Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Gets a Modern Trailer Makeover
1980’s Star Wars: The Empire Strikes back gets a brand new, modern trailer that doesn’t give away any of the film’s surprises. As one of the true blockbusters, the release of 1977's original Star Wars movie marked the beginning of one of the most influential franchises of all time. For its first sequel, creator George Lucas stepped back from directorial duties, handing off the role to his former film school professor Irvin Kirshner. With a story by Lucas and a script by Lawrence Kasdan, The Empire Strikes Back took a much darker tone than its predecessor and was all the better for it.
The film is set three years after the destruction of the first Death Star and opens with the Rebel Alliance on the ice planet of Hoth. Following their defeat, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and C-3PO take off in the Millennium Falcon while R2-D2 and Luke seek out a Jedi Master on Dagobah to truly begin his training. The Empire Strikes Back is considered by many to be the best movie in the entire Skywalker saga, bringing in iconic characters like Lando Calrissian, Boba Fett, Yoda, and the Emperor. Furthermore, it features Harrison Ford’s improvised “I know” line, an iconic lightsaber duel, and, of course, the reveal of Darth Vader as Luke’s father. Now, intrepid fans have taken some of that and presented it to audiences as if for the first time.
AD_edits on YouTube recently shared a modern trailer for The Empire Strikes Back. With a little help from composer @EpicTrailerMusicUK and The Force Awakens soundtrack, the teaser brings 1977 into the 21st century. Check it out below:
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While the modern trailer certainly gives away more than the original trailer that was released decades ago, this upgrade avoids almost all of the major reveals and sequences. It wisely avoids the assumption that fans have seen it before, making it feel like an actual trailer. For example, Yoda is nowhere to be found except for the trailer’s closing line, “much anger in him, like his father”—which is the perfect tease that would’ve set the internet on fire with theories had The Empire Strikes Back been released today.
Forty-two years and seven movies later, Disney/Lucasfilm have yet to meet the precedent set by The Empire Strikes Back. Severed into popular culture, it is arguably the most quotable and memorable Star Wars film of all time. While viewers have come to appreciate Lucas’ prequel trilogy, Disney’s sequels left much to be desired. As the follow-up to The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017) subverted expectations but failed to prompt the same positive response The Empire Strikes Back did in 1977. Much of what has worked for the franchise on Disney+ with shows like The Mandalorian is thanks to modernization and extrapolation of what the original trilogy did right. And a lot of what it did right is can be seen in The Empire Strikes Back.
Source: AD_edits/YouTube