The Empire Strikes Back (1980) on Netflix
PG19802h 4mActionAdventureFantasySci-Fi
When the Empire locates their base on Hoth, Luke Skywalker leaves to train with Yoda. Han Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbacca flee in the Millennium Falcon, with Darth Vader's fleet in pursuit.
- Netflix4.3/5
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- Rotten Tomatoes93%
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Plot summary
Three years after the Death Star's destruction, the Rebel Alliance hides on the ice planet Hoth, where an Imperial probe droid locates their base. A wampa drags Luke Skywalker from his patrol; he escapes and, in the freezing cold, hears Obi-Wan Kenobi tell him to seek out Yoda on Dagobah. Han Solo intends to leave the Rebels and settle his debt with Jabba the Hutt, but delays his departure to find Luke. When Imperial walkers overrun the base, the Rebels evacuate. Aboard the Millennium Falcon, Han, Princess Leia and Chewbacca cannot jump to hyperspace because the ship's hyperdrive is damaged, and Vader hires bounty hunters, among them Boba Fett, to hunt the Falcon. Luke and R2-D2 crash on the swamp planet Dagobah, where the Jedi Master Yoda is said to live.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Filming in Norway coincided with the area's worst snowstorm in half a century: blizzards, 40 mph winds and temperatures between -26 F and -38 F. The cold made the acetate film brittle, iced over camera lenses, let snow seep into equipment and froze the effects paint inside its tin.
- Alec Guinness said he could not return as Obi-Wan because his failing eyesight meant he had to avoid bright lights. Recasting was considered, but Lucas was determined and agreed a deal in late August 1979 giving Guinness a more limited role, paying him 0.25% of the film's box office gross for his few hours of work.
SPOILER
Prowse was given the line "Obi-Wan Kenobi is your father" to read on set because he was known for repeatedly leaking information. Only Kershner, the producers and Hamill knew the actual line.- When Lucas ignored the guilds' demands they fined him $250,000 and tried to have the film pulled from theaters. The DGA could not sanction him, so it fined Kershner $25,000 instead; Lucas paid it, then left the WGA, the DGA and the Motion Picture Association, restricting his ability to write and direct later films.
- Fisher suffered from influenza and bronchitis, her weight dropped to 85 lb while she was working twelve-hour days, and she collapsed on set from an allergic reaction to steam or spray paint. She was also allergic to most of the makeup.
- Billy Dee Williams was cast as Lando Calrissian, making him the first Black actor with a starring role in the series. He found the character interesting because of his cape and Armenian surname, which he believed gave him room to develop him.
- In 2025 a Darth Vader lightsaber prop used in the film, specifically during Vader's confrontation with Luke, sold at auction for more than $3.6 million.
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