What It Was Really Like To See The Empire Strikes Back In 1980
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- Опубликовано: 24 июл 2024
- When discussing the original “Star Wars” trilogy, many agree that the middle installment - “The Empire Strikes Back - is the best one. Of course, not everyone will consider it their favorite, but it’s hard to deny its popularity. Considering how much of an impact it had, one might assume it was as popular in 1980 as it is today. But believe it or not, when the film premiered in theaters, audiences had a slightly different reaction than you might have thought. This is what it was really like to see “The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980.
#StarWars #TheEmpireStrikesBack #Movies
Unresolved questions | 0:00
"I am your father" | 1:14
Who is 'another'? | 2:29
"I know" | 3:29
Positive fan reactions | 4:22
Starlog critic's review | 5:19
Readers strike back | 6:17
Critics were mixed | 6:58
Yoda Fett | 8:17
Familiar backlash | 9:28
Read Full Article: www.looper.com/373966/what-it... 
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What was your experience with "The Empire Strikes Back"?
At the time I found it both frustrating and perplexing ( Luke's father)
It felt weird the first time because we didn't realize it was setting up another film. Revisionist watching makes it better though.
I was only 3 nuff said ☹️
I was 11 years old in 1980. It was the ending that blew my mind. As the credits started rolling, I just sat there in my seat stunned in disbelief. I'd never seen ANY movie without a happy ending. And we had no idea if or when another SW movie would happen. No internet, no leaks, no multi-year movie marketing. It was agonizing.
I was 11. I read the ESB comics adaptation before the movie came out, so I spoiled the Vader reveal for myself. 😡 But I thought Vader had always been in a helmet and mechanical armor, so I was confused how he could have sex with a woman LOL.
No character development??? This person was obviously watching another film. I saw it when it first came out and I was blown away. The 'I am your father' line was draw dropping. I immediately thought Vader was lying, but then after Luke was saved, and Vader contacts him through the force and Luke responds by calling him 'Father' I started wondering if it was true. As for the 'I know' line, I thought it was great, a typical Han Solo line even in that heartbreaking moment. I thought there was enough info to chew on and also left enough of a cliffhanger for you to want more. I couldn't wait for ROTJ to come out. The music was brilliant, no battle scene at the end, it was anticlimactic, it was just perfect!
Excellent comment. I remember arguing with my brother on the way home from seeing Empire, whether Vader was or wasn't Luke's father. I was certain Vader was lying. I remember that discussion over 40 years later. We had a great time discussing the movie.
you guys were kids back than, i can clearly remember all those hardcore adult fans beeing mad after esb
Read your two top lines and didn’t bother watching the vid- nailed it
You dont adress his accusation but throwing unrelated paragraph like politican. Congrats nostalgia goggles
The “I know” line was improv’d by Ford...
This was the first movie I remember seeing in theaters. I was 5 years old at the time and I still think back fondly on it.
Same here. I was four at the time and seeing it with my dad remains one of my earliest childhood memories.
I was on junior high and my friends and I skipped school and my mom took us to the morning show on that Friday it opened. Great memories. Edit : I was in 6th grade. Started junior high after that summer. Just remembered correctly.
I was 15 or 16 when Empire came out. I still remembered being blown away in 1976 when that star destroyer passed over my head. Being older at that point, I was starting to clue in to storytelling concepts. The film was amazing, Boba Fett became one of my favorite sci-fi characters, but when the credits rolled and I realized the Empire had won...that made me rethink the effects of how to tell a story. Effectively, the movie was a growing point for me, causing me to really consider how storytelling can be. While I'm not a big Star Wars fan, Empire Strikes Back is one of favorite films and very impactful on my teen years.
I would love to have experienced that for the first time, I am jealous lol. I did get to see the Matrix though in the theatre which was great.
Star Wars wasn't released until 1977
did you see a special early release? the rest of us saw it in may of 1977
I can remember sitting in the very front row in the theater as a little boy and hearing those famous words spoken by Darth Vader. "No I am your father." Then hearing somebody in the back of the theater saying "No FN' way! It's something that stuck with me always.
I remember this fondly standing in line with my dad as I was a tween and had not become TOO cool to hang with my dad. It was the only movie I remember my dad waiting with me for two hours to see. I think he was excited too but would never admit it. The hollers at the opening credits and the scared looks on the faces at the end told the entire story. It really effected those of us who loved the characters. It was amazing and still is my favorite of the entire series. It had the most incredible action and drama and story. It was simply perfect.
Most of us who watched it on opening day knew we were watching a movie left open for a third. We completely understood the open ended story plots and were there on opening day for Return of the Jedi! As a huge 70s Trek fan, I never compared my sci fi and loved them all for what they were. Star Wars was definitely one of the most formative in my teen years.
Mentioning "The Last Jedi" in the same paragraph as "Empire" is blasphemous. Comparing the two favorably is one of the dumbest things you can say about Star Wars. smh
The woke idiots at Loopers love tjat garbage movie.
Exactly, thank you !
Comparing one of the best movie ever to The last joke is outrageous and just stupid.
I hope Ezra will go back in time again, this time to retcon the sequels.
Mara Jade and Darth Caedus are amazing characters. Rey Palpatine and friends are not.
Amen
You realize that you are potentially making his point- Both films divided the audience similarly. You are evidence of that.
@@DylanWills312 Not really, no. There's still a huge amount of dislike and hate for it even after the release of The Rise Of Skywalker, and the fan division has remained because it still doesn't work well as a movie that's meant to be the middle part of a trilogy. Almost all of the dislike and hate for Empire subsided after Return Of The Jedi came out, and the loose ends were tied up. The Empire Strikes Back works as the middle part of the original trilogy in retrospect and didn't make absurd plot decisions like The Last Jedi did, so that it doesn't provide a proper 'bridge' between The Force Awakens and Rise Of Skywalker.
The fan reaction to Empire was nothing like TLJ, internet or not. For those that were not alive when this came out, don't believe everything this vid says. For 3 years, everyone debated their opinions on if Vader was telling the truth and really was Luke's father, how the love triangle might resolve, would Han Solo survive, what role would Luke's new mechanical hand play...
One of the biggest problems with TLJ is that it took this "what do you think is gonna happen?" formula that Empire perfected, then told us our (Snoke) theories sucked while killing all our immersion by intentionally trying to prove that their story was better and smarter than any theory we could come up with.
What made Empire so great is exactly what made TLJ so bad. Only those not alive in 1980 don't understand that.
However... everyone did hate those damn Ewoks that showed up three years later.
of course as kids we were all blown away by esb in 1980, but a lot of the adult hardcore fans reacted just like 2017.
i found some reviews in old newspapers my dad kept and oh boy i thought i was reading tlj reviews
The diary of my older brother is also filled with hate for that movie
So jj abram is the problem. Only people who hung up in star wars disagree.
Actually this be right! Was not consensus if Vader was lying or not. Great debate, remember I, uummm?!
Empire didn’t take everything we came to like about the characters and 💩 all over them like The Last Jedi (TLJ) did, Looper.
Empire is one part of a three-part coherent story.
TLJ is a movie that shatters the coherency of the story to simply to break the viewers guessing machines. All you need to do is see how broken The Rise of Skywalker is to realize that it destroyed any semblance of a story.
But that's a story for another time... - Maz
I would like to have a conversation with you about all of this. Do contact me.
Good luck on that TLJ prediction! It more likely will be remembered as the beginning of the end of SW.
Homer Simpson: "Wow! What an ending! Who would've thought Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father?" Everyone else: "AW THANKS A LOT!!!"
The 3 years in-between Empire and Jedi I was age 11 to 14. And all my schoolmates and I assumed that Vader was lying. It's weird now knowing the end result and it's cemented in film history and legacy. But in the moment of real time, it was too far fetched to make that leap of faith that that could ever be really true. Now we assume that will be the twist in EVERY sci-fi movie between good and evil characters.
Yes we did not know we talked about it as he lied it cant be true thats lost on all these last jedi cultists.
same here. it was not until yoda confirmed it in return of the jedi did we all accept it.
I watched it in the theater. It was awesome. The twist drew a collective gasp from the entire crowd. One of the greatest sequels ever made. Couldn't wait for the return.
I was 10 when Empire came out. We had been devouring any Star Wars related material for 3 years. There was no confusion in any of our circles, we knew who the characters were and the cliffhangers were perfect because it insured we were going to get another movie!
Saw both SW and ESB with my dad when they came out, and loved them both. I couldn't believe the "I am your father" line, and like others thought maybe Vader was lying. The cliff hanger ending left my jaw on the floor and chills down my spine - the ending music as the credits hit the screen always has that effect on me now. It was incredible that it managed to out do SW and had me glued to the screen from start to finish, and this was real movie making like I'd never seen before other than maybe 2001. What a time to be alive!
Why is this dude is bringing up The Last Jedi? It doesn't compare at all to Empire, just because we have the internet does not mean Princess Leia flying around in space, or Finn and Rose's forced relationship is going to get any better.
I didn't know you guys were becoming a comedy channel but keep it up because the last section, about the Last Jedi, was freakin' hilarious. Thanks, I needed that laugh today!
Jj Abrams
Haha, facts
I was 20 yrs old when TESB came out and saw it within the first three days of release. The fan reaction was practically universal praise. We were surprised that it was a way better movie in all regards to the original Star Wars. What, a sequel that actually improves on the original in every way. That still rare even today. We Black-Americans we were shocked and thrilled the way that George Lucas just introduced a main black character without fanfare or PC BS of checking off the box. Like it is supposed to be , normal. The way Rick Berman and the Star Trek production team introduced Avery Brooks as Commander Sisko for ST DS9, normal no big deal just do it. Oh there was no big deal about the cliffhangers at the end of the movie all of the fan base expected it and it was common knowledge by then that this was a trilogy. Oh and the "I know" is one of the great lines in cinematic history and is totally totally within the character of Han Solo.
Do you think we were more relaxed about race then? I'm about your age and white, rural, in what was then a conservative western state, in the military and had grown up in a logging and farming environment, and amongst all those predominantly white and center-right political elements the general attitude about Lando Calrissian was "Hey, Billy Dee Williams!" Most of the Star Wars actors were initially relatively unknown but Billy Dee Williams had a bigger background, perhaps notably because of "Brian's Song," "Lady Sings the Blues" and "Mahogany." It was sort of like Star Wars had some credibility now, what with an actual star in the movies. Even then Harrison Ford was making noise about wanting out of the production and having his character killed off, so there was some theorizing that maybe encasing him in carbonite would be the end of him, but that was okay: Here was his obvious replacement, just as rascally, equally capable of romancing Princess Leia, and someday helping knock down the Empire.
Thank you for the insight! Lando was a great character. Ahh the days of prewoke
great point collinw. same thing goes in the first movie for leia. she was an amazingly super strong female character , no special fanfare or political BS about her being a female. just made it so.
@@lynnpoint6395 don't forget the colt 45 commercials
@@Johnadams20760 LOL 😄😄😄
I loved the movie and the ending was great. I had no problem with it as a kid because the movie introduced so many themes and reveals to wrestle with already that I needed three years to sort it all out and exercise my imagination. My father who took me however had a complete difference of opinion. He never stopped bitching about it for the entire three year wait. Lol. 'Three years! We gotta wait three God-damned years?! I'll be dead in three years!! Jesus Christ!"
That was more then worth the price of admission for that unintentional comedy in our family. Thanks George!
You know, there is some merit to what your dad was saying about being dead before the story concludes. A lot of movie fans have matured into what people now consider "old" (I'm 64 myself), and I know several people who where in their 70s 10 years ago as the MCU was shaping up to eventually have an epic conclusion who were worried they wouldn't be around to see the end of the story. And sadly, some of them weren't.
Of course this could not help but to try some damage control for TLJ. That is quite fascenating that people still go on and try to justify or point toward others that they sucked to in the beginning....
TLJ was/is divisive to at least 50/50 if not more. ESB, sure had it crititcs, but I am willing to bet my house that it had nowhere near as many critics.
I was 14 when I saw Empire in theaters with my friends on opening weekend. I loved it, all my friends loved it, the theater applauded at the end, everyone I knew of who had seen it loved it. All the television and print reviews I saw were positive.
Which is why I can't figure out why people insist on comparing fan reaction at the time to fan reaction to The Last Jedi. Trust me, I was around at the time, there were no dissention among fans, we knew we had seen a m a masterpiece.
I saw ESB in the theater eight times in 1980-81. At NO point was there "backlash" to it. A lot of incredulity, but it still surged week after week and month after month it was out. It didn't lose 80% of its audience after the first week like TLJ, no matter how much Disney pays or intimidates people to lie about it.
It is pure good entertainment. I was 15 years old when I saw it in the movie theater and was blown away. There is nothing like watching it on the big screen. It is in my top ten films to come out around that time. I am 56 years old and there are two movies gives me goose bumps everytime I watch them. The Empire Strikes Back & Superman the Movie. I think people some times misses the whole point of these types of movies. To take you to another place & another time and be entertained. I have very fond memories of going to the movies with friends and family.
I stood in line for two days at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood to be part of that first night audience. When we got our seats the atmosphere was intense and when the audience started counting down from 10 to 1 the lights dimmed and the screams shattered the walls. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hear the movie but after the 20th Century Fox fanfare you could hear a pin drop. The audience exploded again when the title appeared and, apart from the cheers after the introduction of each returning character, it was a reverent showing. The revelation from Vader sent supreme shock waves through the screaming fans. Everything was slicker, a little more adult with the most satisfying and hopeful cliffhanger ever until Back to the Future part 2. John Williams really kicked ass on this one. It was one of my favorite cinematic experiences.
It was AWESOME. I was there.
Tell us the reaction of the audience to the "i am your father".
I was there. I saw The Empire Strikes Back when it came out in theaters. Empire was definitely louder; the sound of the Imperial Star Cruiser was startling. The part I remember best, though, is how infuriating it was to end on a cliffhanger. I HAVE TO WAIT 3 YEARS TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS?!!!
When you’re 10, three years is an eternity.
As somebody who actually skipped school on to see Empire on opening day, I can tell you, it was a huge event! My friends Jay, his brother Lee, and myself were in line at 9:00 am to see it at the Ridglea Theater in Ft Worth, Texas. While in line, we were interviewed by both the local ABC and CBS affiliate news crews. The CBS news van stopped in front of the ticket window, the camera crew jumped out and made us recreate the exchange of money for tickets, so they could shoot close ups. We were so terrified we were caught that after we got home, we called each other and watched both TV news broadcasts that night to see our interviews. Luckily, the stations used their Dallas footage, so we weren't seen on TV. Unfortunately, one of our friends who couldn't skip that day ratted us out to the history teacher, so I got an F for the day. Totally worth it!
James Earl Jones said on several occasions that when he did his voiceover work for ESB and was told that Vader was Luke's father, he believed that Vader was lying, possibly to destroy Luke emotionally or something. Jones said that he actually thought that Obi-Wan killed Luke's father or that Obi-Wan was Luke's father. He said that once Vader said that he was Luke's father that it wouldn't stand up in the next movie.
We didn't believe it either.
Lightsaber in hand. LONG like into and around the inside of a mall. Once we all took our seats someone walked to the front and said there was an issue with the projector and they would start the movie shortly. Two more employees walked to the front and for the next 15 mins gave a very good rundown of what happened in Star Wars and character backstory refresher.
To this day I think that is the most prepared I have ever been to watch a part 2 of anything.... Different times back then.
I was there. It’s still my favorite Star Wars film. I was 15 at the time.
Me too!!!
I was 5... It was the first movie I saw in theatres that wasn't a Disney reissue
I saw Star Wars in theater as well. About a month or so after release. Think I went 3 times to see that and 3 times on this one.
12...
Empire opened up a million new story directions and possibilities. The last Jedi closed every story path as cynically and self aware as possible. Abhorrent that Disney let that film happen. You cannot be this stupid. Looper editor signed off on your interpretation of TLJ here? Good lord.
tfa is the problem not tlj.
Abrams made a nostalgia flick but forgot to tell something new, he just mixed in some mystery elements to make it look like his flat stereotype characters have some substance.
he brought some new characters without having a plan for them, and the old ones lost their character development from the previous 3 movies.
There was no story path in tfa rian Johnson could have followed.
It was the second part of the trilogy but also had to do the tasks that tfa missed as the first of a Trilogy
Correct. Yes, a part of the fanbase did have issues with The Empire Strikes Back at first, but once Return Of The Jedi came out most of that dislike vanished because once the whole trilogy was there, everyone could see how well it worked as the middle part and as a bridge between Episodes IV and VI. Not so with The Last Jedi, as it basically ignored what was being set up in The Force Awakens and also didn't leave The Rise Of Skywalker anything to continue from. I agree with people saying The Force Awakens wasn't very good to begin with either though and was a lazy, less well conceived rehash of A New Hope.
One thing that is rarely talked about is how John Williams took the music to the next level. I think it's his masterpiece, (and there is some stiff competition!). I was constantly singing parts of the score as a kid, from the imperial March, to the asteroid field and hyperspace and Yoda's theme. The whole film was magic but the music was a huge part of that.
I was there…got in line at 10 30 at night and we still were at least a 100 people ahead of us.
We were teenagers barely in intermediate school but what a fun night .
Looking for a bathroom while friends stayed in line.
Running to the 24hr supermarket to get snacks and sodas
Trying to sleep on the streets but way to excited to get any.
Hearing groggy philosophy at 4am the universe on a potato chip thing and laughing so hard I nearly wet myself. When you are that tired and excited it’s like your stoned or drunk. Every hour the line would countdown until the ticket booth opened and we took our seat waiting until finally…the Dolby stereo announced the beginning of the movie.
Then quiet,not a sound or peep and SUDDENLY…BANG! THE OPENING MUISC AND THE SCROLL…THE THEATER STARTS SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS!
The Last Jedi will never be looked back on fondly.
Originally seeing that that end scene @10:56 with cp30 r2, leia and luke staring off into the distant galaxy at the age of 10 kind changed my conception of reality, making everything seem much more profound and meaningful on a cosmic scale, yet in some deep ineffable way I still can't quite describe, which makes it even more magic....
I saw the first screening at one of the Century Theaters across from the Winchester Mystery house. And what I can tell you for sure; is that there were a lot of fans, and it seemed like even more opinions. Camped out in the theater parking lot before the movie, we shared many ideas and observations. And then when we'd seen it, and camped out to see it a second time we had even more thoughts and ideas.
As always, thank you so very much for the video.
And to answer "what was it really like to see the "Empire Strikes Back" in 1980? I'd say, ask ten people who were there, and I wouldn't be surprised if you got eleven different answers, but we all loved it.
I was there as well, stood in line for over 7 hours at the Orange Cinedome to see it in 70mm.
That crowds reaction was chilling to the famous line. First shocked gasps, a LOT of "No"s. even some outright crying and cries of anguish. I will never, ever forget the waves of emotion in that theatre that day.
I saw The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 at the Cinerama Dome on Sunset Blvd. in the heart of Hollywood, CA.. I was all of ten years old. It was something I will never forget for the rest of my life.. we had never seen anything like it. The audience was stunned.. we laughed, cried and cheered.. it was magical. It was glorious. It was Star Wars but even better.
At 12 years old when it was released, I went to see it with my now deceased brother, and father.
I was enthralled till the last minute… the view of the galaxy in the window at the end was amazing to me. I loved the movie, and was first in line to see Jedi… so much a different movie from empire… wonderful, but odd.
My dad kept my brother and I out of school the day it was released. We showed up SOOO early (to line up) at The Omni Center in Atlanta, GA, so we could be first in line to see the first showing of this. When an elderly man (janitor?) stuck his head out of the theater doors, and asked us if we'd like to come in a watch a screening of the movie...there was only the 3 of us and this janitor in the theater, and we got a private showing!!! It was unreal!!!! When the 3 of us exited the movie, there was line a mile long!! I remember my brother shouting "I CAN'T BELIEVE DARTH VADER IS LUKE'S FATHER"!!!! MANY people in line stared at us with a shocked expression on their faces!!! It was absolutely classic... LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!
Sorry, in no way is the Last Jedi anything like the Empire Strikes Back. Last Jedi may have been middle of a trilogy, but it was a mess, the instalment that destroyed the Star Wars franchise.
I am sorry to read what you wrote, but it true... all of it...
Agreed
God the pain...the pain...
Watched it on summer vacation with my dad and brother in Duluth Miller hill mall , while mom was shopping with grandma and sisters, the Theater was packed, the movie started rolling and you never wanted it to end.
I saw it in 1980 and was blown away. I was shocked and upset about what happened to our heroes and could not wait to see what was gonna happen. I’ve seen all but the last two movies in the theater and Empire was then and still is my favorite.
I saw this in 1980 when I was 13. None of my friends or I had any of this confusion or disappointment. I’m fact, for many of us, we thought it was as good or better than he original. However, we did wonder who the “other” is and discussed it at length.
I was 22-years-old when I saw The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. I mostly remember the critics were disappointed and at first I was a little bit too. In that era sequels were only re-emerging into a "thing," and they tended to be much derided with only a few off-and-on exceptions such as could be found in the James Bond or Dirty Harry franchises. And good or bad, sequels were almost always stand-alone-movies in their own right. The idea of there being a trilogy of closely connected movies - not just in terms of the cast and concept but also in terms of a continuing storyline - was pretty new and not well understood, so Empire confused and disappointed both fans and critics with its "to be continued..." ending. Viewers up to that point had been ignoring what George Lucas had said about creating a movie serial like from the 1930s and 1940s. I'll also add that the opening scrawl that began with identifying this movie as being "Episode V" also created confusion. Everyone in the theatre spent the first few minutes of the film distracted by the thought of what the hell had happened to Episodes II through IV then?
Irvin Kershner was also criticized for making Empire "too dark" in comparison to the original and this opinion I strongly recollect continued well past release of Return of the Jedi, a movie that was seen back then as being the best of the three and something of an apology for the bleakness of Empire, which at that time was considered the worst of the three. There seemed to be a collective criticism that maybe George Lucas had handed off the directorial duties too quickly to someone else, someone who didn't quite "get it."
And I'm one of those who agrees with some of what David Gerrold was saying about the film logic. Both Episodes IV and V initially covey the impression of a sprawling Epic, like How the West was Won, lasting weeks and maybe months. In fact, if you pay attention though, it appears that Episode IV takes place basically over a 24 to 48 hour period, during which Luke's initial Jedi "training" with Obi-Wan consists of maybe an hour or two at the most, and that he qualifies as an X-Wing combat pilot in a matter of minutes. Both seem a little far-fetched. And in Episode V his more advanced training with Yoda actually doesn't seem to last more than just a couple days. Hunh. Guess it's pretty easy to become a Jedi Knight after all, I suppose, if one just has enough midi-chlorians in your cells. And then there WAS Yoda. Small and old and grouchy, he was expected to become as popular as C3-PO and R2-D2. Maybe he would have, if he just didn't sound so damn much like Kermit the Frog. As it is, for years I've felt he was more of a prototype for Jar-Jar Binks.
I am also annoyed by "plot speed," which can be faster or slower than the hyper-drive, depending. After escaping the Imperial Fleet, the Millennium Falcon - sans its hyperdrive - makes for Bespin. Why does Han Solo seem surprised it's within range? That's like figuring out Canada is within walking distance if you're in northern Minnesota. It should be inherently obvious how close it is to any experienced space pilot or smuggler, like say the distance from Earth to Neptune. Otherwise, if it's any interstellar distance away, it would take Our Heroes literally YEARS to get there. Solo & Company should not be surprised when they find the Empire is already there, either. Surely checking out any nearby locations would be SOP for a search of the type that Admiral Needa describes having been done for the Millennium Falcon.
Some argue that well, this is fantasy and not hard science fiction, and that viewers shouldn't expect scientific rigor. Actually, I agree. The common thread of any space opera that faster-than-light speed is possible IS pure fantasy and not science. But it's not about science, it's about logic. Tolkien could have silenced legions of nitpickers simply by including a line for Elrond at his Council that went something like "Sauron has amassed an army of fell birds and bats over Mordor that even a single eagle could not pass through undetected." In this case, a little less-than-lazy script writing could have had Solo paying some garbage scavenger for a tow to Bespin, and this would have even created another action figure to be fed into the mass marketing maw that is the Star Wars Universe.
I've already written way too much (sorry!), but I do want to add something about the social phenomenon that was Star Wars in the late 1970s and early 1980s. During the dismal Carter administration where pop culture was identified mostly by Disco and CB trucker flicks, it was a movement of monumental proportions: Books, movies, posters, toys, records, cosplay, a hilariously painful Christmas Special and even a proposed anti-ICBM project that was part of what scared the Soviet Union into collapse. It revived Star Trek as a viable commercial property and kicked off an era of significantly improved special effects. In a period of runaway inflation and hostages in Iran, it gave people something fun to talk about. To get an idea, imagine the excitement about the MCU packed into half the time and intensely focused on a fraction of the content, and you get some concept of what it was like, and why people stood in line for hours to sit in packed theatres. In the final analysis, few cared that The Empire Strikes Back was "too dark" or "too illogical" or "to be continued." We were already eagerly waiting for the next one...
I queued for hours when it came out and I got chills when I first heard The Imperial March, still sets hairs on the back of neck going to this day
When I saw this in 1980 at the theatre, we had long hours of debates about whether Darth was lying or telling the truth. It was so unbelievable, which shows how potent these characters were the first time around. We had many discussions about whom the “another” was. It was great to put the points together in the “Revenge/Return of the jedi”
Man, when I first saw this film in theaters (as a kid) loved it from start to finish.
I thought Vader was lying too....maybe. Because it who could imagine that type of connection between Hero and a machine-like villain.
Boba Fett really stood out above all, but also Lando -Billie Dee Williams was a big deal to me (being Black)because he was a rarest part of scifi films.
Lando was Black, ran a sky-city, was the original owner of the Falcon and he was cool.
Last Jedi is so underrated.
I saw it in 1980 when it came out. I was transfixed at every moment in that I grew up having had seen A New Hope which was a classic by then. I was worried about the characters and was wowed by the effects and drama.
I saw this on opening night when I was 13. When Darth Vader said "I am your father", every single person in that theater gasped. It was a HUGE moment. And I at first thought Vader was lying...until he tells Luke to search his feelings and Luke realizes that it *IS* true. Now, if you watch "A New Hope" with these new eyes, watch Ben's reaction when Luke asks him about his father: It sure seems like he is conjuring up a story to tell Luke (although I found out later that a) that was not intentional and b) the idea that Darth Vader was Luke's father was a last minute addition that George Lucas thought up during the production of Empire).
There's a funny scene in The Simpsons from years ago where Homer and Marge are remembering their first date: Homer took her to see "The Empire Strikes Back". They're walking out of the theater and of course there's a huge line of people waiting to see it next. Homer turns to Marge and says, "Gee, who would've thought that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker's father?" and of course everyone in line moans and groans. (Nowadays a spoiler like that would get you beaten to within an inch of your life, or worse).
This is so cool. And I can remember going through each of those questions in all my Starlog mags back in the day. We debated all this over and over...obsessing over all of it. Amazing times to be alive!
I was 10 years old in 1980 and a huge Star Wars fanatic. Star Wars changed my life in 1977. Before that I loved westerns and old Scifi movies. School was almost out in southern California and after seeing the trailers for Empire I was chomping at the bit. My stepmother had her finger on the pulse of anything Star Wars. She found out what theater was premiering Empire and she called me and told me to be ready to go when she got home from work and told me we were going to the mall. I was in shock when we pulled up to a theater in San Diego and I saw Empire Strikes Back posters on the walls and on the marquee. My jaw hit the floor and stayed there for the whole movie. I was equally a huge fan of action figures and by the end of the summer I had all of the first wave of Empire figures and couldn't wait for the Snow Speeder to come out. It made my summer that year. The Star Wars franchise gave me an identity much like Heavy Metal would a couple years later. In my 50s I am just as big a fan as I was when I was a kid.
Seen it in the theater as a kid in 1980, loved it even if i didnt understood everything about it. It was mind blowing specialy the Hoth attack and the escape scenes with the falcon. Good times, and for me the best Star Wars movie period.
I distinctly remember it as my friend Michaels 9th birthday and we all went and sat in the front row. It was amazing!
For those of us who saw the original Star Wars (sans "A New Hope" as it was later called) in theaters during the original 1977 run, Empire was AWESOME!!!!
We stood in line to get tickets then in another line to get a seat. I saw all of them in the movies from 77 to 83. It was a wave and it was fabulous to ride that wave. Very happy there was no internet back then.
I plainly remember the reaction in 1980. Many people thought the ending was weak, and left way too many things unresolved. Remember, we had to wait three years for the next movie.
This was the first Star Wars movie I saw upon release. (Unfortunately I missed the first one - wasn’t on my radar back then.) I recall being really impressed with the scale and detail of everything. It was so much better looking than the first one and the action sequences were amazing! The battle on Hoth kicked ass!
By this time I was a HUGE Han Solo fan. So I appreciated that he got more screen time. I was worried that he was going to die when they encased him in carbonite and I was bummed that they didn’t resolve the situation at the end but I didn’t hate the movie. NOT AT ALL. Obviously the first film tied everything up at the end so that’s what we all expected for TESB.
And I agree with the people who say they didn’t believe Vader was telling the truth to Luke. I just didn’t trust him and it would make sense for him to lie to get Luke. But it was just one more thing we got to find out about in the next movie. So it was all good.
Leave it to Looper to directly compare reviews of this to The Last Jedi. There’s no comparison. One is a brilliant, sci-fi fantasy classic and the other is a horrible dumpster fire of shit that deserves to be forgotten.
My friend's dad rented Star Wars A New Hope on VHS and sat us down to watch it a few days before taking us to go see The Empire Strikes Back in an actual theatre, I believe it was my first movie to see in a theatre, I was beyond excited once those opening credits hit the screen.
What I remember the most from this movie is when Luke was hanging upside down in the snow monster cave and couldn't reach his lightsaber. Then he remembered Obi-Wan's words and he extended his hand, and when the lightsaber started moving, I remember feeling so freakin' excited and thinking: it's possible! It was like a ray of hope in a universe filled with overwhelming odds and technology, hope that there was still something greater. It was freakin' awesome!
I was 5 when I saw it. Everyone at the theater was excited. The guy at the ticket booth was stoked on it, girl at concessions loved it. I barfed during the battle of Hoth & we had to leave. Ticket guy gave us passes to come back... I wish him well if he reads this.
The bigger story is seeing A New Hope in 1977. On Long Island only one movie theatre on the whole island was allowed to show it. We had to wait in line over 3 hours on a hot summer day to be able to see it and my brother, my cousin, my father and I had to sit far away from each other, but it was worth it.
I was ten at the time and waited three long years after A New Hope to see it. It was an even more amazing experience than the first film, so much so that I must have seen it a dozen times during the summer of 1980. Still one of my all time favorite films.
There was a movie projectionist strike in Ottawa when it came out, so a friend and I drove to Montreal to see it. We were blown away! I remember thinking “of course, it all makes sense” after the Vader revelation
As a then 13 year old, I was so caught up in the movie. The music by the legendary John Williams (The Imperial March gives me chills), the best SFX, and the emotional depths that it took me. I cried 1 moment ("I know. " 😢), and was shocked the next (I, like the rest of the audience, losing my shit about Luke's "Father". 🤯🤯🤯).
What an amazing experience!
so cool! loved this video!
3:29 My interpretation is Han is comfortable being hated. By a former lover or otherwise. He wasn't sure this wasn't the end for him, and so what he was doing was making it "easier" for Laia in the long run (help her begin the healing process by hating him and moving on rather than continue to pine for him and be alone forever). He is a scoundrel after all
Being someone who saw The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, when it first came out, I strongly disagree with your comparison to The Last Jedi. Empire was HUGELY loved by fans when it came out and it is, in my opinion, the best Star Wars film. It is a masterpiece and I can clearly remember the hype, cliff-hanger excitement and satisfaction with the film that buzzed throughout the summer of 1980 and beyond. The Last Jedi on the other hand was HUGELY disliked by fans and it is an absolute mess of of film.
I arrived a bit late at the theater and had to sit on the stairs! When the movie ended I stood up, found a vacant seat and watched it all over again. Things you could do back then that you absolutely cannot today!
I was in high school when the first Star Wars came out. It BLEW my mind! I was already an avid Star Trek fan watching reruns after school. So I have Star Wars to thank that led to the Star Trek movies that came out after. Of course, I could not wait until Empire came out back then, and I was even more impatient for Jedi. I am in my 60's now and I still love those first Star Wars movies. The other franchise movies that came out later do not hold a candle by any means! My only criticism about Empire: they should have left the ENTIRE kiss scene in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We waited in line over 6 hours on opening night to see ESB and we weren't disappointed. About an hour before our showtime, there was a big commotion up near the head of the line where an earlier show was letting out and we asked what was going on. An usher said that someone came out and blabbed the big ending, something about Vader and Luke, and a lot of people got really upset. (the term "spoiler alert" hadn't been coined yet) We thought that maybe one of them killed the other but of course it turned out to be the "No, I am your father" plot twist.
I was 6 years old and it was so awesome to see it on the big screen.
Saw it when it came out and was blown away. The impact of the original was greater as it was something totally new but this developed the story so well. Can you imagine a rime when you couldn't just download (or stream) and watch a movie again and again! Cinema was epic back then!
I saw Star Wars on opening weekend at the drive in. I saw Empire on opening day in the theater. Empire was always my favorite
Interesting how so much of Star Wars lore centers on the "No, I am your father" revelation. David Prowse, the bodybuilder who played Darth Vader for the Original Trilogy, actually had no knowledge of that plot twist. When filming the scene, he read several different lines, none of them about being Luke's father, and then James Earl Jones' voice was dubbed in later with the actual line. So Prowse never actually knew, but in an interview he speculated on that idea. George Lucas found out and pretty much blackballed Prowse for the rest of the trilogy, fulfilling only his contractual obligations and nothing more. Prowse was supposed to have his own face revealed at the end of Return of the Jedi, and the scene was filmed that way, but Lucas arranged for a different actor, Sebastian Shaw, to be filmed with the mask being removed and the scene was edited accordingly. The footage with Prowse's face was allegedly destroyed and he was never invited to reunions, fan conventions, or any other official Star Wars gatherings.
As a10yr kid I loved it.... queuing up and seeing it at the movies was a childhood highlight...
Saw it on opening weekend. Standing in line and all that. Best movie going experience of my life.
I watch ESB in Los Ángeles in 1980, I was thrilled , Vader was Luke’s father , I was 11 years old , got the trading cards and figures at the mall right after , best time in my life . I became a film director because of that , still in my mind every day .
The scene that stays in my mind when watching episode 3 for the first time in 2005 when I was 5 years old in theater's was anakin burning alive and anakin being turned into darth vader. People after 2005 wouldn't understand how much we loved or hated episode 3. I loved it due to the story and lightsaber fights. I thought it was written well but with some bad dialogue in places. I thought it was so cool seeing anakin be turned into Darth vader as a kid and seeing his burned body while it happened. It was so cool.
No one my age (14) who talked about it at the time ever mentioned Boba Fett (Starlog readers aside). "I am your father" was truly shocking, but the big moment for me was that first shot of the walkers--you could hear the gasps from the audience. We'd just never seen anythng like it.
Did not show up in my city until mid June. I had already read the novel and heard the soundtrack. Made me want to see it even more. I loved the movie and saw it 13 times over the course of two years at the box office.
I was truly satisfied at the end of this film. It stayed in my mind for years. A good story, well told.
This is by FAR the best Star Wars movie
I was 15 yrs old when this movie came out and me and friends were blown away. This movie was part of life's and it was the greatest movie ever to us.
It's the first movie I can remember seeing during Winter 1982 (yes you heard me 1982!!!). It was re-released as I have been told and I wasn't really aware at the time. I was in 3rd grade and the choice was between seeing Empire or E.T. believe it or not for one of my classmates birthday's. I remember we had a TON of snow in the ground here in Pittsburgh so you can imagine my surprise when the Hoth scene unfolded. What an experience for this 8 year old way back when.
Bloody AMAZING! My father & I saw it opening weekend.....
I saw the Empire Strikes Back in 1980, I was 3.
My understanding is that the name, Darth Vader, is a derivation of "dark father." So I think the author of the trilogy always planned for Darth Vader to be Skywalker s father.
I was 14...saw it in Seattle at the UA150 theater on opening day at a early morning showing....for a few days, I was the coolest kid in my class...I held my tongue, and let my friends experience it themselves...great times...
In New York waiting on line to see E S B on it's release made the experience THAT much better. Will never forget it.
I saw the empire strikes back when it first came out I was 13, I loved it and I loved Hans line “I know” it suited his character, and I was shocked that dark Vader was Luke’s father, but I did think Leia was his sister, you ruined your review by mentioning the last Jedi, that movie should never be considered a Star Wars movie it seem like it wanted to destroy everything Star Wars. The originals are the best, the empire strikes back is still my favourite
I took my daughter, who was about 4 years old, and we had a blast. While we were a bit disappointed with the ending we were both very excited knowing that a third movie was going to be forth coming, and waited impatiently until it did.
I wish I could remember actually watching it in 1980, but I was only 5. All I remember is my dad telling me we were going to see it. Oh, and I remember asking if my brother could come but he was only 3. Then I remember being in front of the theater in the mall and that's it. God I wish I could go back.
I saw this when I was 19yrs old. Before multiplexes. Only showing on 2 screens in Cerritos CA. We were in 3hr wait line. Some little kid just who just saw it yells out "Vader is Lukes father" . Most of us in line heard it. We were pissed. You can't undo that.
He chops off Luke’s hand and drop: I am your father ! ICONIC 🔥🔥🔥
The tickets sold out the first time our family wanted to see it. We waited a week later...it was worth it.
My grandfather took me and a cousin to see it. I loved it, though I hadn't seen A New Hope yet. Great film, great memory
I saw it at age 4 in 1982, it was the re-release. A few months before I saw Star Wars on video and became a huge fan. I remember loving the film and wondering how a Robot (I thought Vader was a robot at the time) could have a son. Then months later couldn't wait to see Return of the Jedi.
I still remember seeing this at the cinema. Still love it...
Empire has become mostly everyones fav'. I remember watching it the 1st time & thinking 'Return is the the best, but after a trilogy binge I grew on 'Empire very hard, bcus of Yoda & Vadar. 👍👍