'Empire Strikes Back' at 40: Everyone's favorite 'Star Wars' movie

Obviously, I'm being a little facetious ... there are plenty of people who prefer the original Star Wars (a.k.a. A New Hope), and there are even some who stan for Return of the Jedi (although I suspect that this more due to childhood nostalgia rather than quality, although I too love that film).

Because the new trilogy ended on a disappointing note, impressions of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi have been downgraded a bit. Both are great, worthy Star Wars films but for a myriad of reasons I don't suspect they will ever threaten to supplant the original trilogy in the minds of fans.

The less said about the prequels the better.

Although 1977's 'A New Hope' usually makes the AFI top 100 lists and is the film from this franchise that is usually singled out as the classic -- and that makes a lot of sense. It was and remains groundbreaking popcorn entertainment. Before George Lucas started fiddling with it, it also had an edge to it, too. Still, the film had its limitations mainly because of the budget the writer-director was afforded. No one expected much from the movie and the studio didn't put much into it either.

That all changed with The Empire Strikes Back -- sort of -- despite Star Wars becoming at the time the highest grossing film ever, there was widespread skepticism that a second entry would replicate its success. Still, there were more resources put into The Empire Strikes Back and it shows.

Lucas stepped away as the chief writer and director, which also opened up new avenues of creativity. The screenplay was written first by a late Hollywood legend Leigh Brackett, and then was goosed up by up-and-comer Lawrence Kasdan (who would go on to write and direct Body Heat).

The dialogue feels looser and the actors seem less stiff too. Think about it -- Star Wars movies don't typically wow you with the quality of their line readings -- but The Empire Strikes Back, which has romance, laughs, danger, intrigue, whimsy and inspiration in it -- is one of the most quotable movies ever made.

I think because of this -- and the ways in which the film expands our understanding of the universe (only The Last Jedi ever approached its attempts to mythologize 'the force') that this film remains the most worshipped film in the franchise, especially by Star Wars fans.

I believe far too much is made of its supposedly 'darker' tone. Yes, it ends on a bit of cliffhanger after a brutal fight between Luke and Darth Vader. But I never feel sad watching this movie, nor do I ever feel like the story ever gets truly sinister.

It's certainly a moodier picture. I have, for instance, always been impressed by the nuance of the Yoda 'performance.' Frank Oz created a really fully-fledged character who can be funny and charming but also bitter and full of regret. His arc is arguably the most intriguing, especially since he is the one character who seems to see that all our heroes are doomed from the start.

When I revisit this movie -- which is often -- I think of the scene where he lifts Luke's ship out of the swamp and I think it's one of the most moving, grandest sequences in all of cinema. It's a magical moment.

It's crazy to believe that this movie I grew up with (it came out two years before I was born) is turning 40. It doesn't feel dated in the least. In fact, every Star Wars movie that has come after it and that will come after it has been trying in vain to recapture its glory.