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Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Original title: The Empire Strikes Back
  • 19801980
  • PGPG
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
8.7/10
1.3M
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
468
15
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
After the rebels have been brutally overpowered by the Empire on their newly established base, Luke Skywalker takes advanced Jedi training with Master Yoda, while his friends are pursued by Darth Vader as part of his plan to capture Luke.
Play trailer2:07
20 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Action
  • Adventure
  • Fantasy

After the Rebels are brutally overpowered by the Empire on the ice planet Hoth, Luke Skywalker begins Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader ... Read allAfter the Rebels are brutally overpowered by the Empire on the ice planet Hoth, Luke Skywalker begins Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.After the Rebels are brutally overpowered by the Empire on the ice planet Hoth, Luke Skywalker begins Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.

IMDb RATING
8.7/10
1.3M
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
468
15
  • Director
    • Irvin Kershner
  • Writers
    • Leigh Brackett(screenplay by)
    • Lawrence Kasdan(screenplay by)
    • George Lucas(story by)
  • Stars
    • Mark Hamill
    • Harrison Ford
    • Carrie Fisher
Top credits
  • Director
    • Irvin Kershner
  • Writers
    • Leigh Brackett(screenplay by)
    • Lawrence Kasdan(screenplay by)
    • George Lucas(story by)
  • Stars
    • Mark Hamill
    • Harrison Ford
    • Carrie Fisher
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.3KUser reviews
    • 238Critic reviews
    • 82Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #15
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 25 wins & 20 nominations total

    Videos20

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:07
    Official Trailer
    Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
    Trailer 1:12
    Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
    "The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special" History Download
    Clip 4:48
    "The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special" History Download
    Jaws, Shreks, & Lion Kings: A Summer Blockbuster History
    Clip 7:23
    Jaws, Shreks, & Lion Kings: A Summer Blockbuster History
    'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:48
    'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back' | Anniversary Mashup
    'Last Jedi' Director Rian Johnson Pitches His Dream 'Star Wars' Spin-Off
    Clip 1:00
    'Last Jedi' Director Rian Johnson Pitches His Dream 'Star Wars' Spin-Off
    "The Mandalorian" Takes Star Wars to Wild West of Space
    Clip 4:02
    "The Mandalorian" Takes Star Wars to Wild West of Space
    How Does Emperor Palpatine Fit Into 'The Rise of Skywalker'?
    Clip 4:03
    How Does Emperor Palpatine Fit Into 'The Rise of Skywalker'?
    '80s Movie Quiz With "Stranger Things" Star Gaten Matarazzo
    Clip 3:41
    '80s Movie Quiz With "Stranger Things" Star Gaten Matarazzo
    The Evolution of Anakin Skywalker
    Clip 3:23
    The Evolution of Anakin Skywalker
    Star Wars
    Clip 0:57
    Star Wars
    The Digital Movie Collection
    Promo 1:26
    The Digital Movie Collection

    Photos442

    Jeremy Bulloch, Alan Harris, and Quentin Pierre in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Harrison Ford in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Kenny Baker in Star Wars (1977)
    Frank Oz in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Mark Hamill and Kenny Baker in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Harrison Ford in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, and Peter Mayhew in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, and Carrie Fisher in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    David Prowse in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Harrison Ford in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, and Peter Mayhew in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Mark Hamill in The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Mark Hamill
    Mark Hamill
    • Luke Skywalkeras Luke Skywalker
    Harrison Ford
    Harrison Ford
    • Han Soloas Han Solo
    Carrie Fisher
    Carrie Fisher
    • Princess Leiaas Princess Leia
    Billy Dee Williams
    Billy Dee Williams
    • Lando Calrissianas Lando Calrissian
    Anthony Daniels
    Anthony Daniels
    • C-3POas C-3PO
    David Prowse
    David Prowse
    • Darth Vaderas Darth Vader
    Peter Mayhew
    Peter Mayhew
    • Chewbaccaas Chewbacca
    Kenny Baker
    Kenny Baker
    • R2-D2as R2-D2
    Frank Oz
    Frank Oz
    • Yodaas Yoda
    • (voice)
    Alec Guinness
    Alec Guinness
    • Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobias Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi
    Jeremy Bulloch
    Jeremy Bulloch
    • Boba Fettas Boba Fett
    John Hollis
    John Hollis
    • Lobot, Lando's Aideas Lobot, Lando's Aide
    Jack Purvis
    Jack Purvis
    • Chief Ugnaughtas Chief Ugnaught
    Des Webb
    • Snow Creatureas Snow Creature
    Clive Revill
    Clive Revill
    • Emperoras Emperor
    • (voice)
    Kenneth Colley
    Kenneth Colley
    • Admiral Piettas Admiral Piett
    Julian Glover
    Julian Glover
    • General Veersas General Veers
    Michael Sheard
    Michael Sheard
    • Admiral Ozzelas Admiral Ozzel
    • Director
      • Irvin Kershner
    • Writers
      • Leigh Brackett(screenplay by)
      • Lawrence Kasdan(screenplay by)
      • George Lucas(story by)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbacca face attack by the Imperial forces and its AT-AT walkers on the ice planet Hoth. While Han and Leia escape in the Millennium Falcon, Luke travels to Dagobah in search of Yoda. Only with the Jedi Master's help will Luke survive when the Dark Side of the Force beckons him into the ultimate duel with Darth Vader. —Jwelch5742
    • famous twist
    • part of trilogy
    • the force
    • duel
    • rescue
    • 371 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The Adventure Continues...
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Adventure
      • Fantasy
      • Sci-Fi
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG for sci-fi action violence
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In order to avoid sharing creative rights, George Lucas decided to avoid using a major studio to finance this movie. Instead, he bankrolled the $18 million production himself, using a combination of his profits from Star Wars (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).
    • Goofs
      Vader kills Captain Needa for losing the Millenium Falcon. When two Imperial soldiers pick up his body to carry away, the corpse steps itself up.
    • Quotes

      Luke: All right, I'll give it a try.

      Yoda: No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try.

    • Crazy credits
      In the alternate DVD version, the Emperor is still credited as being voiced by Clive Revill, despite his performance being replaced by Ian McDiarmid.
    • Alternate versions
      The 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.
    • Connections
      Edited into SP FX: Special Effects - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

    User reviews1.3K

    Review
    Top review
    Outstanding follow up.
    Congratulations have to go to line producer Gary Kurtz and director Irvin Kershner in pushing the production to out-perform A New Hope, even though the consequence was a film that came in massively over budget, and almost cost Lucas his hard fought independence from the Hollywood system.

    The plot moves quickly, from an interesting script by Leigh Bracket and Larry Kasdan, focusing on exploring two key relationships. The first is the relationship between Han Solo and Leia Organa, which is touched upon in a New Hope, but is fleshed out more in this film. The other is the more central relationship between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. This relationship is also linked in to the main supporting character in this film, Yoda, who is fantastically well realised by the film crew and performed brilliantly by Frank Oz. There are other characters, but whereas C3P0 and R2D2 were a central part of the story in the previous film, they are more on the sidelines.

    What makes this film so great though is the involving and effective way the relationships operate within the broader story. The banter between Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher is highly effective and amusing, operating through the classical love-hate relationship. One senses that Kershner, as a director of character driven films, worked very effectively with the actors and gave them the space to develop their characters which meant plenty of choices for the director in terms of their performances. The same goes for Mark Hamill's interaction with Yoda(Frank Oz). This is totally convincing and builds up the confrontation with Darth Vader very well. It was time well spent in getting these performances right. Kershner is very good at keeping the performance naturalistic, but reduces the level of broadness in the characters, making them more complex and interesting. Darth Vader benefits from this with scenes in the film that add to the mystique of the character. The confrontation with Luke Skywalker is riveting and dramatic and elevates the film above the level of its predecessor.

    Technically the film is even more impressive than its predecessor. Credit has to go the Oscar nominated Art Direction team. John Barry, who had worked on the previous film, passed away during the production, but Norman Reynolds led the team superbly, with the excellent creations of Dagobah and Hoth, albeit Bespin in the original does feel a bit like a set, and the digital embellishments in the special edition were helpful in creating a bigger feel to those scenes. However, I was disappointed in the reworked scene with Palpatine in the special edition - while putting the excellent Ian McDiarmid was supporting continuity, to show him face on was, in my view an error and the reworked scene would have played much better with his face shrouded, or at the least partially obscured. The whole point of the scene was that the dialogue as strong enough without the need to ram an unsubtle visual at the audience.

    Editing is excellent, led by Star Wars veteran Paul Hirsch, but it is known that both George Lucas, and his then wife Marcia were also heavily involved in putting the film together. Peter Suschitzky's photography is more conventional and low key in approach than A New Hope, but is particularly effective on the Dagobah scenes in Elstree Studios, and the location scenes in Norway.

    ILM's visual effects were outstanding, and rightly won an Academy Award. The crew consisted of the following: Oscar winning A New Hope veteran Richard Edlund, working with British effects supervisor Brian Johnson (who had just won an Oscar for Alien), effects photographer Dennis Muren (who would become an award winning and digital effects pioneer for ILM for ET, Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Innerspace, The Abyss, T2 and Jurassic Park) and compositor Bruce Nicholson, who would go on to win an Oscar for his work on Raiders of the Lost Ark, and work on a wide variety of films in Hollywood. George Lucas took a strong interest and influence in the special effects and also has to take credit for some of the excellent sequences in the film, which also work because they help drive the story along.

    Again, like a New Hope, sound work was first rate and Oscar winning. In most cases the sound has to be recorded in a studio and added many months after filming has been completed. Sound re-recordist Bill Varney would win another Oscar for Raiders of the Lost Ark. Steve Maslow and Gregg Landaker also worked as sound-recordists and are both prolific contributors to many high profile movies. They would also win Oscars for their work on Raiders and then some fourteen years later win again for their work on the Keanu Reeves hit movie Speed. Peter Sutton won for his on–set work and has a large body of work in film since this movie. Also credit has to go the Ben Burtt's sound design work, which creates a fabulous sound-scape for the film.

    However, despite the above outstanding technical contributions, which serve to enhance and exciting and interesting story, it is composer John Williams who, yet again, takes this film to another level with another astounding musical score. Working with the director and producers, Williams develops and expands original themes. He creates a new and unforgettable theme for Darth Vader, with strong militaristic overtones, and clever themes for Leia and Han, and for Yoda. He weaves the score into the film expertly, giving moments of tension, excitement, thoughtfulness, mystery and tragedy with aplomb. The score feels more operatic than a New Hope, and helps cement this as one of the best adventure/fantasy films ever made.

    Congratulations to Mr Lucas for delivering a remarkable sequel, but also to Gary Kurtz and Irvin Kershner for having the courage to push everyone out of their comfort zones so as to reach this level of excellence.
    helpful•23
    6
    • antonjsw1
    • Sep 12, 2010

    FAQ35

    • Why did Darth Vader want the Millennium Falcon (eg. "I want that ship, not excuses")?
    • Who shot C-3PO at Bespin and why?
    • Why does the hyperdrive in the Millennium Falcon keep failing?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 20, 1980 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Lucasfilm Ltd
      • Official Site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
    • Filming locations
      • Hardangerjøkulen Glacier, Finse, Norway
    • Production company
      • Lucasfilm
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $18,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $292,753,960
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,910,483
      • May 25, 1980
    • Gross worldwide
      • $538,375,067
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 4 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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