Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980): While Luke takes advanced Jedi training from Yoda, his friends are relentlessly pursued by Darth Vader as part of his plan to capture Luke.
This is without a doubt my favorite Star Wars episode. It is the darkest and most personal movie, and the annoying humor is considerably less present.
It starts with a big battle, which I enjoy but those battles were never what hooked me to Star Wars. Luckily the initial battle is the only one of the movie, after which there is plenty of characterization and drama.
In this movie we introduced to Yoda, who is one of the best characters out of Star Wars. Frank Oz and the people that created the puppet are just great. It is incredible how many expressions it can convey. He starts out as another funny creature, but turns out to be the wisest Jedi master. That was very well done. And they way he conveys the backstory of the force was not boring at all.
The relationship between Han and Leia is at the most interesting. They obviously like each other but keep fighting. This is really much more interesting than in Star Wars (where they barely knew each other) and Return of the Jedi (where they’re a boring couple).
Then we’re introduced to Lando, another big character of the saga. His arc goes from friendly, to bad guy, to new ally. And how to forget Boba Fett. For a character who had so little screen time he’s certainly had much love from the fans.
And finally, the end is just perfect. The reveal of Luke’s father: Holy Shit! Han is frozen and taken away! (“I love you” – “I know”). Luke and the others barely escape, while the villain basically wins. Just a great bleak ending with lots of emotions.
This is the one I remember the most and the one that I re-watch with the most enthusiasm.
Rating: 5 Stars