Six reasons Why The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars movie

I know. I know. I wrote a post about why Star Wars is the greatest movie ever made. 

So I why would I write a post about why The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars movie. Doesn’t that disprove my first post? 

Maybe it does. 

But I am writing this one anyone anyways. 

Most of the time the saying goes that the sequel isn’t as good as the original. And it in 99 percent of the cases that is true. But Empire changes that narrative. 

Here is why Empire is the best of the Star Wars movies 

1. Lucas said it had to be better than the first one. In numerous interviews Lucas says that the sequel to Star Wars had to be better than the first one. I think that is very telling. He never says that about Return of the Jedi, and you certainly can’t find it in any of the information about the Prequel trilogy. I think Lucas was young and hungry and he knew that if the sequel didn’t work then there would be no massive series of movies that he envisioned.  So he hired a different director Irvin Kershner.  Lucas wanted to get out of the director's chair and move into producing.  Hiring Kershner was a brilliant move.

(Read The Making of the Empire Strikes Back by JW Risler to see what I am talking about.)

2. The main space battle occurs early in the movie. This flips the script from most movies. Star Wars and Return of the Jedi both have their big battle scenes at the end of the movie. 

3. The Imperial Walkers. At first glance these seem to be the most worthless type of vehicle. How could these things walk over rough terrain? I don’t know. But they are still the coolest thing ever. They’re so cool, they make an appearance in the new movie, Rogue One. 

4. Frank Oz. Oz makes Yoda a living being. If Yoda didn’t work, then the movie doesn’t work. Take notice that inspite of all the additional CGI effects that Lucas used in the updates, Yoda is not touched. It isn’t needed. Yoda, the puppet, is a living, breathing being. Remember the movie was released in 1980. 1980. 

5. I Know. The Han Solo death scene in The Force Awakens is emotional. But it is nothing compared to the carbon freezing scene. I remember seeing the rerelease in 1997, when Leia looked at Han and stated “I love you.” And Han responds with “I know,” the audience I saw it with clapped with deep respect. 

6. The Reveal. “No. I am your Father.” I was seven when Empire came out. There was nothing like the reveal that Vader was Luke’s father to throw a seven-year-old’s world upset side down. Now, this reveal is just part of the culture. But for those of us that lived through it originally, remember we didn’t confirmation of Vader being Luke’s father for three years. Three Years people! Without this plot point, there is no prequel series, no Clone Wars Series, and no Force Awakens.

"No, I am your father."

So which Star Wars movie is your favorite?

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