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The Empire Strikes Back poster

Movies that feel likeThe Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker, in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda. But Darth Vader is more determined than ever to capture Luke. Meanwhile, rebel leader Princess Leia, cocky Han Solo, Chewbacca, and droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are thrown into various stages of capture, betrayal and despair.

If you loved The Empire Strikes Back, the closest films we have are Star Trek (2009), Independence Day (1996) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). All three share The Empire Strikes Back's epic and kinetic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Total Recall (1990).

🍅 93% Rotten Tomatoes★ 8.7 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Irvin Kershnerepickineticcerebralawe
12 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · Amazon Prime Video · Disney Plus

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If The Empire Strikes Back hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: Star Wars (1977) · Return of the Jedi (1983) · Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) · Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) · Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) · Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Star Trek poster
Star Trek
2009 · dir. J.J. Abrams
🍅 94%★ 7.9science fiction · action · adventureParamount+

Space-opera momentum with a young hero finding his path

The difference: Optimistic crew adventure, no dark middle chapter

The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals. One, James Kirk, is a delinquent, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. The other, Spock, a Vulcan, was raised in a logic-based society that rejects all emotion. As fiery instinct clashes with calm reason, their unlikely but powerful partnership is the only thing capable of leading their crew through unimaginable danger, boldly going where no one has gone before. The human adventure has begun again.

Independence Day poster
Independence Day
1996 · dir. Roland Emmerich
🍅 77%★ 7action · adventure · science fiction

An overwhelming empire striking and scrappy defenders scattering

The difference: Disaster-movie bombast, victory by credits

Strange phenomena surface around the globe. The skies ignite. Terror races through the world's major cities. As these extraordinary events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived. Its mission: total annihilation over the Fourth of July weekend. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances.

Solo: A Star Wars Story poster
Solo: A Star Wars Story
2018 · dir. Ron Howard
🍅 69%★ 6.9science fiction · adventure · actionDisney+

Han, Chewie and the Falcon in their smuggling prime

The difference: A caper's stakes — nothing here wounds the saga like Empire

Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story poster
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
2016 · dir. Gareth Edwards
🍅 84%★ 7.8action · adventure · science fictionDisney+

The Rebellion's darkest hour, where hope costs everything

The difference: No Jedi training, no saga arc — one mission, played for keeps

A rogue band of resistance fighters unite for a mission to steal the Death Star plans and bring a new hope to the galaxy.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 poster
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
2023 · dir. James Gunn
🍅 82%★ 7.9science fiction · adventure · actionDisney+

A beloved crew tested by loss as the saga turns serious

The difference: Wisecracks first — sincerity has to fight through the jokes

Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

Aliens poster
Aliens
1986 · dir. James Cameron
🍅 93%★ 8.4action · thriller · science fictionNetflix

A sequel that raises the stakes and darkens everything it touches

The difference: Claustrophobic combat horror — no myth, no Force, no romance

Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo's deadly encounter with the monstrous Alien, returns to Earth after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. Although her story is initially met with skepticism, she agrees to accompany a team of Colonial Marines back to LV-426.

Moonraker poster
Moonraker
1979 · dir. Lewis Gilbert
🍅 59%★ 6.3action · adventure · thrillerPrime Video

Same-era space spectacle, right down to laser battles in orbit

The difference: Bond camp — gadget quips where Empire builds genuine myth

After Drax Industries' Moonraker space shuttle is hijacked, secret agent James Bond is assigned to investigate, traveling to California to meet the company's owner, the mysterious Hugo Drax. With the help of scientist Dr. Holly Goodhead, Bond soon uncovers Drax's nefarious plans for humanity, all the while fending off an old nemesis, Jaws, and venturing to Venice, Rio, the Amazon...and even outer space.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon poster
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
2011 · dir. Michael Bay
🍅 35%★ 6.2action · science fiction · adventureParamount+Starz

A war's tide turning on betrayal and a buried secret

The difference: Deafening CGI overload — spectacle with no soul or stillness

The Autobots continue to work for NEST, now no longer in secret. But after discovering a strange artifact during a mission in Chernobyl, it becomes apparent to Optimus Prime that the United States government has been less than forthright with them.

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire poster
🍅 22%★ 5.6science fiction · action · adventureNetflix

The same two preoccupations: rebellion, and space opera

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

When the ruthless forces of the Motherworld threaten a quiet farming village on a distant moon, a mysterious outsider becomes its best hope for survival.

Avengers: Endgame poster
Avengers: Endgame
2019 · dir. Joe Russo
🍅 94%★ 8.4adventure · science fiction · actionDisney+

The darkest-hour sequel structure Empire invented, at saga scale

The difference: Modern event machinery, decades of setup

After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos' actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.

John Carter poster
John Carter
2012 · dir. Andrew Stanton
🍅 52%★ 6.6action · adventure · science fictionDisney+

The same mix in both: scale, then momentum

The difference: Made in the 2010s, in a different era of the craft

John Carter is a war-weary, former military captain who's inexplicably transported to the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars) and reluctantly becomes embroiled in an epic conflict. It's a world on the brink of collapse, and Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

Total Recall poster
Total Recall
1990 · dir. Paul Verhoeven
🍅 80%★ 7.5action · adventure · science fictionPrime VideoParamount+

Cerebral where it counts, awestruck underneath

Construction worker Douglas Quaid's obsession with the planet Mars leads him to visit Rekall, a virtual vacation company that manufactures memories. When something goes wrong during Quaid's memory implant procedure, his life turns upside down, leading him to question what is reality and what isn't.

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The best-reviewed films that share The Empire Strikes Back’s defining feeling.