
Movies that feel likeThe Empire Strikes Back (1980)
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).
Can't choose? Answer three questions and get one movie for tonight.
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)

Space-opera momentum with a young hero finding his path
The difference: Optimistic crew adventure, no dark middle chapter

An overwhelming empire striking and scrappy defenders scattering
The difference: Disaster-movie bombast, victory by credits

Han, Chewie and the Falcon in their smuggling prime
The difference: A caper's stakes — nothing here wounds the saga like Empire

The Rebellion's darkest hour, where hope costs everything
The difference: No Jedi training, no saga arc — one mission, played for keeps

A beloved crew tested by loss as the saga turns serious
The difference: Wisecracks first — sincerity has to fight through the jokes

A sequel that raises the stakes and darkens everything it touches
The difference: Claustrophobic combat horror — no myth, no Force, no romance

Same-era space spectacle, right down to laser battles in orbit
The difference: Bond camp — gadget quips where Empire builds genuine myth

A war's tide turning on betrayal and a buried secret
The difference: Deafening CGI overload — spectacle with no soul or stillness

The same two preoccupations: rebellion, and space opera
The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

The darkest-hour sequel structure Empire invented, at saga scale
The difference: Modern event machinery, decades of setup

The same mix in both: scale, then momentum
The difference: Made in the 2010s, in a different era of the craft

Cerebral where it counts, awestruck underneath
In the mood for more epic?
all epic movies →The best-reviewed films that share The Empire Strikes Back’s defining feeling.









