20 Greatest Summer Blockbusters Ever Made
3. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
RottenTomatoes Score: 94% (8.9/10)
Box Office: $538.4 million
Why It's Awesome: Despite grossing substantially less than the original Star Wars, Empire is a blueprint for how to make a sequel that surpasses what came before: it's darker, more intense, and heightens the emotional stakes of the characters to wildly unexpected levels.
Even though it explores more complex ideas than Star Wars, don't presume that Empire is any less of a spectacle: it's still every bit the wondrous, visually stunning sci-fi space opera that the original was, just with a ton more gravitas hitched to it.
It goes without saying that the "I am your father" twist is one of the most iconic scenes put to film, not merely a moment of shock tomfoolery but a fascinating thematic device which forces Luke to look inward at himself.
In short, if you're expecting any of the new Star Wars trilogy to top this one, you're probably going to have a bad time.