timdiggerm said:

By the rules of "What makes a good movie?", Empire is better. By the rules of "What makes a good Star Wars movie?", Star Wars is better.

I disagree strongly. Star Wars is a great movie by any standard, and can be seen by itself standalone. Empire is a feast for the Star Wars fan, however it is rather confusing if you haven't seen Star Wars, and is full of scenes that have nothing to do with the story development (such as the ship landing inside the big creature) that are there just to wow the viewer. You also can't beat Alec Guiness and Peter Cushing as actors, and it is their acting that elevates Star Wars to being a great all time movie, alongside Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and others. What a joy it must have been to assemble their scenes.