Ups The Ante In Every Way Possible

Rating: 10/10 (13 February 2012)

Following the monumental success of "Star Wars," this opened up the opportunity for George Lucas to release the final two movies in the trilogy he set out to create. That's not saying that "Empire" didn't run into its fair share of problems, but regardless, this feels much more polished than "Star Wars," and that is saying a LOT.
Now, I certainly think that "Star Wars" is one of the greatest motion pictures of all times, a fantastic, A+, perfect film. The sequel, "The Empire Strikes Back," however, is a complete game changer. Everything is bigger and better than ever. The visual effects are superior to the already impressive originals, and the actions sequences are more explosive, but even from a storytelling standpoint, "Empire" takes things to a whole new level.
The story continues with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and the rest of the gang at the Rebel base on the ice planet Hoth, but following an attack by an Imperial fleet, the team is split up, with Luke setting out to the Dagobah system to train with the ancient Jedi master Yoda, and the rest of the gang evading capture by the evil Darth Vader, who is back and more villainous than ever. The story this time around is much darker, much more mature, and more fleshed out. It develops the story without being a mere retread of the previous film, and yet, it still maintains that trademark Star Wars feel that made the first one so good. The comic relief is sharper and wittier, the characters are developed in a really natural and fascinating way, and the new characters like Yoda, Boba Fett, and Lando Calrissian also perfectly find their niche in Star Wars lore, fitting in perfectly with the rest.
All in all, "The Empire Strikes Back" takes everything that made the first film so fantastic, and improves it significantly, and then turns it on its head. If "Star Wars" is one of the best sci-fi fantasy films ever made, then "The Empire Strikes Back" is THE best sci-fi fantasy film ever made. One of the few perfect films in history. I love this movie, and I can't rave about it enough. It's a classic.