DIRECTOR: Irvin Kershner

CAST: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Alec Guinness, Frank Oz (voice), David Prowse, James Earl Jones (voice)

REVIEW:

While 1977’s Star Wars (later rebranded as Star Wars Episode VI: A New Hope) was a surprise box office phenomenon, by the time the sequel rolled around three years later, Star Wars now already had a passionate fanbase waiting eagerly for any news of the next installment. The Empire Strikes Back was worth the wait, not only advancing the stories of the three principal characters and sending them on new adventures, but going into deeper, darker themes and interjecting one of the greatest shocking surprise twists in all of movie history. Empire defies the “middle chapter” curse. In fact, of the original trilogy, this is easily the strongest, most accomplished, and most mature motion picture.