The Empire Strikes Back is, so far, the darkest Star Wars movie. At many times, main characters are put into peril, their lives threatened, and stunning revelations are revealed. It is also one of the most uneven.

The Rebels have escaped to a base on Hoth while Darth Vader pursues them. After a thrilling opening battle sequence, Luke goes to train on Dagobah while Han Solo and Princess Leia evade a Star Destroyer in an asteroid field.

The opening of the movie is slow with Luke Skywalker being attacked by a Wampa. The big battle scene on Hoth is very cool, using stop-motion animation. The middle of the movie grinds the film to a screeching halt; while Han Solo’s adventures in the asteroid field are entertaining, the scenes with Luke and Yoda feel like they are from a different movie. Even though I enjoy Yoda immensely, the Zen-like quality of these scenes counter too sharply with the rousing asteroid sequences. The ending of the movie is a bit slow until the final one on one battle.

Don’t get me wrong, The Empire Strikes Back is a great sequel—but not superior to the original.

I give Star Wars- Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back *** out of ****.

This movie rocks. I say that it's the best of the Star Wars movies. It has the best fight scene in any of the movies, (Luke vs. Vader) It has Billy Dee Williams. Boba Fett, the world's most over-rated character, and it features Yoda. How can this movie not rock? Simple, it can't.

**** out of ****