4. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
There were many doubts that George Lucas would fail to deliver a sequel worthy of the original Star Wars movie, which is presumably the reason why he employed Irvin Kershner as director and took a "backseat" role. If it all went wrong, he could blame his surrogate. Lucas needn't of worried; Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back perhaps stands as the definitive Star Wars movie (where big fans are concerned, at least), a film that brought an added weight that the fluffy nature of the 1977 installment avoided, marking it as the "darker chapter." The story picks up several years later, with hero Luke Skywalker and his band of colorful companions - including the likes of Han Solo, Princess Leia, and loveable droids R2-D2 and C-3PO - going up against the Empire, as Darth Vader closes in with a very famous, mind-blowing twist in his mitts. The movie is built entirely out of great sequences: the battle on Hoth, Luke's training with Yoda, the asteroid field, and several brilliant dialogue cues (Han Solo's reply to Leia's declaration of her love is a simple: "I know"). The Star Wars phenomenon defined.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
