Empire Strikes Back named greatest movie sequel

The Empire Strikes Back was today named the greatest movie sequel of all time.

The 1980 film - George Lucas's follow-up to Star Wars: A New Hope - drew almost a fifth of all votes.

DVD rental firm Lovefilm launched the poll to celebrate the release of Iron Man 2 this week.

The Empire Strikes Back, which featured the battle on ice planet Hoth, Lando Calrissian's cloud city and the shocking moment Luke Skywalker discovered Darth Vader was his father, is favoured by some fans as the best film in the original Star Wars trilogy.

It landed 19% of the votes, beating movies such as Terminator 2 and Aliens.

Fourth-placed film The Dark Knight was actually the sixth film of the Batman franchise which began in 1989, although it was the second to feature Christian Bale.

Helen Cowley, editor at online rental service Lovefilm, said: "There's no beating Star Wars, and fans have been very vocal in our poll to establish its place as the top sequel of all time.

"Film sequels give us the chance to see our favourite characters back on the big screen but it's rare to find a sequel that truly does its predecessor justice.

"It's great to see so many highly regarded titles in the top 10 and making their own mark on film history."

For the full list of the top 10 movie sequels, click here or on the image to launch our guide