Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back Poster
MOVIEmeter
Top 5000
Down 34 this week

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

PG 124 min  -  Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi  -   21 May 1980 (USA)
8.8
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 8.8/10 from 386,997 users   Metascore: 78/100 
Reviews: 705 user | 154 critic | 15 from Metacritic.com

As Luke trains with Master Yoda to become a Jedi, his friends evade the Imperial fleet under the command of Darth Vader who is obsessed with turning Skywalker to the Dark Side.

Director:

Irvin Kershner

Writers:

Leigh Brackett (screenplay), Lawrence Kasdan (screenplay), and 1 more credit »
Watch Trailer
 Loading+Watchlist

Watch it

Buy it from Amazon »

Watch on TV

Related Lists

image of title
a list of 727 titles by dimkovachev created 2 months ago
 
image of title
a list of 250 titles by cy1995 created 10 months ago
 
image of title
a list of 382 titles by mhar_ced created 4 months ago
 
image of title
a list of 100 titles by Ab Siddique created 22 Apr 2011
 
image of title
a list of 114 titles by ecemlus created 3 weeks ago
 

Connect with IMDb


Pre-Order the Kindle Fire
Top 250 #11 | Won Oscar. Another 13 wins & 13 nominations See more awards »

Related Videos

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith -- The trailer for the complete Star Wars collection on Blu-ray. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith -- Star Wars: The Complete Saga - Deleted Scenes Sizzle Reel
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Hamill ...
Harrison Ford ...
Carrie Fisher ...
Billy Dee Williams ...
Anthony Daniels ...
David Prowse ...
Peter Mayhew ...
Kenny Baker Kenny Baker ...
Frank Oz ...
Yoda (voice)
Alec Guinness ...
Jeremy Bulloch Jeremy Bulloch ...
John Hollis John Hollis ...
Jack Purvis Jack Purvis ...
Des Webb Des Webb ...
Clive Revill Clive Revill ...
Emperor (voice)
Edit

Storyline

Fleeing the evil Galactic Empire, the Rebels abandon their new base on Hoth. Princess Leia, Han Solo and the droid C-3PO escape in the damaged 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 by Yoda on 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 | Training | Escape | Rebel  | See more »

Taglines:

The Adventure Continues... See more »

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$6,415,804 (USA) (26 May 1980) (126 Screens)

Gross:

$538,375,067 (Worldwide) (1997)
See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lucasfilm See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

 | USA: (special edition)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The following characters "have a bad feeling about this": Leia. See also: Star Wars and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. See more »

Goofs

Revealing mistakes: When Lando opens Falcon's top hatch, bright light comes in, although it is dark outside. (This small mistake is fixed in the Special Edition.) 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

The stars form the backdrop for the end credits. See more »

Connections

Referenced in "MythBusters: Location, Location, Location (#11.7)" (2011) See more »