Showdowns

RT Users Crown The Empire Strikes Back the Ultimate Summer Movie

After six dramatic rounds, the iconic second film of the Star Wars original trilogy comes away with the big win.

by RT Staff | May 25, 2020 | Comments

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After six grueling rounds full of drama and unexpected developments, one summer blockbuster has emerged from the pack to be crowned the Ultimate Summer Movie, and that movie is Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. The first sequel to the original Star Wars — considered by many to be the best of the franchise — surprisingly struggled just a bit in the early rounds, as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man both posed bigger challenges than expected. But Empire rallied to defeat Captain America: Civil War (by its widest margin of victory in the whole tournament), Back to the Future, The Dark Knight Rises, and finally its own franchise successor, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, which it also defeated rather handily. Packed with iconic moments that have influenced the movies for decades, The Empire Strikes Back remains one of the best examples of how to craft an amazing sequel, so it isn’t too surprising that it now reigns as the Ultimate Summer Movie!

As always, thanks to everyone who voted, and we hope it was a fun diversion for all. See the tally for the final match-up below, and click through to see the results from previous rounds. And of course, stay tuned for our next showdown which should be coming soon!