Our look back at the original trilogy continues with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. The film picks up with the rebellion on the ropes, and while it’s definitely a much darker movie than A New Hope, the pacing is also fascinating as we jump between Luke/R2/Yoda, Leia/Han/Threepio/Chewie, and Vader/Dead Admirals for the majority of the plot. It’s a movie that never ceases to be thrilling and suspenseful, and while countless merchandising opportunities have attempted to defang Vader, he’s never been more fearsome and captivating than he is in this movie.

While any time is a good time for The Empire Strikes Back, if you don’t have a spare two hours to watch the movie, don’t have it on hand, refused to watch the Special Editions on principle, or need a brief refresher on everything that happened—from “Scruffy-Looking nerfherder” to “I am your father,” then this video recap has you covered.

Watch our recap of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back in four minutes below:

Be sure to check out our other Star Wars video recaps here:

Here's the official synopsis for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back:

After the destruction of the Death Star, Imperial forces continue to pursue the Rebels. After the Rebellion's defeat on the ice planet Hoth, Luke journeys to the planet Dagobah to train with Jedi Master Yoda, who has lived in hiding since the fall of the Republic. In an attempt to convert Luke to the dark side, Darth Vader lures young Skywalker into a trap in the Cloud City of Bespin. In the midst of a fierce lightsaber duel with the Sith Lord, Luke faces the startling revelation that the evil Vader is in fact his father, Anakin Skywalker.

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