Star Wars Collection

Adventure

Action

Science Fiction

The Empire Strikes Back

Lucasfilm Ltd.

United States of America

English

Mark Hamill

Harrison Ford

Carrie Fisher

Billy Dee Williams

Anthony Daniels

David Prowse

Peter Mayhew

Kenny Baker

Frank Oz

Alec Guinness

Jeremy Bulloch

Jason Wingreen

John Hollis

Jack Purvis

Des Webb

Kathryn Mullen

Marjorie Eaton

Clive Revill

Kenneth Colley

Julian Glover

Michael Sheard

Michael Culver

John Dicks

Milton Johns

Mark Jones

Oliver Maguire

Robin Scobey

Bruce Boa

Christopher Malcolm

Denis Lawson

Richard Oldfield

John Morton

Ian Liston

John Ratzenberger

Jack McKenzie

Jerry Harte

Norman Chancer

Norwich Duff

Ray Hassett

Brigitte Kahn

Burnell Tucker

Bob Anderson

Lightning Bear

Richard Bonehill

John Cannon

Mark Capri

Martin Dew

Peter Diamond

Stuart Fell

Doug Robinson

Tony Smart

Alan Harris

James Earl Jones

Mac McDonald

Ralph McQuarrie

Ralph G. Morse

Terry Richards

Treat Williams

Shaun Curry

Alan Austen

Jim Dowdall

Tom Egeland

Alan Flyng

Trevor Butterfield

Mercedes Burleigh

Jane Busby

Maurice Bush

Tony Clarkin

Mike Edmonds

Walter Henry

Paul Jerricho

Joe Johnston

Steven Meek

Peter Roy

Stephanie English

Michael Leader

Egbert Sen

Elaine Alexander

Colin Hunt

Ian McDiarmid

Gary Kurtz

Leigh Brackett

Irvin Kershner

Lawrence Kasdan

John Williams

George Lucas

Brian Johnson

Robert Elswit

Marcia Lucas

Bill Hargreaves

Jack Dearlove

Liz Coke

Stephen Calcutt

Deep Roy

Gary Summers

Reg Harding

Colin Skeaping

Marc Boyle

Richard Hammatt

Bob Edmiston

Irene Lamb

Norman Reynolds

Leslie Dilley

Harry Lange

Jim Bloom

Peter Suschitzky

Terry Liebling

Alan Tomkins

John Mollo

Michael Ford

Robert Watts

Paul Hirsch

Howard G. Kazanjian

Patricia Carr

Bruce Sharman

Herbert W. Spencer

Tiny Nicholls

Nick Maley

Terry Pritchard

Richard Edlund

Paul Huston

David H. Watkins

Bonnie Koehler

Phil Tippett

Laurie Shane

Eileen Sullivan

Graham Churchyard

George Hull

Peter Sutton

George Whitear

Selwyn Eddy

Ben Burtt

Steve Lanning

Kay Rawlings

David Tomblin

Pamela Mann

Frank Bruton

Kay Freeborn

Richard Burrow

Stuart Freeborn

Barbara Ritchie

Graham Freeborn

Gregg Landaker

Reg Bream

Roy Button

Harley Cokeliss

Peter MacDonald

Svend Johansen

Philip Kohler

John Barry

Rick Baker

London Symphony Orchestra

Ian Beale

**Overrated **

An enjoyable film - just not as engaging as parts IV and VI. The argument that Jedi was ruined by little furry creatures is laughable as this instalment features a _little green muppet_. I was expecting Kermit and Miss Piggy to show up.

Once we get the impressive Hoth battle over with the film meanders and crawls along - padding out its running time with predictable romantic sparring and an extended and dull sequence on Degobah.

Things finally pick up again at Cloud City but not enough to justify the worship this film receives. I much prefer _Return of the Jedi_ to this one - at least Return of the Jedi gets the emotional juices flowing. This one leaves me as cold as the snow on Hoth.


- Ian Beale

A masterpiece of cinema. The film transcends the franchise, seamlessly combining elements of myth, science fiction, fantasy, war film, romance, bildungsroman, epic and tragedy in a way that its sequels have been unable to replicate. It is a move without a moment of fluff. Cut anything and the film would suffer. Story, character, effects, cinematography, music, screenplay, acting, editing and action are all superb. One of the most artistically poignant films ever made. And because its style cannot be replicated, it will continue to appreciate with age. 

This was a time when George Lucas still had integrity, as evidenced in this 1980 Rolling Stone interview (he has since contradicted much of what he espouses in both word and deed): https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/the-empire-strikes-back-and-so-does-george-lucas-19800612

Here's a blog article shows Empire's cinematic chiasmus, or narrative symmetry: https://dejareviewer.com/2014/05/20/cinematic-chiasmus-the-empire-strikes-back-is-a-perfectly-symmetrical-film/

My favorite version is the Team Negative1 Renegade Grindhouse Edition, an unrestored 35mm scan complete with damage and dust. The Despecialized version is okay too. All official releases are desecrations. 

People may say that Star Wars is dead, but The Empire Strikes Back is deathless.

It's a dark time for the rebellion; and us the audience as well.

Luke, Leia and Han are fighting with the rebels in the hope of defeating the Imperial forces. But Luke gets a calling to the planet Dagobah, where under the tutelage of Jedi Master, Yoda, he hopes to become a Jedi himself, but that also brings him closer to his, and Leia's, destiny.

Lets tell it as it is, The Empire Strikes Back is a better film than Star Wars, not as impacting of course, but most definitely better. Technically, in story telling and in tone, it holds up well today and certainly warrants the amount of times it crops up in best sequels debates. That it's not actually a sequel is irrelevant, it is of course the filler in a wonderful sci-fi sandwich, because as second instalments go, Empire has few peers. With Empire Strikes Back we get all the whizz bang adventure strewn heart of Star Wars, but George Lucas (stepping aside for Irvin Kershner to direct) has also fleshed the story out with a serious dark tone that oddly becomes a bedfellow to the romantic fun on offer, where new and engaging characters (and creatures) add spice to this wonderful fantastical broth.

Aided by the considerable writing talent of Leigh Brackett (The Long Goodbye, Rio Bravo, The Big Sleep), Lucas took the bold and ingenious step of giving the bad guys the upper hand, in fact it could be argued that he was taking a considerable risk with his ending. Forcing his viewers to wait for the final chapter (three years later), after tantalisingly setting us up with a corker of plot twist (one which is still to this day as potent as it was back on release), Lucas pulled perhaps one of the cheekiest carrot dangles in cinema history.

Though more famed for its dark undertones, Empire is for sure still a very fun movie, C3PO goes into camp overdrive and Han Solo ups his quip quota by some margin. Then of course there is Yoda, in himself a comedic joy. The action sequences beg for repeat viewings, a battle on the ice laden planet Hoth is a marvel and the choreography for Skywalker's fight with Darth Vader is out of the top draw. But ultimately it's with the dark side that the picture excels. Complex and amazingly posing moral quandary's, The Empire Strikes Back is quite an experience, one that will forever hold up to repeat viewings for this particular viewer. 10/10

_**Fun, imaginative, iconic space adventure with a kick-axx cast**_

"Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) was the anticipated follow-up to the initial mega-hit blockbuster from 1977. It’s an epic, but simplistic space fantasy about an evil empire and the noble souls who dare to fight it. The main cast features Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and the voice work of James Earl Jones (Darth Vader),  Frank Oz (Yoda) and Clive Revill (Emperor).

This is an amusing, inventive, iconic space adventure with a stellar cast. While I prefer the adult-oriented space science-fiction of Star Trek, I can’t deny that this space fantasy grants you an entertaining two hours with lots of sci-fi action, space ships, a snowy planet, asteroid caves and mysterious swamps. I also appreciate the mind-powers angle. It doesn’t hurt that Fisher is in her prime and easy on the eyes, not to mention Ford and Williams are at their charismatic best. Even the more obscure Hamill shines in his boyish youth. Then there’s RD-D2, C-3PO and Chewbacca.  

The film runs 2 hours, 7 minutes.

GRADE: B

Terrific, again.

<em>'The Empire Strikes Back'</em> follows up on the greatness of <em>'Star Wars'</em> with a highly enjoyable sequel. This one feels like a big moment in the franchise, at least to someone who doesn't know what's upcoming, as we get sizeable moments alongside some cool character reveals.

Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher continue to impress in their respective roles, as does James Earl Jones. Elsewhere, Billy Dee Williams and Frank Oz make for strong additions. There are, once again, fun roles for Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker.

I'd say its predecessor has aged better - though that's not to say this film looks even the slightest bit bad, as it still looks fantastic throughout. The plot is as great as before, as is everything else really - namely the music, for one.

I think I prefer the 1977 film over this, but there's barely anything separating the two in my thoughts to be honest. Both are awesome!

So, I was almost 1 when this movie dropped and, well, it started the opening night tradition.

OK, well, how to do this? I guess we will start with the hate. I like to address the hate in movies, especially ones that are well regarded and loved.

Now, I'll excuse it for the people that just don't like Star Wars. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

But then there are the people that really hate Empire because of...reasons. And those reasons are Revenge of the Sith.

I'm sorry, panning Empire because of loyalty to the prequels--misplaced as it is--doesn't make I-III any better. It just makes you petty.

Now, why its loved and, I'll admit, I am one of those fanboys that really do love this movie.

For starters, Empire went dark. It was the really the episode that the good guys lost and, that made it unique among, well, among just about every movie not made in the 1970s. I guess that is what made the 70s such a wonderful time for movies.

We could use a little more of that. We could use a lot more of that. We use a lot more gritty in cinema. And, we could use a lot more "lived in" Everything looks too clean.

Empire had that.

And then it had that big, legendary, reveal that made all those kisses between Luke and Leia utterly wrong once the second big reveal hit in 1983...which explained that look Han gave Leia when she told him in the next installment.

Moving on...

We have the Battle of Hoth, which, yeah, nerd awesomeness with kind of a WWI trench warfare v tanks feel and a WWII Evacuation of Dunkirk feel with the rebels on the run and the Empire forcing its way across the galaxy with brute strength.

And that prolonged time on the Falcon, well, that was just brilliant for character development and, incest blocking.

So, really, honestly, there was way too much to love not to put Empire on the throne.

CinemaSerf

I have reviewed this film before but I thought that it deserved an extra special mention. Yesterday, this was the first film I saw in a cinema since we were all confined to barracks - and boy what a cracker. Where to start with the superlatives? It's fantastic - right from the opening bars of John Williams' score; on through the three mini-adventures rolled into one, we are treated to a marvellous feast of well-written, snappily directed, entertaining action packed adventure. Picking up from the first film, our rebels are holed up on a frozen planet being relentlessly pursued by Darth Vader. When one of his probes discovers their icebound base, they've got to get the hell out of there. Now sure, the CGI suffers a bit after 40 years; and can someone please tell me what the point of these lumbering Imperial Walkers is? They are like metal polar bears that constantly trip over their own shoelaces, but aside from those most minor of criticisms we have a great story; characters that we care about (personally, I'm an huge Vader fan) and who develop plausible, credible personalities; the detailed animations of "Yoda" are superb to see again on the big screen and it builds excellently to a sword fight the like of which has not been seen since "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938). It is, I think, better then the first film and for my money is the best sci-fi film ever made. Made for the big screen - and brilliantly made at that!

George Lucas Reveals Why Yoda Talks Backwards at ‘Empire Strikes Back’ Anniversary Screening

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Mark Hamill

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Carrie Fisher

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Kenny Baker

Frank Oz

Alec Guinness

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