Empire was better, though not by much. More pathos, and the characters were able to step outside the “Hero’s Journey” archetypes more. Plus, Williams really stepped up his game; the Imperial March is probably one of his better pieces.
Also, Frank Oz!
I really hope they manage to pry the screenplay away from Lucas. His “universe” is probably one of the best out there, especially visually, but he is actively bad at creating dialog. There’s a difference between the “World Of Ham” space-serial dialog he was aiming for and the “Stilted High-School Drama Project” that he put on paper.
Empire is arguably better but it starts even MORE “in the middle of the action” and ends with an even bigger cliff hanger (more unresolved threads).
The first film still can stand on it’s own.
If you watch Return you end with Ewoks.
If you then watch the first three, you will also feel unfulfilled. AND look at how many hours you’ll have wasted.
I didn’t like Star Wars II. It chronicled a series of defeats, and its ending was inconclusive.