I think as far as storyline, "The Empire Strikes Back" is the best of the Star Wars movies. In it, we are introduced to Yoda, who explains to Luke (and us) the true meaning and nature of The Force. (Side note: don't believe all the "Midichlorians" mumbo-jumbo. That's just in there because they needed some sort of measurable tool to judge little Anakin's power)

Beyond that, we are given the budding love story of Han and Leia, the wonderful battle sequence at Hoth, and amazing chase through the asteroid field, and of course the climactic scene where Luke, our hero in the story, finds out that his father is none other than one of the greatest villains in all cinematic history, Darth Vader. (Although sadly, the more recent films have made him less purely evil and more simply tragic).

I will grant you that the 3 newer films have better special effects, better fight sequences, and so on. Obviously, movies made 20 years later are going to have better effects, but the Star Wars series has always been the "state of the art" for it's time, and that's how you have to judge each film. As for fight sequences, you have to understand that in that 20 years, film choreography and cinematics have also improved, not to mention George Lucas' budget, so naturally the fight sequences will be better as well. If you're looking for the best fight sequence, the encounter with Darth Maul in Episode I is easily the best, in my opinion. However, it's also the worst of the six films, although I don't dislike it as much as most other Star Wars fans seem to. The "Worst Star Wars Film" is still an excellent movie.

But as far as pure storyline and dramatic effect, you really can't beat "Empire".

Learn more about this author, Tad Wesley.
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