An excellent follow-up, for a cinematic achievement

Rating: 10/10 (21 March 2011)

After Star Wars was released, madness came and invaded George Lucas' professional and personal life. Suddenly, a self-avowed abstract filmmaker was the center of media and fan attention. Star Wars became a hot name in cinema, so a sequel was demanded by almost everyone.
The good thing of the original "Star Wars" was that it was made resembling classic Sci-Fi serials in the 40s and the 50s, such as Flash Gordon, so it had an episodic feel: at the end of the original movie, there were many "plot-threads" open to explore: Luke becoming a Jedi, Darth Vader, the fate of the rebellion, etc. So, after three years of production, came "The Empire Strikes Back". And it didn't disappoint.
The movie somewhat loses the light and charming mood of the original, but replaces it with character development, drama and concept exploration. The space adventure feel is more serious this time: it's not the scenario of "saving the princess" anymore, rather a cat and mouse chase, with a feeling of doom surrounding the characters. There is learning, adventure, introspection, confrontation, betrayal, revelations, and at the end, a well crafted cliffhanger, leading to the next movie.
"Empire" is somewhat more respected by Sci-Fi fans than the original "Star Wars", maybe because it took itself more seriously than the last one. The first movie had the mood of a "fairy tale in space". This one has more dramatic and introspective tones, and a more dreadful scenario. At the end, the fate of one of the main characters is left unknown for the audience: this movie took risks.
To summarize, this is not in the same vein as the original "Star Wars", but it has an excellent development, story and tone, which makes this movie an enjoyable experience and an endurable classic. A masterpiece for the Sci-Fi-fantasy genre.
10/10