The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Retrospective / Review

[@OliverHarper]

Get the Star Wars series on Blu-ray here goo.gl/59j2CH Get the soundtrack to Empire Strikes Back here goo.gl/3nU29q

[@edcampion3998]

well done oliver great job loved the review

[@thomasbicknell175]

It's at 2.0 now

[@thomasbicknell175]

oh.

[@LarryLeeMoniz]

Oliver, I love all of your videos. Your insight and general knowledge make this quite enjoyable to watch and listen to,. This one in particular is fantastic, and The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite movie! Also, your editing is superb! Very professional and creative. Thank you!

[@evilinsecticon3813]

I like your videos dearly. I have a different admiration for them though as they continually give me something more to review and contemplate.

[@marcosmartins7581]

It's THE masterpiece of Star Wars... Timeless, adventurous and with a stunning soundtrack and a great chemistry between actors... A MUST see

[@ttjesus4959]

You mean, a stunning "score". It has no "soundtrack", actually.

[@windi1982]

„Rogue one“ came close! This series is at it‘s best when the bad guys win. 🤷‍♂️🤣

[@lxdead5585]

@@windi1982 true that, my fav SW movies are Empire Strikes Back, Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One xD

[@jarlwhiterun7478]

You must be talking about the impending Jar Jar Binks prequel.

[@Shoelessjoe78]

Absolutely the best one

[@bryguysays2948]

Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back is how a sequel should be done!

[@broken1394]

Yepp thanks to Gary Kurtz.

[@georgemorley1029]

It’s how ANY film should be done!

[@ttjesus4959]

@@georgemorley1029 Literally was going to say the exact same thing verbatim

[@thucydides123]

That 4 min intro has to be the best trailer/summary I've ever seen in my life. It's perfect.

[@OliverHarper]

+thucydides123 Thanks dude!

[@davydevilution7297]

Mark Hamill gave a brilliant performance in this Movie!

[@evilinsecticon3813]

DavyDevilution - with great one liners that are so laughable,"but Han and Leia will die if I don't. " "they're my friends i can't get this image out of my head." Great acting at it's best. Mark Hamill is the Jar Jar Binks of the original trilogy. Sadly, everyone complains about Jar Jar and he only had just over 4 minutes of screen time across an entire trilogy (+1 if you count the end of ROTJ DE).

[@blacbraun]

Hey don't dis Mark Hamil. He IS Luke and nobody else will ever be.

[@evilinsecticon3813]

@@blacbraun -- we can all thank Yoda or Palpatine (whichever you prefer)for that. Who in the hell would want to be Luke? Moisture farming and all.

[@yutrops2193]

Mark Hamill was hilariously terrible in this and a new hope

[@razorfett147]

@@evilinsecticon3813 Dude shut up. We get it: you're a militant prequel fanboy who's clearly 1 sequel away from commiting a mass shooting because the fandom (and movie-going audiences as a whole) recognize what a poor film endeavour the prequel SW films were. Ep 1 and 2 are, on a technical level, poorly made films, period....featuring dialog that feels like it could have been written by a 7th grader. And while Ep 3 rose to the level of the OT in terms of storytelling, it falls back several steps by completely fucking up Anakins turn to the dark side, and continuing the previous 2 films trend of jacking up continuity with the OT. Sit down and go watch some prequel trilogy circle jerk videos. You being a pretentious prick to everyone that comments favorably to this film isnt swaying anyones opinion.

[@MegamanNG]

I love The Empire Strikes Back... the best out of all the films and I also sum it as one other thing... to quote Mark Hamill from "When Star Wars Ruled the World", "It just kicks you in the gut because we lose."

[@tedgruver7618]

MegamanNG I’m surprised to see you here.

[@evilinsecticon3813]

The rebellion lost a secret base and attrition of battle. But, they lost unknown soldiers in the other two films of the original trilogy. Did they lose those as well? Perhaps the key to success is Han Solo. Without Han, we'll lose!

[@TrevorToonArt]

@@evilinsecticon3813 With Jar Jar, everybody loses. Especially good taste.

[@sartainja]

We lost to a P.C. woman ran mouse.

[@brankogredelj6153]

One often overlooked but important aspect of this, maybe even more so than the revelation that Vader is his father, is the moment when Luke hangs below the Cloud City in desperation and calls for assistance using the Force, and then Leia answers, hinting at Yoda's dying words that "there is another Skywalker." Powerful stuff, directed and scored insanely well.

[@jordann7681]

I interpret Yoda's words "There is another" when Luke leaves Dagobah in empire as him referring to Vader. Its just wayyy too weird how Lucas had them kiss at the start of the moving then AFTER Leia saves him on cloud city, she about kisses him on the mouth again if you watch closely

[@duncans9071]

John Williams score for Empire is the best of the series. Star Wars may have won the Oscar but the music in this movie is very different from its predecessor and introduces new themes that stay with you long after the credits have stopped rolling. Should have won all awards it was nominated for IMHO.

[@jogglehead]

Can't believe it lost to Fame.

[@stevennorris7181]

best film score ever

[@dnasty312]

​@@jogglehead _Fame_ definitely deserved Best Original Song

[@andylikesstuffchannel]

Absolutely

[@andylikesstuffchannel]

​@@jogglehead absolutely madness it was probably because of Star Wars winning so many

[@jeffk1722]

Only back in 1980 could you release Empire in the UK a month before the US, without people hearing the big spoiler. Nowadays forget it.

[@Tuppoo94]

Forget about releasing any movie anywhere before releasing it somewhere else.

[@LorenHelgeson]

Too true. On a bit of a tangent, it always makes me laugh when I see that Simpsons moment where Homer spoiled the big reveal to everyone standing in line.

[@ReviewingMagnet]

Well you could release it in China before anywhere else, since they ban the internet there

[@evilinsecticon3813]

Wait, what big spoiler? Oh yeah, the AT-ATs. And Yoda. Sorry but that cinematic thing everyone likes to overhype wasn't a big spoiler spoiler back then. I think it just took off on an episode of the Simpsons. Vader - Luke's daddy? Yawn. That's what we kids thought.

[@laretus]

I think any time before the domesticated use of Internet would would cause this.

[@KaiHaaland]

0:00 Harper's Trailer 3:40 History 14:57 Synopsis 17:26 Visual Effects 21:06 Soundtrack 23:20 Video Games 26:22 Review 36:32 Ending Trailer

[@undeadnightorc]

"Harrison Ford felt the characterization was not being used effectively and Kershner agreed. After several takes the director told the actor to improvise on the spot and Ford changed Solo's line to "I know"." This is what the prequels were missing -- actors not afraid of expressing their criticims on a weak script and a director allowing changes to be made on set. I feel that if Lucas had not been surrounded by a bunch of yes-men episodes I-III would have had a bit more soul to them instead of feeling so plastic and souless.

[@drifter402]

Bullshit. There's no evidence for that at all and the only reason people are convinced it would be good is the illusion of it not happening. It's like how people say "HL2 pre - release was so much better" even though it wasn't and everything was changed because it was worse than the final product. Jar Jar binks being a Sith wouldn't suddnely make the prequel movies into masterpieces and make Jar Jar a good character.

[@MrChickennugget360]

prequel fanboys... No the idea that Lucas "backed off" Jar Jar being a Sith is laughable- for one thing he plays a major role in Attack of The Clones- and is as irritating as in the first movie

[@MrChickennugget360]

biggest problem with the Prequels are a rushed script that needed major editing- People need to remember that the Original Starwars did not appear out of Lucases head fully formed- it went through many revisions originally it was very different with Luke being a middle aged man and han solo being a green alien- I think the prequels could have been made much better with several revisions of the script

[@digitalintent]

@MR.Chickennuget 360 Don't forget that not only did Lucas go through many revisions (since the early70's) he also had a wonderful producer (Gary Kurtz) who helped him with ideas and was not afraid of telling Lucas off. Kurtz was the person who invented the force. There was originally going to be the Kaiber Crystal which is what gave Jedi their powers. Kurtz was heavily into Eastern philosophy at the time and took the idea of "chi" and used that as a basis for the force. The prequels are exactly what you get when you let the "idea man" direct a first draft without anybody to challenge him.

[@evilinsecticon3813]

He didn't, they improved justly. You're just a whiny toxic OT baby.

[@zugdarr]

Fantastic retrospective. This was my favorite and in my opinion the best of the 9 film series. It had everything you could want... new characters, fantastic locations, story and character development were on target, happiness, sadness, a cliffhanger, and most important some of the finest and best snarky Han Solo lines out of Ford. It really left you wanting to know what became of everyone, and we got that with Jedi. I think I was 8 when I first saw this movie, and it was so well written I completely understood the story even at that age. Thanks for a wonderful homage.

[@mattsimmons5148]

My favourite thing with yoda is how he literally advises Luke to let Han and Leia die so he can complete his training and ultimately achieve their goals. The idea of the ultimate good guy character being willing to sacrifice human lives for the greater good is so mature for a 'kids film' and is presented really nicely. It would have been easy for 'Empire' to be a cynical rehash to cash in on the surprise success of the first film, but so glad they went in a more character driven direction.

[@KRSsven]

+Laura Matthew Sait Simmons Well, he didn't really know. He couldn't see Han and Leia's future because it was clouded and constantly changing. He knew Luke would have to let go and risk them possibly dying in order to complete his training and master his emotions, but Luke thankfully didn't feel that was an acceptable trade-off.

[@mattsimmons5148]

+KRSsven Luke literally asked if he thought it was acceptable to 'sacrifice Han and Leia' and Yoda said yes.

[@KRSsven]

Laura Matthew Sait Simmons He did, it's surprising but I guess Yoda was thinking of the bigger picture. Han & Leia might die even if Luke went to rescue them, at the additional risk of Luke being captured and possibly turned to the dark side.

[@matttheradartechnician4308]

He did the same thing to Anakin telling him that he should rejoice for his friends to die

[@jasonleetaiwan]

Luke didn’t save them. Lando actually did. All Luke did was nearly get himself killed.

[@wkanost]

Yes. We had to wait three years to see Han Solo freed from carbonite. I remember leaving the theater in 1980 thinking, "we've got to wait three years before we find out what happens? Oh man!" We HAD to be patient. We had no choice. It was worth the wait though.

[@rubeng370]

I can't even imagine. Today we had that with Marvel, after Avengers 2 or especially Civil War and had to wait years until we got to Infinity War and then all the excitement began again. Just like with Return of the Jedi

[@OneofInfinity.]

Lucas was forgiven after I saw Bikini Leia.

[@wkanost]

@@thejamesbondshow9754 - I did love the empire strikes back immediately but was disappointed that I had to wait until the final installment in 1983! I went back and saw empire in the theaters two or three more times though. I built my own toys and figured out of household stuff. Including a tauntaun. Fun times!

[@ciadella1971]

And how many years before we could watch the Star Wars movies on home video!!

[@MetaSynec]

And this is how you do a review. You're really becoming a master in the field, Mr. Harper. No need to tell you to keep it up, as you're clearly capable of upping the game all by yourself. It is as much a joy to watch you do just that with each new release as it is to watch the reviews themselves. Thank you for both.

[@scottyclayton5604]

Your comment ultimately ended up being too ass-kissy.

[@chuckselvage3157]

The Millennium Falcon outrunning the tie fighters when the hyperdrive failed and Solo went into the Asteroid Field is outstanding cinema.

[@christographerx64]

This movie will always have a special place in my heart. Star Wars was the first movie I ever saw at 5 years old and we couldnt wait for the sequel. I was blown away from the beginning until the end, and learned (for the first time) that the good guys don't always win. Looking back at this as an adult, it is a cinematic masterpiece. Each shot was beautiful, the pacing was great, the story was gripping. Even against the Matrix, Avengers Infinity War, Lord of the Rings, and all the other major franchises this film still tops my list as my number 1 of all time. Thanks for an excellent and well edited review down memory lane. I will be subscribing.

[@gc3k]

This was my favorite Star Wars as a kid because of the colors, especially the carbonite chamber

[@transamination]

It uses colour so well. The cinematography is fantastic in this film. Also Kirshner's focus on all the character's faces throughout the film, but particularly in the carbonate scene, look at the focus on Leia's face.

[@SimonAshworthWood]

Yeah, I liked the colours in Empire as a child, and I appreciated the colours even more when I watched it in my 20s.

[@dragondaveltd1992]

Still one of my favourite Star Wars movie and ranked on one of the greatest movie sequels ever made since The Godfather Part 2, Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, Aliens, Terminator 2, Mad Max: Fury Road and Spider-Man 2!

[@kylewelsh6605]

The Empire Strikes Back The Dark Knight Aliens Terminator 2 Judgment Day The 4 Best Sequels OF ALL TIME

[@BRONZALiVE]

Your right!

[@SB992REBORN]

The Winter Soldier must be up there

[@BRONZALiVE]

***** spiderman 2 as well

[@suntzu982]

Agreed, but would you count The Godfather: Part 2 a sequel or a continuation of the Godfather? because it's one of the best movies ever made

[@SB992REBORN]

Andre Wermig More of a continuation like the LOTR trilogy or HOBBIT trilogy. *****​ calls LOTR (his favorite films) ONE movie told in 3 parts, hence a continuity between them.

[@yunoyuluvit]

The shot of the AT-AT steadying itself to shoot the speeder (35:39) is probably my most favourite. It's such a great attention to detail and it gets me every time I see it.

[@tonychai5147]

The clips you’ve compiled in the end teared me up. I was just a teenage boy watching this movie with my brother in a wide screen theatre and now we are both reaching 60 years old.

[@jivebungy1st]

I fret sometimes that alot of the people out there going on about Star Wars don't really get Star Wars. This guy gets Star Wars.

[@TrevorToonArt]

If you aren't old enough to remember a time before the special editions and prequels then you really don't get Star Wars. It's sad that the people making the new movies were just kids when the prequels came out. They didn't go through the original hype of the 80's. I just don't think they have a good point of reference of what Star Wars was all about.

[@OneofInfinity.]

@@TrevorToonArt The one that directed the sequels (he shall not be named) clearly did not understand Star Wars and Jar Jar Abrams only talent is to poorly copy better films.

[@Schush]

Not only my favorite Star Wars movie, but my favorite flick of all-time. I must of watched this movie at least a dozen times when it originally opened at the subsequent re releases in '81 and '82. True story - We always did a family shopping excursion on Saturday at our local mall. Mom would do her shopping thing; Dad would take my brother and I to the theater (which was inside the mall). Anyways... this particular weekend happened to be the same weekend Empire was released. I'll never forget the line of people awaiting to see it. Once my dad had seen this he gave my brother the "no way" look - it was that bad. We finally rendezvoused with mom at Kmart ( U.S. denizens remember that store.) This the part I'll never forget... there was a local DJ playing some local songs on there store intercom. Once the song finished he want on to rambling about other things. Well, the topic of this movie popped up. Wanna guess what he let slipped out???? Yep! Darth Vader was Luke's Father. I was thinking as a kid hearing this "what? Liar!" Sure enough the family went to see it that following Sunday and the revelation was true. I think if I was older I would've been more pissed. One other thing, for the peeps who do(n't) recall, this movie took a good 4, yes... 4 years to come out on home video. Talk about a punishment for a kid! I always look back and think of what a magical time in life for a kid this era was. I would NOT trade it for a thing.

[@TheJenSolo]

Schush A guy in my theater was recording ESB and in those days, the VHS cameras were huge and loud. Had I not been 8 years old at the time, I probably would have said something. But I also sympathized, because the wait for an official VHS release was loooong. That's why we always played with the action figures as kids!

[@dariusq8894]

When I was a kid we had bootleg VHS tapes of Star Wars(before NH) & ESB. I must have watched those movies back-to-back hundreds of times before RotJ came out in theaters. Completely destroyed, those tapes are.

[@broken1394]

You should watch more flicks - Empire will soon fall down your list.

[@Xelpherpolis]

Yeah, Empire was my least favorite as a kid, but became my favorite of them all as I got older. But I do think there is a lot about about the film that can be just kind of unpleasant for younger kids. The color pallet and mood is a lot darker, Luke nearly gets eaten by a scary snow monster, R2 nearly gets eaten by a swamp creature, our heroes get captured and tortured, Han Solo gets frozen in carbonite, Luke gets his arm cut off... even that scene where Yoda goes "You will be.... you WILL be..." kinda creeped me out a bit as a kid.

[@TheJenSolo]

KashelGladio Interesting. Empire was beloved by me as an 8-year old and I did see it in the theater with an adult, though Jedi was a much more kid-friendly film. I loved the humor and the burgeoning romance aspects of Empire, and the color design was impactful. Three years later, I was exactly the right age for Jedi, so at the time I probably connected with it more, but those elements of Empire have such a strong pull. Today it's definitely my favorite.

[@w-james9277]

When I was a kid, it was all about Return Of The Jedi, but as I grew older I started to appreciate Empire more and now its my favourite in the franchise.

[@MrChickennugget360]

when i was younger my favorite parts were the space battles- therefore my favorite episodes were Jedi and A New Hope.

[@evilinsecticon3813]

The color palette and mood is darker?? Well, the first 40 some odd minutes if the film is a white canvas, yeah - that's dark!

[@Puto73]

very scary indeed. originally given a nc-17 rating.

[@steveangello6586]

The battle on hoth within the first 15 min is what seal's the deal as the greatest

[@gammaplayer1]

Just watching this again & my god have you nailed this review. & I got goosebumps with how you edited that trailer at end with WIlliams' score. A stellar job sir!!

[@HiTopFilms]

I love your work, have you considered doing the retrospective on the Original Spider-Man Trilogy?

[@KRSsven]

+HiTop Films I'd like to see that too...

[@alfa01spotivo]

he's done the first two so far

[@spigui500]

He's done them all now!

[@Phaze718]

did he ever do it?

[@Coldfire242]

This comment is hilarious in retrospect.

[@goshenfilms]

The Empire Strikes Back is EPIC in EVERY aspect. Cinematography, colors and contrast, music, sense of adventure, mystery, emotion, EVERYTHING! in my opinion, it is the best SW film by far.

[@jessportersolo]

I've seen this movie countless times, yet the first 4 minutes of this got me so pumped to watch it as if for the first time. Love your videos mate!

[@persona2grata]

This movie and Indiana Jones defined my childhood. I can still remember my dad taking me to this movie when I was like 5 or 6, and the whole ride home I just endlessly peppered him with questions about Han Solo and whether he was alright. Lol, I can remember my dad just patiently saying "I'm sure Han Solo will be fine, you'll see". This movie is pure lightning in a bottle, it's easy to forget today that back then there just weren't any other movies like it and you couldn't just rent the first one unless you were kind of wealthy because tape players and movies were still pretty expensive; renting a machine and tape were a New Years treat for us.

[@kingkong5483]

I don't care what anyone says!..this IS the BEST movie sequel EVER!!!!!!!!!! It's a pure masterpiece‼️🚼

[@XenonXyanide]

Loving the artwork you used for the video thumbnail, very nice.

[@OliverHarper]

+Xenon Xyanide Big thanks to my friend Micah Brooks for doing these latest art pieces!

[@OliverHarper]

+Bubo 25 You can find the artwork on my FB page.

[@Jimbo818]

These reviews are really well structured and consistent, a real treat! I've actually gone back and watched a number of films after having seen your review - nice work.

[@OliverHarper]

+James W Thanks a lot James!

[@nickm8874]

3 years waiting for Return of the Jedi must have seemed worth it in the end. Certainly compared to waiting 2 years for the disaster that was The Last Jedi

[@KingOscar_1844]

I felt the same way with the wait between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight ☺️

[@skyemoviesF89]

I've been making my way thru Oliver's Retrospectives and had avoided his SW ones as I felt all that you can say about them has been said. I was wrong, as someone who specialises in retrospective reviews myself I think that this is probably the best review I've ever seen...

[@john2001plus]

My classmates and I spent much time arguing over whether Darth Vader was lying to Luke. The Empire Strikes Back is my all time favorite movie. However, the middle part of the movie on Dagobah is a bit slow.

[@broken1394]

Don't go to the pictures much do you?

[@john2001plus]

broken1394 I went frequently before the pandemic.

[@unrealistiCouch84]

Truly spectacular as always. This man deserves so much more recognition for his outstanding videos.

[@OliverHarper]

+unrealistiCouch84 Very kind of you to say!

[@lyndameadows8364]

Fantastic movie. We were in a small college town, and drove over an hour to Champaign Ill. so we could see a first showing and not wait for it to Bloomington where the colly was. We were on the edges of our seats the whole time. I've seen it over 25 times. Still thrills.

[@smurfandturfer]

Despecialised clips of course

[@NeverSaySandwich1]

Empire's digital additions have nothing wrong with them, despecialized editions aren't necessary

[@TheFunkyJawa]

+bishbashbosh Well we wouldn't want Vader with a pink blade now, would we? ;) Lowry Digital completely dropped the ball with their hack-handed rushjob on those remasters. How they passed quality control is beyond me.

[@smurfandturfer]

NeverSaySandwich1 I was more commenting on Olivers use of them, he seems to scoff at any use of the special editions

[@NeverSaySandwich1]

bishbashbosh OK gotcha

[@matthewjordan7297]

+NeverSaySandwich1 I actually disagree with this entirely and I'll tell you why. Like any other purist, I hate the tweaking of the dialog, and the changing of Boba Fett's voice, but those don't really detract that much from the film. However, when they added scenes of Darth Vader traveling from Cloud City to the Star Destroyer, which throws off the pacing. The editing in that sequence was, by necessity, very tight, and to deliberately compromise that is just unacceptible.

[@undergroundman5153]

Not just my favorite out of the Star Wars films, but my favorite film of all time. Which is mostly down to me having it on VHS growing up and rewatching it over and over again.

[@sfighter0085]

Great as always. It's in this movie we see Darth Vader at his most evil. I actually had no idea that it wasn't the Writers's intention to make Vader Luke's Father. Also a big thumbs up for the intro artwork.

[@darthkurland]

In Memoriam: Leigh Brackett Jason Wingreen Stuart Freeborn Bob Anderson Gary Kurtz Jeremy Bulloch David Prowse Kenny Baker Alec Guinness Peter Mayhew Ralph McQuarrie Irvin Kershner & Carrie Fisher “The Force Will Be With You, Always.”

[@anthonyw6895]

Personally, A New Hope is my favorite, but I agree as a film The Empire Strikes back is the best of the saga.Great review Oliver!

[@broken1394]

Attack of the Clones is better man.

[@donna25871]

A New Hope is my least favourite as it is the most stereotypical out of the three - and it looks dated in a way the other two don’t.

[@alexshadowfax1119]

As much as I love your retrospectives on KZbin, you should be producing trailers and marketing clips for studios, you have a great talent for doing so. Thanks for the video and have a great day.

[@dragonray9450]

Based on your review you must be under 55, this movie was absolute gold if you were a certain age at it's release. Yeah we had more patience back then, but we really didn't have much choice lol

[@adamoconnor8964]

29:02 Apparently Luke's sister was supposed to be a new character called Nellith who would appear in episode 7 or 8

[@dernvader6876]

I was 6 when Empire came out, and it changed my life... I wanted to live in that world more than anything... Everyone was talking about whether what Darth Vader was saying was true or not... and wondering what Jabba looked like... it was quite a difference between 1980 and 1983

[@eduardo_corrochio]

I keep returning to these video retrospectives time and again because they are so well made, and clearly there is such a deep and genuine fondness for the films in them. Highly re-watchable stuff, to say the least. This video in particular means a lot to me because I was 14 when I saw "The Empire Strikes Back" in 1980; at the time there was no awareness of any kind of plot twist, and in the theater the entire audience gasped in unison at the revelation that Darth Vader announced to Luke. And that scene was just one part of the delightful, rollicking experience that this movie is. It's funny, I almost feel like I belong to an exclusive club ... I'm part of the people who saw these three films when they made their cinematic debuts. It's hard to put into words what Star Wars did for the film audience at the time: feeding and inspiring imaginations with such wondrous ideas and imagery and sounds and music and characters and creatures. It's like nothing else.

[@EdsCollegeLife]

Yes!!! The intro was amazing brought tears to my eyes! Thank you Oliver

[@OliverHarper]

+Ed Vasquez It is pretty epic ;) Where's my trumpet? I need to blow it!

[@DesolationAngel101]

I have great flashbulb memories of seeing this movie when it was released. I went to my friend's house after school because we were going to see it together, but when his father came home after work he jokingly told us that the town movie theatre had burned down. My friend totally believed him and started bawling. I remember the hairs on my arms standing on end during the cave scene on Dagobah, I remember totally not believing Darth Vader during his big "reveal", and I remember later that night having a nightmare that Vader was in my bedroom. Good times!

[@TheKyshu]

Recently I watched the original trilogy for the first time (yes, I know, put down your pitchforks), in anticipation of TFA. Absolutely loved this film, thanks for the detailed review! Great as always.

[@TheFunkyJawa]

+TheKyshu No pitchfork here. I'm kind of jealous. I wish i could watch this again for the first time.

[@TheKyshu]

Mark Dooley It was certainly great fun :)

[@Broyale26]

No pitchfork from me, either. I wish I could've seen TESB in a theatre.

[@TheJonnJonnz]

+Broyale26 Mee too. I was only 3 years of age when ESB made it to the big screen, so I was too young to watch it. By the time I was 6, i watched ROTJ in the big screen. Wow! It was so magical! So magical in fact, that to this day, eventho i know that ESB is the much superior film, but since ROTJ is the one I watched on the big screen, that it became my favorite of the original trilogy, and the one near and dear to my heart. I feel so fortunate to have watched at least one of the 3 originals on the big screen. The final showdown between father and son blew me away! Now I wonder, if it was ESB that I watched on the big screen, would I have a change of heart? I guess I'll never know...

[@SB992REBORN]

What did you think of Awakens? & how would you rate the films overall ?

[@rooroo8767]

I loved how Luke progressed with his training but wasn’t overpowered. He was improved but flawed and emotional. The sequels lacked any of this. To me this was one of the main issues with those monstrosities. Such a simple concept for a trilogy, much underused nowadays.

[@mmickle6191]

This film is wonderful. The best part of the whole saga. It's sad that 41 years later that it's still the high point.

[@kuolanen]

Once again I have learned something about my favourite movie. Thank you Oliver Harper.

[@joeschmoe3665]

One of the best movies ever made and following the creativity of a new hope that is an amazing accomplishment, it managed to expand the characters, the lore, the story PERFECTION!!

[@devtrev85]

Man, the way you cut the intro makes 20th C. Fox's Star Wars trailers look like home movies. Effing fantastic.

[@CaptainRufus]

You do such amazing work with these retrospectives.

[@kevinobrien9626]

It is fun to observe the differences among the Imperial officers' badges. Indeed, Piett gets a very different badge after Vader promotes him to Admiral.

[@KRSsven]

One other thing I like about the film is Yoda's embodiment of the Force as a non-physical manifestation; as he says to Luke, mastery of the Force is nothing to do with the physical, hence the diminutive Yoda being the most powerful of Jedi Masters. Yoda shows Luke that the Force is nothing to do with a Jedi's physical presence, nor their lightsabre. This is another major failing with the prequels - Yoda fighting with a lightsabre like any other Jedi completely flies in the face of his teachings to Luke and even why the character existed in the first place. There's also the Emperor's reference to lightsabres being a 'Jedi weapon' - he and Yoda were always shown as being such masters of the two sides of the Force they found even lightsabres trifling aspects of Force power. Even Obi-Wan tells Anakin in the prequels that 'this weapon is your life' when he loses his lightsabre...it's so against the grain of the point of the Force in the original trilogy it's almost painful.

[@razorfett147]

agreed. Yoda (and for that matter, Palpatine) should not have been brandishing a saber in the PT. it went against everything that his character established in Empire. Force users as powerful as he had grown beyond the need for physical weapons.

[@soopahsoopah]

"not this crude matter" :)

[@alwaysxnever]

It is just great not only having someone around the same age but also from across thr pond doibg these videos. There is an appreciation there from mostly 1st hand knowledge and then the added info regarding laser discs is always appreciated. Adds a layer of information I rarely get with any other reviewer.

[@Cafeman_2D]

I saw Empire first. 1980, I was about 12. About a year later, Star Wars was re-released so I got to see the original on the big screen finally. Yes, we had to wait 3 years to find out if Vader was really Luke's father and if Han would survive. In the meantime, I listened to the score, read the novelization, played with the action figures and ships, and read the Marvel Star Wars comics. Thanks for this very excellent retrospective.

[@jackwilkinson4911]

You wouldn't think that Empire received mixed reviews during its initial run, especially considering the fact that it's now regarded as the best Star Wars movie by most fans

[@luckykennedy7364]

Ryan Johnson said his Star Wars film will be highly regarded in the future but I highly fucking doubt that I saw the movie and hated it to the core

[@robbiethepict2783]

The best sequel ever made.

[@johnevans2710]

This is the film to which all other movies are to be judged. Perfection. Oliver, your expert editing gave me goosebumps even for a movie I've seen a hundred times. Great stuff!

[@fromearth6282]

Absolute masterpiece. Continues and adds to the original not crap on it for "subversion". Damn you KK.

[@darthkurland]

Special Thanks: Petr Harmicek Adrian Sayce Michael Parbot Industrial Light & Magic Prometheus Entertainment Kenner/Hasbro John Williams 20th Century Studios & Lucasfilm, Ltd. Very Special Thanks to George Lucas Image Restoration: Harmyfilm, TeamNegative1, YCM Labs, Reliance MediaWorks (Lowry Digital) & Pacific Title Restoration Supervisors: Pete Comandini, Leon Briggs, John Lowry, Mike Verta & Peter Harmicek Produced in Association With Oliver Harper A Lucasfilm Ltd./Oliver Harper Production

[@digitalintent]

I've maybe said this before but your videos are getting better and better with each release. I think your Alien review was when they started to look and feel professional. Good job. Nice of you to mention how EMP is the least talked about as a kid. It's actually one of the first thoughts I have when this movie is mentioned. My brother and our friends watched RoTJ and ANH countless times but it wasn't until I was 13, just having played the Star Wars DOOM mod, that I went back and watched the trilogy. Empire became my favorite from that point on.

[@parasitehoodie2948]

Return of The Jedi may have been my favorite, but Empire Strikes Back was the one I watched the most. I watched the 2004 dvd copies. I remember seeing this movie and just my eyes being glued to the screen. I watched it countless times when i was young.

[@matthewjordan7297]

Oliver - I've been watching your retrospectives for the past couple of months, and you always do a fantastic job! You hit the nail on the head with this review. From a critical perspective, this film is the best that Star Wars has to offer. What you said about how it expanded the universe and fleshed out the characterization is exactly right. To me, Star Wars has always been more about characterization and world-building than any other element.

[@S.Roth94]

I think a lot of Star Wars fans (or movie watchers in general) really grew to appreciate this movie as we all grew into adulthood. As a kid I liked it, but I never understood why people (my mom in particular, who watched ESB in theaters in 1980) spoke so incredibly highly of it. Now I get it. Kirschner's attention to detail, John Williams' PHENOMENAL score, the set design, and of course the plot twist (sorry, Jar Jar Abrams, your many plot twists that reeked of desperation didn't come CLOSE to the original), all add up to what I consider one of the greatest sequels in film history (The Two Towers being the other).

[@DeepSpelle]

Amazing review man ! One of the best i've seen. Really nice

[@OliverHarper]

+Deep Spelle Thank you very much!

[@DeepSpelle]

+Oliver Harper Waiting for the review of ROTJ now ;)

[@OliverHarper]

Already done ROTJ. Produced it over a year ago.

[@DeepSpelle]

+Oliver Harper Ok, thx will look for it :)

[@KarstensCreationsKC]

+Demen Cop Oh, hey look... It's the ONE PERSON on planet Earth who disliked The Empire Strikes Back! I would love to make a 'Semen Cop' joke here, but I'm better than that.

[@JamesZilla808]

“Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” is not just my favorite “Star Wars” movie, but it’s one of my favorite movies of all time. Keep up the amazing work!

[@white-dragon4424]

28:57 Lucas wasn't planning to make Leia Luke's sister at this point, but rather a girl called "Nellith" who was in hiding somewhere in the galaxy. As I've said to other, more "diehard" fans, if this was the plan, that Leia was Luke's sister, then why have them kissing on Hoth, not once but twice (the first being a cut scene)? Also, Yoda tries to persuade Luke not to go off and rescue her and describes her as a "friend", only to say that there's another hope out there if Luke fails to rescue her. No, all Luke was doing underneath Cloud City was using telepathy to communicate with the only person left that he trusted who could rescue him, that person being Leia. QED

[@BRONZALiVE]

I always check your channel to see if you have any new retrospectives because there so well made, well done!

[@MattyGJoker]

Nail on the head regarding Lucas vision being the key to tying it all together. He can't do the nitty gritty as well as others, so this really played to his strengths.

[@elphaba4674]

This movie has the best twist in all movie history! "No, I am your Father!"

[@JediPeaceWalker]

Was confused when I heard "car boot sales" then i glanced at video and realized it's a regional phrase. Learned something new today!

[@safe-keeper1042]

It's amazing how they first made A New Hope, and then managed to make a sequel that was even better.

[@lukecarroll4052]

man this was worth the wait, I remember you replying a few years ago saying you had planned to do this film, you've covered almost every one if my favorite film, so needless to say this is easily my favorite youtube channel, any cinephile would appreciate your editing and commentary, well done on the quality you've developed over the years

[@blackenedwritings]

Once again a brilliant retrospective. Your channel has easily become one of my favorites on youtube. Keep it up! :)

[@OliverHarper]

+Clint Dlowrev Thanks buddy!

[@nolsee1176]

Your passion and love for movies always shines through your reviews, Oliver. The structure and in-depth nature are a joy to watch. Subscribed and recommended to all my friends. :)

[@magicknight8412]

Absolute masterpiece. In my top 3 favourite movies and definitely the best in the series.

[@mokthemagicman]

Wow. This might be your best one yet Mr. Harper. Incredible video/sound editing and info. What a treat this was to watch. I will have to watch it again. Thank you for this and all your hard work.

[@WyattTheNerd]

I know somebody who hates A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. To me those two are the best Star Wars movies.

[@TheThingKing]

+WyattTheNerd Easily the best. Return of the Jedi and the prequels don't come close. Not sure about TFA, haven't seen it.

[@stef100111]

I know someone who doesn't like the Star Wars movies at all :( She likes Sharknado, though...

[@TheJonnJonnz]

+TheThingKing I was only 3 years of age when ESB made it to the big screen, so I was too young to watch it. By the time I was 6, i watched ROTJ in the big screen. Wow! It was so magical! So magical in fact, that to this day, eventho i know that ESB is the much superior film, but since ROTJ is the one I watched on the big screen, that it became my favorite of the original trilogy, and the one nearest and dearest to my heart. I feel so fortunate to have watched at least one of the 3 originals on the big screen. The final showdown between father and son blew me away! Now I wonder, if it was ESB that I watched on the big screen, would I have a change of heart? I guess I'll never know...

[@stef100111]

TheJonnJonnz I really do hope there's a re-release in selected Cinemas.

[@KRSsven]

+WyattTheNerd Empire, the original and now the Force Awakens are really good. Jedi is close but suffers in the middle of the film from Ewoks. The prequels are cinematic tripe.

[@dariusq8894]

ESB is easily my favorite movie of all time. Nothing else even comes close, not even the other (real) Star Wars films. To this day, whenever life has me down, just watching ESB can make me feel better.

[@kurtdewitt460]

My favorite movie of all time. Empire will most likely never be topped in my lifetime.

[@toastyplatters70]

The openings to your retrospective series are incredible. I get that same feeling I got when seeing the film for the first time, in the theater... maybe even better.

[@MrDDiRusso]

What is the internal temperature of a tauntaun? Lukewarm.

[@andrewstagg7603]

I enjoyed this very much and i got hooked from the first star wars in 1978 and i have bought the movies from the pan & scan, widescreen vhs, the 1997 special editions in 2:35:1 widescreen vhs trilogy boxset to the 2004 dvd boxset. Then came the original theatrical versions but weren't released in 16:9 which was a let down and along with the prequels on vhs and dvd but when the blu ray collection came out the picture looked better than ever along the sound. When the new sequels were released the picture looked better than ever and in 2020 i decided to buy the 18 disc blu rays instead of the 27 disc 4k collection and im glad i did because the picture and audio quality is excellent, i still have my entire star wars collection and i will never sell them.

[@sinjin90ful]

To me this movie is the pinnacle of how a movie should be made good story, good acting, peril, moments of joy and sadness. It has so many great scenes few of my favorites are simple ones like when the first transport get away and the cheers. And a simple of of luke walking after the walker scene and he hears the unmistakable sound of the Millinuem Falcon roaring out of the base. The music ahh the music hard to top oven though Jedi is close this is still my favorite. Does anyone remember in early 80's when this first was introduced on television and Vader starts off "The Empire interrupts your normal transmission to bring you the hunt for Skywalker and the rebellion you will finally see the Empire Strikes back!" Something to those words i have never seen it again it was just something they put infront of the movie to pretend your seeing a Empire broadcast. Ahh fun times for a kid

[@boehlahz]

What an amazing review. I prefer your in depth reviews filled with a lot of backstory to the mainstream boredom autopiloted reviews and always come here first. Thank you Oliver

[@EricSatterberg1]

Oliver, You've outdone yourself again! You totally captured why I like Star wars in this R/R. ESB is the BEST Star Wars. I am saddened that your videos have such low views. You clealry put so much thought and time into it. THE WORLD NEEDS TO SEE THESE! Have you considered reaching out to other channels? Nerdwriter1 might give you a shout out. I feel like you two would have similar tastes. It also might not be on your agenda and you might be playing these on other sites where they are finding an audience. Regardless, I really applaud your work and I look forward to each. Now, please, start doing Scorsesse. Goodfellas first. Or the Nolan Batmans.

[@OliverHarper]

+Eric Satterberg Thanks a lot Eric. The views on this review have surprisingly been very positive and the feedback is fantastic which im highly grateful for. I don't really reach out to other channels, i do communicate with other KZbinrs but never to use as way to promote myself. If i know the individual and they kindly offer me some promotion than im more than happy to accept it but i never contact them with that in mind. Many of my viewers have their own blogs and websites and they kindly advertise my videos but its difficult to know why my reviews haven't hit the numbers my followers expect. Some folk just stick to Jeremy Jahns or Chris Stuckmann for their reviews and don't consider others. Some people prefer the sort of Diet Coke approach to reviewing movies, quick bite size dumps of info wrapped up in a VLOG and aren't really concerned with retrospectives that are educational. From a lot of the comments i receive many professionals in the industry follow my work so that pleases me. I won't be doing KZbin forever, i want to move on at some point to bigger things.

[@EricSatterberg1]

+Oliver Harper if your happy I'm happy. Now, please do the Nolan Batmans. You know you're dying to. Or, Scorssese.

[@dozyproductionss]

Flawless break down of the movie. It's crazy, even after the success of the previous movie, how much push back these got from the studios.

[@alexandredion2151]

The best Star Wars movie ! Great review Oliver ! Where did you get all this great behind the scenes footage ??? The dvd/blu-Ray releases are inexplicably missing anything like your review !!

[@Drforrester31]

Thanks for yet another awesome video Oliver. Empire is far and away my favorite Star Wars movie, and it was agony waiting to see your video for it. But as per usual, it was well worth it

[@OliverHarper]

+Dr. Forrester Glad you enjoyed it! but if you wish to see the reviews early you can support me through Patreon.

[@friedelt]

here's what bugs me with the edits though. when you remove the old actors voices or images, I feel like you really do the original cast and crew a disservice. And although they make new scenes that look cool, it just does not feel right. When they edited ET and removed the shot guns and replaced them with radio handsets, people were very upset. I really couldn't care if it's canon or not. I'd just like for them to leave the films alone.

[@kummakummakummakummakummac8606]

In general I hate when they change things. Sometimes they change it too much.

[@PetePuebla]

I'm OK with it if they still give actors and crew credit. Directors have visions and changes that they feel they need to finish from time to time.

[@broken1394]

George just makes the films better and better.

[@1Vurgas1]

this is so awesome, I wish you could review every movie there is. You have to tell us about your influeances, inspiration and where you learned that kind of profassionalism, so objective yet so much love through dedication. I cant imagine how much work you put into these. you voice your opinions without forcing it on the viewer. this is so refreshingly good. im in awe and really greatful! kudos

[@OliverHarper]

+markus mustermann Thank you very much Markus. I've discussed my background a few times in my Q&A videos which you can find on my channel.

[@MattMovies611]

Great work Oliver, although there are other movies I love like Raiders of the lost ark, Back to the future and Jurassic Park; The Empire Strikes Back remains my favorite film of all time such a well done movie and your review as always Oliver was terrific

[@meftor]

I stumbled across your channel while doing research on Donner's director's cut of Superman II. I watched your Superman retro/reviews and based on them, subscribed right away. You do high quality work with an amazing sense of style and flair; I'm anxiously awaiting your next piece of work. Excellent!

[@OliverHarper]

+Timothy Adams Thank you very much Timothy!