Star Wars fans are some of the most devoted you’ll find in all of pop culture. They wear the costumes, write the fan fiction, and buy every damn piece of merchandising under the sun. And when they come together to do something, they tend to make a nice impact.
Here 480 fans combined their own short fan clips to re-create The Empire Strikes Back in the second installment of the Uncut series. The first came from Casey Pugh, asking fans to submit their own clips to re-create A New Hope. It was a successful venture that gained a lot of attention, so much that this sequel is hosted by the official Star Wars channel:
With more than 480 fan-made segments culled from over 1,500 submissions, The Empire Strikes Back Uncut (also known as ESB Uncut) features a stunning mash-up of styles and filmmaking techniques, including live action, animation, and stop-motion. The project launched in 2013, with fans claiming 15-second scenes to reimagine as they saw fit – resulting in sequences created with everything from action figures to cardboard props to stunning visual effects. Helmed by Casey Pugh, who oversaw 2010’s Emmy-winning Star Wars Uncut, the new film has a wonderful homemade charm, stands as an affectionate tribute to The Empire Strikes Back, and is a testament to the talent, imagination, and dedication of Star Wars fans.
It’s worth it to watch through and see all the fun edits happening at one, even if you just want to jump around for a few scenes you remember. I personally like how certain scenes seem to blend into each other between different fan takes, like Han and Leia on the bridge of the Millenium Falcon. Also there’s just some damn nice work peppered throughout.
