Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Writers: Lawrence Kasdan (screenplay), George Lucas (screenplay & story)
Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Ian McDiarmid, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Warwick Davis, Frank Oz, Alec Guinness, Kenny Baker
Synopsis:
After rescuing Han Solo (Ford) from the clutches of the evil gangster Jabba the Hutt, Luke Skywalker (Hamill), Chewbacca (Mayhew), Princess Leia (Fisher) and Lando Calrissian (Williams) rejoin the rebel alliance as it plans one final assault against the Emperor (McDiarmid) and his new Death Star. Han, Leia, Luke and Chewy, along with the droids R2-D2 (Baker) and C-3PO (Daniels), are tasked with infiltrating an Imperial installation on the forest moon of Endor and destroy a shield generator protecting the unfinished Death Star to open the door for the assault on the space station, led by Lando. Luke struggles with the death of Master Yoda (Oz) and his relationship to the Sith Lord Darth Vader (Prowse/Jones) and worries that his presence on the mission is endangering the other. To keep his friends from capture, Luke surrenders to Vader and is brought before the Emperor for a final showdown with the evil despot.
First Impressions:
Sigh...this film represents another significant disappointment in my childhood. It's a wonder why I love these films so much since my first experiences with them have been less than optimal. I was 7 years old, and I remember a few months before it was released, I saw a TV spot for it whilst watching Saturday morning cartoons (remember those?). Up until that point, I had no idea they were even making another film in the series (I should have since the last one ended on a cliffhanger, but I was a dumb kid), and holy crap, was I ever excited. I remember immediately running up to my parents' room, who were still sleeping at 6am, and excitedly told them there was a new Star Wars movie coming out! They were less than impressed. Anyway, I was finally going to get to see a Star Wars movie on the big screen, and I was stoked.
Cut to a few months later, I'm with my family in Calgary visiting my uncle, and my dad decides to take us to a movie. Guess which one he picked? That's right, we were going to see Return of the Jedi! Then I realized something. Something horrible, something unthinkable, something soul-crushing to a 7-year-old boy who loved Star Wars more than life itself. I had somehow, in the excitement, either lost or broke my glasses (I don't remember which). The thing is, I can't see shit without my glasses, certainly not a movie, not even on the big screen. I was devastated. I still got to go to the movie, but instead of revelling in the adventures of Han Solo and company, I was squinting, trying to figure out what was going on. Of course, I managed to see it thanks to the magic of home video, and I loved it, of course. But that day, that random set of circumstances still stings me to this day.
*** NOTE: For the purposes of this review, I watched the Special Edition version as it is the only version available to me. While it's not my preferred version, I'm not as harsh about it as others may be. ***
Story:
"You failed, your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."
This film is often considered the red-headed stepchild of the original trilogy, and I've never been sure why that is. Honestly, the story isn't really any worse than the first film in the series. In fact, they're fairly similar when you think about it. Both films involve a rescue, a stealthy incursion into an Imperial facility, a lightsaber fight and a concluding space battle. Don't get me wrong, this is certainly my least favorite of the original trilogy, but I still don't quite get the hate it incurs.
That leads me to the tiny, furry elephant in the room. Every time I ask one of this film's detractors why they dislike it so, inevitably, the only response I get is Ewoks. Honestly, I like Ewoks. Sure it's a little silly how a primitive race of little furry bear-things wielding stone weapons manages to best the Imperial war-machine, but this is fantasy space opera that was written primarily for kids. Just get over it already. If your biggest gripe about a movie series that has moon-sized space stations, laser swords, blasters and magic space wizards is furry little bear guy beating the bad guys, you've kind of lost the plot a bit.
Anyway, the story here is solid, and it moves along at a good pace. There's certainly not a ton of nuance here, but that's the case for most films in the series. Like the earlier installments, the film's story does deal with basic heroic themes, such as the battle between good and evil. While there are not many nuances to be found, there doesn't really need to be. It's a fun adventure story, not a deep dive into the psyche of man. As far as I'm concerned, it kept me entertained for two hours, and that's all that matters to me.
Acting:
We've been through two previous reviews in the series, and I haven't yet talked about the man himself, Harrison Ford. Ford's Solo was always my favorite character in the series, which was unusual for a kid my age as most gravitated towards Luke. I'm not sure why, but Ford's wry charm really made the lovable scoundrel come alive. Even though in this last film, it seems like he was mailing it in a bit. Still, it's an iconic character played by an iconic actor, and that ain't nothing.
Of the new characters introduced, Ian McDiarmid's Emperor Palpatine is the most prominent. It had been a while since I'd seen this movie, so my most recent experience with McDiarmid in this role was in the regrettable Rise of the Skywalker. In that film, his Palpatine includes several thick slices of ham under a big piece of cheese. However, in this film, he's much more toned down. He plays the Emperor as cunning and evil, and while there still is a bit of ham in the performance, it's much more effective than his subsequent turns at the character.
Finally, I'd like to give a shout out to the late Peter Mayhew's Chewbacca. Even though he didn't have any lines, there was a way Mayhew moved and carried himself that made Chewy more than just a big hairy guy. While Joonas Suatomo has taken on the mantle as best he can in the more recent films, Mayhew will always be Chewbacca to me and the co-pilot I always wanted as a boy.
Visuals:
As I mentioned, it had been a while since I'd seen this film, and I was a bit surprised at how little meddling Lucas did with the Special Edition version. The major changes were the dance number in Jabba's palace (which looks like a video game), the Sarlaac Pit (the less said about that, the better) and the end celebration (which I actually prefer over the original). The rest of the changes were fairly minor and didn't detract from the film.
The original effects, done in 1983, still stand up for the most part, although some of the blue screen effects don't look great in modern hi-def. Likewise, the make-up effects appear a bit dated at times, but overall the original effects still look pretty great.
Score/Music:
I've heaped enough praise on John Williams over my past two reviews for his work on this series. Suffice to say, John Williams is probably the greatest movie composer of all time. Try to convince me otherwise.
Action:
There's a wad of action scenes in this film, from a pitched battle on top of a sail barge to a high-speed speeder bike chase through a dense forest to a large scale fleet battle surrounding the Death Star. Lucas and company really upped their game with the action sequences for each installment in the franchise. Although, I have to say that I'm not as fond of the lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader as I am with the one in Empire Strikes Back. Still, the action scenes are pretty great and worth the price of admission.
Final Verdict:
Like I said earlier, it's not my favorite chapter in the original trilogy, but it still brings back the fondest of memories s for me, and it will always rank near the top of the list for my favorite films of all time.
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