the events are more layered.
Overall, this is great polish-up from A New Hope. One gripe though would have to be how the irony from the original lacks here, but it is still a great film.
9/10