I've ALWAYS ranked Star Wars above The Empire Strikes Back, even if not by much, and I always will.
This author had a few great lines that resonated with me, and describe the nonpareil genius of the first Star Wars film.
"There's a lot of talk in [Star Wars], but that dialogue is not deployed merely for exposition, as it often is in the Star Wars films, but rather for fostering a feeling of place and community within the picture. Its overall look is rougher, with less chrome and gloss, and more dirt and ash. But that griminess lends the film a mood that—despite the triumphant climax—infiltrates you, rather than pumps you up."
"But the film reveals its characters' personalities in more subtle ways, as well. People hang out a lot in Star Wars. Luke and C-3PO get to know each other in a glorified tool shed; Luke and Ben bond in the latter's hut; space chess and early Jedi training occur simultaneously as our plucky band travels from one spot of adventure to the next. We understand these individuals because Lucas had the courage to simply show them together, during their downtime. Viewed in relation to the rest of the franchise—especially the prequels—[the first Star Wars film's] restraint seems radical."
"[Many films] rely on spectacle as spectacle; [Star Wars] uses spectacle to create meaning. Its loud, splashy moments turn to foster quiet, personal scenes. After Darth Vader strikes down Obi-Wan Kenobi, we see Leia consoling Luke in a hushed, almost maternal manner that pulls the viewer into the screen as we note each gesture, each word. You start to feel like you're riding along with these characters, invested in a way that you weren't previously."
"And as much as we enjoy being thrilled by on-screen action [that moreso characterizes The Empire Strikes Back], and pulling for one side over another, there is nothing like feeling as though you've been rendered invisible and inserted into a film, relegated to stand just out of view, but privy to every breath and whisper. That's what movie magic really is, and few films put it on display better than the first Star Wars."
The Wook