Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Play trailer

1:53

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

PG

1980

2h 7m

Sci-Fi

Adventure

Action

Fantasy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

174 Reviews

97%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

The adventure continues in this "Star Wars" sequel. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) 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 (David Prowse).

Critics Consensus

Dark, sinister, but ultimately even more involving than A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back defies viewer expectations and takes the series to heightened emotional levels.

Read Critics Reviews

David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

04/24/2025

A Wagnerian pop movie -- grandiose, thrilling, imperiously generous in scale, and also a bit ponderous... The throwaway wit and the recondite references to old movies have been replaced with solemn reverence.

Go to Full Review

Jack Mathews

Detroit Free Press

04/24/2025

The Empire Strikes Back will deserve whatever it earns. Despite the inevitable loss of exhilaration moviegoers will experience from a second installment, it is an extraordinarily broad audience entertainment.

Go to Full Review

Peter Travers

Gannett Westchester Rockland Newspapers

04/24/2025

After 10 minutes into The Empire Strikes Back, I realized that I was getting more than I bargained for. This film was not a sequel at all, but a freshly conceived movie marvel.

Go to Full Review

Lane Mills

InSession Film

06/09/2025

A+

A New Hope was first but there wouldn’t be a Star Wars as it stands today without The Empire Strikes Back.

Go to Full Review

Robert A. Masullo

Sacramento Bee

04/24/2025

An audio-visual super-duper-spectacle, worth every penny of the $22 million it took to make. The continuation of the Star Wars saga is a cornucopia of treats that move along so briskly you're afraid you'll miss something if you blink.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Khris

09/26/2020

watching it in a theater proves that a movie thats 40 years old is still better than the sequel trilogy

See more

Suzan L

07/11/2020

Nice to be back at the movies with safety measures in place. Classic films being shown, so I got to see Empire Strikes Back in the theatre for the first in years.

See more

Romas M

@Romas 5d

Greetings from Lithuania. "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) is a near perfect action, adventure fantasy film. The pacing of this film is incredible - at running time 2 hours this is near perfectly paced film that starts and ends with a viewer literally glued to the screen. This is due to very simple yet excellent plot, perfect special effects, terrific directing by Irvin Kershner and very good acting by everyone involved. And the soundtrack is unforgettable. On one hand you can see of how actually simple the plot is - but with a few excellent twists added it makes this story so easy to follow and so hard to forget. Overall, "The Empire Strikes Back" is a highly rewatchable classic which on new 4K format looks excellent. This is arguably the best Star Wars film ever made, and its an excellent film on every level. Great movie.

See more

Allan C

@RT66021901 5d

Arguably the greatest film of all time.

See more

Raldyr H

@Raldyr May 31

Unpopular opinion, but I never got the hype of this episode - and I watched it several times. The part of the movie after Hoth and before Cloud City are just boring and a drag for me. The start and finish of the Empire Strieks Back simply can't save it.

See more

Leo A

@RT08717744 May 30

This is my favorite Star Wars movie, it has everyone’s favorite Star Wars characters and it has a great storyline. Lucasfilms did a great job on this movie and I hope to see another Star Wars movie just like it.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Irvin Kershner

Director

Mark Hamill

Luke Skywalker

Harrison Ford

Han Solo

Carrie Fisher

Princess Leia

Billy Dee Williams

Lando Calrissian

Anthony Daniels

C-3PO

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

83%

94%

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

93%

96%

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

54%

59%

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Howard the Duck

13%

38%

Howard the Duck

Watchlist

Superman II

88%

76%

Superman II

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Superman II

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

18 Special Presentations and Guest Appearances to Check Out at the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival

Jacob Tremblay’s Five Favorite Films

12 Movie- and TV-Tied Video Games We Can’t Wait to Play

The Happytime Murders' Five Favorite Films

1:07

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back: Trailer 2

1:53

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back: Teaser Trailer 1

1:25

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back: Trailer 1

2:06

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

The adventure continues in this "Star Wars" sequel. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) 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 (David Prowse).

Director: Irvin Kershner
Producer: Gary Kurtz
Screenwriter: Lawrence Kasdan, Leigh Brackett
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Lucasfilm Ltd.
Rating: PG (Sci-Fi Action Violence)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Action, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 21, 1980, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Nov 19, 1982
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 10, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $291.9M
Runtime: 2h 7m
Sound Mix: Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)