Best Film of the Saga

Rating: 10/10 (25 July 2017)

The Prequels? All terrible. Jedi? Okay. Force Awakens? Good. A New Hope? Better. Empire? Best. Without his leash being held like by Tarkin in A New Hope or by the Emperor in Return of the Jedi, Vader unleashes his fury upon the Rebellion (and, unfortunately, a few unfortunate Imperial officers...), showing how massively threatening the Empire still is even after the setback in the last film. The twist it includes was incredibly shocking for moviegoers of the time. Irvin Kershner's visionary character development took the film in a different direction from the technical spectacle that Lucas presented in the previous film. The inner struggles of the characters are greatly manifested, especially during Yoda's passage of knowledge to Luke, Luke's suspenseful duel with Vader, Leia's relationship with Han, and Lando's moral struggle. The Empire Strikes Back's simplicity combined with the infinite wisdom it conveys truly makes it the best installment of the Star Wars saga as well as one of the best films of all time.