The most mind-blowing spectacle since the Death Star exploded (though admittedly almost as expensive)

T3 was invited to join the rest of the rebel scum at this year’s Secret Cinema: The Empire Strikes Back extravaganza. This is a spoiler-free look at the clandestine film club’s latest outing, so if you haven’t been yet, don’t worry, this won’t ruin any surprises.

Secret Cinema first kicked off back in 2007 with a screening of Gus Van Sant’s Paranoid Park. In its early years, the gimmick was that nobody knew what the film was going to be until they arrived at the screening location (though they could often be guessed from a series of pre-show clues).

More recent shows have changed format to include a pre-announced film, plus a much more ‘immersive theatre’ approach, replete with sets, actors dressed as Marty McFly or whoever, and so on.

Ticket prices have accordingly gone up to a whopping £75 (£50 for accompanied under 18s).

Obviously unperturbed by the price, in 2014, over 80,000 people attended Secret Cinema’s Back to the Future event in Olympic Park. This ran into initial controversy when the venue wasn’t ready for the opening night, leaving hundreds of ticket holders disappointed. Secret Cinema has clearly learnt from its mistakes, because there are no such problems this year.

This time round Secret Cinema has opted for The Empire Strikes Back, which ties in nicely with the latest instalment of the Star Wars saga (The Force Awakens) which is heading to cinemas later in the year. Read on for our search droid’s findings.

As everyone knows, the first rule of Secret Cinema is that you don’t talk about Secret Cinema.

To prevent spoilers from leaking and to stop dickheads ruining the experience for everyone else, mobile phones are placed in sealed silver pouches for the duration of the show. An idea that we would dearly love to see adopted in every cinema across the land.

You’re not allowed to bring food or drink in with you but there are plenty of “retail experiences” dotted throughout, selling booze, food and merch. Unsurprisingly, rations are not cheap, and you can’t pay cash for them. Take a cash card with you.

It’s worth noting that as it’s a major production with built-up sets and lights, the venue gets pretty warm so wearing military rebel chic is preferable to a full wookie costume. Open toed shoes are a no-no due to the “alien terrain” you’ll encounter…

You can read the rest of the article at T3.com (originally published 12 June 2015).