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Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

 -  Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi  -  21 May 1980 (USA)
8.8
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Ratings: 8.8/10 from 481,541 users   Metascore: 78/100
Reviews: 732 user | 171 critic | 15 from Metacritic.com

After the rebels have been brutally overpowered by the Empire on their newly-established base, Luke Skywalker takes advanced Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are constantly being pursued by Vader as part of his plan to capture Luke.

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Title: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Yoda (voice)
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Jeremy Bulloch ...
John Hollis ...
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Des Webb ...
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Emperor (voice)
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Storyline

Fleeing the evil Galactic Empire, the Rebels abandon their new base in an assault with the Imperial AT-AT walkers on the ice world of Hoth. Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca and the droid C-3PO escape in the Millennium Falcon, but are later captured by Darth Vader on Bespin. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker and the droid R2-D2 follows Obi-Wan Kenobi's posthumous command, and receives Jedi training from Master Yoda on the swamp world of Dagobah. Will Skywalker manage to rescue his friends from the Dark Lord? Written by James Pearce <james.pearce@cs.man.ac.uk>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

princess | empire | rebel | escape | training | See more »

Taglines:

The Star Wars saga continues See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for sci-fi action violence | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

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Language:

Release Date:

21 May 1980 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back  »

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

ITL 609,584,000 (Italy) (11 April 1997)

Gross:

$290,158,751 (USA) (9 May 1997)
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Company Credits

Production Co:

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (special edition)

Sound Mix:

(70 mm prints)| (35 mm prints)

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Yoda's appearance was originally designed by British makeup artist Stuart Freeborn, who based Yoda's face partly on his own and partly on Albert Einstein's, as his eyes are supposedly inspired by the latter. Yoda is voiced by Frank Oz. In the original Star Wars trilogy, he is realized as a puppet (controlled by Oz). See more »

Goofs

As Han is about to be frozen he is handcuffed, two Ugnaughts seem to fidget with the cuffs but Han is clearly still cuffed in the shot where he is being lowered in to the freezing chamber. When he resurfaces in a frozen state his hands are not cuffed and appears to have "grasped" at the moment he was frozen. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Luke: Echo Three to Echo Seven. Han, old buddy, do you read me?
Han Solo: Loud and clear, kid. What's up?
Luke: Well, I finished my circle. I don't pick up any life readings.
Han Solo: There isn't enough life on this ice cube to fill a space cruiser. Sensors are placed. I'm going back.
Luke: Right. I'll see you shortly. There's a meteorite that hit the ground near here. I want to check it out. It won't take long.
See more »

Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits. See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
17 December 2004 | by (Maine, USA) – See all my reviews

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.


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