Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Directed by: Richard Marquand
After The Empire Strikes Back shocked audiences with its cliffhanger ending, fans had to wait another 3 years to see how the story would continue. The result was not only a continuation, but also served as the final chapter in the original Star Wars trilogy. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi had a lot to deliver on what had already been teased in Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. How would our heroes rescue Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt? What is the next plan of the Rebels to try and take down the Empire? And most importantly, what was next for Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, now that they've been revealed as father and son? All these and more were about to be explored in Return of the Jedi, but the question a lot of fans had was whether or not this could even remotely be as good as the other two films. There are a lot of fans that go on to say all 3 installments are perfect 5-star films. However, upon recent viewing I've realized that Return of the Jedi is the film in the trilogy that hasn't aged the greatest. It's the one where some of the cinematic cracks are showing, but that doesn't make it a bad film. So let's see how this whole Star Wars thing comes to an end (for now) in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.
I've gone a while without talking about Princess Leia, played by Carrie Fisher. I could talk about how she's led the Rebels into battle on many occasions, how she has a well-developed love with Han Solo, and I could even talk about how this film explores that she's Luke Skywalker's sister and what that could all mean for the future of the Jedi and the Force. But no, you all want me to talk about that one outfit she wears, right? Yes, she wears a very revealing gold bikini outfit and I'm sure she helped a lot of boys get through puberty in the '80s, but there's so much more to Leia as a character than just gold bikinis and cinnamon bun hairstyles.
I suppose I can use that bikini to segue to my next point about the scenes that explore the world of Jabba the Hutt, voiced by Larry Ward. Jabba is another great example of how practical effects can help bring the creatures to life in the Star Wars films. Jabba does very little action-wise, but he holds a lot of power and atmosphere in his Palace. He has a memorable entourage and some iconic death traps on display. Plus, he has a great presence and reputation around him. We see him once or twice more in the series thanks to some CGI, but I don't want to tread down the real vs. CGI debate again. If you want to read how I feel about that, read my paragraph on Yoda in my Attack of the Clones review.Of course, I couldn't talk about Return of the Jedi without everyone wanting to know my opinion about the Ewoks. I'll keep this one brief. I think they're annoying, but harmless to the franchise. They aren't worse than half the stuff we've seen in the prequels, so I have no real problems with them. This film is arguably the most humorous of the entire trilogy, and the Ewoks add a lot to that. Plus, they give Warwick Davis something to do in another major franchise, so there's that.
Then, there's the unsung hero of the entire Star Wars saga, composer John Williams. Think about Star Wars and you'll probably have some song in your head. I've gone on in the past to praise John Williams and this is probably his greatest contribution to film and music. The man is the best composer in movie soundtrack history, no question about it. There's not much else to say about it except these movies would be a lot different if someone else had been hired to do the music.
One minor rant when it comes to the original trilogy is which version is the one to watch. Some of you may believe that the only version out there are their original theatrical cuts, but there is another version that is more common to come by. George Lucas keeps re-releasing them as updated Special Editions every couple of years. As a moviegoer, I say stay away from these as much as you can. They rarely offer anything new that is important to the series and they actually do more damage to the original trilogy that ranges on prequel territory. A lot of updated CGI is crammed into the Special Editions, but a lot of my issues come in the Special Edition for Return of the Jedi. The existence of Jar Jar Binks in the original trilogy is presented, along with a ridiculous concert scene in Jabba's Palace, and the infamous recasting of Hayden Christensen as the ghost of Anakin Skywalker. The original theatricals are rare to track down (with the most recent version to my knowledge being the 2-disc releases of the Special Editions in 2004), but trust me when I say they are well worth the effort to watch. It baffles me that Lucas wouldn't want these to be celebrated. They're a part of cinematic history for crying out loud. Quit trying to make the Special Editions popular with the fans George. It's never going to happen.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Not as good as the other two films in the trilogy, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi still delivers a great film with a proper sense of closure. It only makes sense for the conclusion to get a strong recommendation, as it belongs right beside Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back as one of the great movie trilogies.
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and movie images are copyrighted by 20th Century Fox
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