One of the best films of any generation.

Rating: 10/10 (10 July 2014)

Considered the darkest of the original trilogy, Irvin Kershner not only created a wonder for generations to come, but made cinematic history with a film that was originally released to mixed receptions. Everything about this film is fantastic, with the great qualities that defined its predecessor being apparent in all corners of this film, with an added flare that is so normal of Kershner himself. The storytelling is so much more mature, and the soundtrack by the great John Williams covers this with Darth Vader getting his iconic theme that has defined villains in cinema history, and launched him into the centre of what could possibly be the best villain Hollywood has ever seen.
The grand epic premise of Episode IV which led to the destruction of the first death star had us all rooting for the Rebels, but surely the Empire would 'strike back' and as such the Rebels are quashed in amazing fashion that leads the audience enthralled and gaping for more. Following a special movie, that had re-defined technology in cinema it would be a daunting task to accede this, but again the technological advancements remained on pace with the cinematography and editing being exquisite. Another comparison with A New Hope is that of the storytelling which is nothing short of amazing. Laurence Kasdan did a brilliant job here, giving us not only a better story but a more gritty story whilst retaining some of that humour that defined the relationship of Luke, Han and Leia.
On that note, the characters are masterfully executed with Han clearly stealing the show as well as the climax of the film presenting us Leia's and Han's newly found love which had been developing slowly over the course of the film. Leia, the strong woman that she is, is as good as she was in Episode IV, and Luke who was merely an amateur develops into a well rounded Jedi though his brashness and selflessness leads him to ignore Yoda's plea leading to his epic confrontation with Vader. A well choreographed duel to say the least, but Luke's apparent frustrations and inexperience leads to his own demise at the hands of Vader. What follows next is probably the greatest twist in cinema history. It didn't feel out of place or forced, it just seemed so well done, but that single confrontation and revelation is "Star Wars". Luke- our hero - being the son of the embodiment of evil was such a shock, that the anticipation for the sequel was at an all time high.
Overall, more questions were left than answered, though this can be a recipe for disaster, Star Wars: Episode V did it in such a satisfying way that true Star Wars fans cannot downgrade it. A further testament to the quality of the film is the fact that the editing doesn't take anything away from the overall quality of the film, which maintains its powerful nature till this very day. With the release of Empire Strikes Back, Lucas solidified what would become the most well known series of all time.