Star Wars Episode V, the Empire Strikes Back (1980, PG): ****
The Empire Strikes Back easily goes down as one of the greatest sequels ever made. On a list of greatest sequels, you will always find the Godfather Part II, Toy Story 2 and the Empire Strikes Back on that list. Which one is the greatest sequel is hard to tell, and ultimately, it comes down to a matter of opinion, one of the biggest components of film criticism. When we compare the film to a New Hope, the Empire Strikes Back is equal to, if not greater than, it's immediate predecessor. It so effortlessly expands upon what a New Hope so effortlessly established, and the characters are at their most developed. Darth Vader appears as the dominating villain even though we know in the back of our minds that the Emperor, shown only in one scene, is the real bad guy. Yoda himself is a central icon of the Star Wars saga; he's at his best during the scenes when he's training Luke to become a Jedi. Of all the Star Wars movies, the Empire Strikes Back is by far the most thought provoking, and very arguably the most technically achieved. It pokes at our minds, making us actually, really think about what all is going on here. It's dark, mind-tingling, thought provoking, very entertaining--simply groundbreaking in all departments. All in all, the Empire Strikes Back just may be the definitive sci-fi movie. Directed by Irvin Kershner.
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