The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The Empire Strikes Back parents guide

Strong violence, which is more than most PG titles carry. Beyond that, mild language and a few tense moments.

Scare

Mildly scary

A few tense or eerie moments.

Jump scares

A couple

One or two sudden jolts.

Gore

No gore

Violence

Strong violence

Violence is frequent or intense.

Sex and nudity

None flagged

It is a PG from before PG-13 existed, when a PG could carry more, so treat our zero as unconfirmed.

Language

Mild

Mild words like damn, hell or crap.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is The Empire Strikes Back scary?

Only a little. The Empire Strikes Back has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.

How gory is The Empire Strikes Back?

No gore and strong violence.

What is The Empire Strikes Back rated, and is it OK for kids?

It is rated PG, but it runs warmer than that: strong violence. Know your kid.

What is The Empire Strikes Back about?

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.

Cast and crew

More like The Empire Strikes Back

• Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)Suspenseful · party watch · strong violence · emotionally heavyPeter Parker faces relentless, high-octane action and an invisible threat while grappling with a world that forgot him.
• Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)Wholesome humor · epic · family watch · strong violenceA European summer trip becomes an epic, brisk adventure as a hero battles elemental threats.
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Epic · family watch · strong violence · emotionally heavyHeroes pursue separate, perilous paths as an ancient evil's power grows, threatening all Middle-earth.
• Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)Epic · party watch · strong violence · emotionally heavyAn unstoppable force within Starfleet detonates the fleet, leading to a brisk, suspenseful manhunt across a war-zone world.
• Avengers: Endgame (2019)Dry wit · epic · party watch · brutal violenceA relentless, witty adventure unfolds as heroes assemble to undo cosmic devastation and restore balance.
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018)Dry wit · epic · party watch · brutal violenceA cosmic despot gathers artifacts of unimaginable power, forcing heroes to fight a relentless, high-stakes battle for all reality.
• Spider-Man 2 (2004)Wholesome humor · epic · family watch · strong violenceA hero's intimate struggle with identity and love unfolds amidst epic, briskly paced, wholesome adventure.
• Jurassic Park (1993)Properly scary · light gore · strong violence · briskA remote island teems with resurrected dinosaurs, turning a preview into a suspenseful fight for survival.

The Empire Strikes Back is on our Tweens (10 to 12), Space, AI and robots, Wholesome and Family night lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a fun halloween movie, not too scary”
• “scary but not gory”
• “a movie that will make me cry”