2. Irvin Kershner
George Lucas may have created the Star Wars universe, but as a director with a keen sense of characterization, Irvin Kershner gave it a heart when he was hired to shoot The Empire Strikes Back. Working with a script by Lucas, Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, all of the characters established in the first film were more fleshed-out and well-rounded, no longer comic book caricatures. Amidst the continuing spectacle, Kershner coaxed outstanding performances from Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher (all of whom were adequate at-best in the first film). That attention to character and performance easily makes The Empire Strikes Back the best film in the entire franchise, and the first indication that Lucas himself was always a better visualist than an actual director (later-proven by the soulless prequels). While Kershner would go on to direct successful (and underrated) entries in other franchises (Never Say Never Again, Robocop 2), The Empire Strike Back remains his crowning achievement, but never really got the credit he deserved. RIP.