After the Empire overpowers the Rebel Alliance, Luke Skywalker begins training with Jedi Master Yoda, while Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett pursue his friends across the galaxy.After the Empire overpowers the Rebel Alliance, Luke Skywalker begins training with Jedi Master Yoda, while Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett pursue his friends across the galaxy.After the Empire overpowers the Rebel Alliance, Luke Skywalker begins training with Jedi Master Yoda, while Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett pursue his friends across the galaxy.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Won 1 Oscar
- 27 wins & 21 nominations total
Clive Revill
- Emperor
- (voice)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Summary
Reviewers say 'The Empire Strikes Back' distinguishes itself with a darker tone, deeper character development, and mature storytelling. Key themes include good versus evil, the complexity of the Force, and Luke Skywalker's growth. New characters like Yoda and Lando Calrissian enrich the narrative. The film delves into consequences, betrayal, and redemption, creating an emotionally resonant experience. Darth Vader's true identity revelation significantly impacts the saga. Visual effects, action sequences, and John Williams' score enhance the film, making it a standout sequel.
Featured reviews
So, "The Empire Strikes Back" is a sequel to the previous part. After the release of the first episode, the budget, the fans appeared, and, accordingly, the quality improved!
The fifth episode is the darkest and even the best in the original trilogy (in my personal opinion), and for many in the entire franchise.
Here we will hear the famous Imperial March for the first time, learn all the greatness of the Empire under the leadership of Vader, as well as the formation of Luke as a Jedi.
New characters have added color to the franchise, some have already become iconic and famous among many (the same Boba Fett).
This fascinating story will feature plot twists (for sure many people understood what I was talking about) and a very addictive atmosphere of horror.
As a result, this is what the fans needed - a successful sequel. And, of course, you need to look at it, it's a classic after all.
My Rating : 10/10 (one of the best films)
The fifth episode is the darkest and even the best in the original trilogy (in my personal opinion), and for many in the entire franchise.
Here we will hear the famous Imperial March for the first time, learn all the greatness of the Empire under the leadership of Vader, as well as the formation of Luke as a Jedi.
New characters have added color to the franchise, some have already become iconic and famous among many (the same Boba Fett).
This fascinating story will feature plot twists (for sure many people understood what I was talking about) and a very addictive atmosphere of horror.
As a result, this is what the fans needed - a successful sequel. And, of course, you need to look at it, it's a classic after all.
My Rating : 10/10 (one of the best films)
An excellent sequel to Star Wars, this is easily the darkest and most serious out of all the Star Wars films, at least until Revenge of the Sith comes out. This movie benefits from the introduction of Yoda, a diminutive yet wise Jedi master who helps Luke prepare for his showdown with Darth Vader. It also introduces Lando Calrissian, Han's old gambling and smuggling buddy played very well by Billy Dee Williams. Empire is more character driven than the original and relies more on comic relief to help lighten the mood, but it doesn't go overboard with the humor. The story is more refined and the acting is better as well. Despite all of this I can't really say that I enjoyed Empire more than the original. The original Star Wars has a certain charm to it that none of the sequels (or prequels) have captured. I'd say that it is at least on par with the original though and is a fitting follow up in what is probably the greatest series of movies in the history of cinema.
Luke Skywalker goes in search of Jedi Master Yoda, to begin his Jedi training, meanwhile his friends and fellow band of rebels are pursued by The Empire's forces.
How on Earth was it possible to match, if not surpass Episode IV, it seems unfathomable, well that's exactly what they did with this remarkable movie, and whilst I personally rank the films on par with one another, I get why some favour this one. For me, the first came out of nowhere, whereas for this second one, expectations would have been incredibly high.
A superb storyline, breathtaking visuals, first class acting, and Yoda, what more could anyone possibly want or need from a movie, it's a bold claim, but I would genuinely say this is one of the greatest films of all time.
The sets are unbelievable, you can really tell that for those involved this was definitely a labour of love, everything was precise and on point.
It's worth a 10/10 for Yoda alone, I adore his and Luke's scenes together. The wonderful voice of Frank Oz adds a great deal, it really does help to make Yoda such an amazing, funny, smart and curious character.
Let's be honest, films don't get much better than this, it really is a masterpiece.
10/10.
How on Earth was it possible to match, if not surpass Episode IV, it seems unfathomable, well that's exactly what they did with this remarkable movie, and whilst I personally rank the films on par with one another, I get why some favour this one. For me, the first came out of nowhere, whereas for this second one, expectations would have been incredibly high.
A superb storyline, breathtaking visuals, first class acting, and Yoda, what more could anyone possibly want or need from a movie, it's a bold claim, but I would genuinely say this is one of the greatest films of all time.
The sets are unbelievable, you can really tell that for those involved this was definitely a labour of love, everything was precise and on point.
It's worth a 10/10 for Yoda alone, I adore his and Luke's scenes together. The wonderful voice of Frank Oz adds a great deal, it really does help to make Yoda such an amazing, funny, smart and curious character.
Let's be honest, films don't get much better than this, it really is a masterpiece.
10/10.
This film changed the game forever. The people behind the scenes took an exciting science fiction adventure film with a happy tone where the heroes have a happy tone throughout and throwing that on its side. Throughout the film the rebels are in a constant rush and panic, pushing the viewers to the edge of their seat wondering if the heroes would make it to the end okay. This is done brilliantly by splitting up the heroes putting them in a worried state for one another. As well as that the rebels are all tested as they go through their own personal trails and try to find their way through.
Even though this might put you on a constant worry for the characters the movie is paced perfectly with breathers and amazing storytelling by the characters to fill in anything we need answers for.
That is just the story, the film also has gorgeous cinematography, going from the AT-ATs on Hoth, to the Imperial pursuit of the Falcon through the asteroid field, all the way down to the beautiful shots of the final battle in Cloud city. Even though we as viewers are worried for the rebels, the imagery is jaw dropping.
The imagery is further enhanced by the most popular score of all time, John Williams delivers his best work ever as it has stuck with people their entire lives and is recognizable by even those who haven't seen the film.
The film was released in 1980 and all of the set design and special effects still hold up to this day as they are just as convincing now as it was apon first watch for everyone in the past 38 years.
The Empire Strikes Back is the best film in the original Star Wars trilogy. It has all the great qualities that the original Star Wars has: great effects (at the time of its release), appealing characters, and lots of spellbinding action. It also has eliminated some of the problems that plagued the first: the storyline is tighter, and goes much deeper into character development. The performances are terrific, especially by Harrison Ford as Han Solo, and Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian. George Lucas has also remembered to include a spellbinding battle sequence with the snowspeeder sequence near the beginning of the film. The conclusion, with a lightsaber duel between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, is truly one of the most suspenseful and dramatic scenes in the entire series. This is a truly wondrous film, and serves as a constant reminder that just because a movie is expensive and a blockbuster doesn't mean that it has to be shallow and two dimensional. This film will undoubtedly entertain viewers of all ages from start to finish.
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn order to avoid sharing creative rights, George Lucas decided to avoid using a major studio to finance this movie. Instead, he bankrolled the $30 million production himself, using a combination of his profits from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and a bank loan. Although the move was risky, it paid off several times over. Lucas recovered his investment within three months of the movie's release. He then showed gratitude far beyond the Hollywood norm by sharing the profits with his employees (nearly $5 million in bonuses).
- GoofsVader kills Captain Needa for losing the Millenium Falcon. When two Imperial soldiers pick up his body to carry away, the corpse steps itself up.
- Crazy creditsIn the alternate DVD version, the Emperor is still credited as being voiced by Clive Revill, despite his performance being replaced by Ian McDiarmid.
- Alternate versionsThe 1995 THX remastered Pan and Scan VHS release of the 1980 theatrical version has one difference from all other pan and scan releases and the 1992 and 1995 widescreen releases of the same. At the end of the film, the scene simply cuts away to the end credits. All other versions use a wipe to cut away to the end credits.
- ConnectionsEdited into SP FX: Special Effects - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Star Wars : Episodio V - El imperio contraataca
- Filming locations
- Hardangerjøkulen Glacier, Finse, Norway(exterior Hoth scenes)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $18,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $292,753,960
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,910,483
- May 25, 1980
- Gross worldwide
- $550,016,086
- Runtime2 hours 4 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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