This was it! After the thrilling ending of Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars fans couldn’t wait to see how George Lucas concluded this groundbreaking series in his third film Return of the Jedi. Was Han Solo doomed to be frozen forever? How would the Skywalker saga conclude after the great reveal at the end of the previous film? And, what does Darth Vader look like without his mask? All these questions would be answered in this movie. As I’ve mentioned before, Return of the Jedi was one of my favorite films growing up. So, it was with some trepidation that I watched it again, wondering how much its material would hold up in the eyes of an adult.
The film opens with the Empire, once again, at the peak of its power. This time it’s building a new and even more powerful Death Star with the final stages under Darth Vader and the Emperor’s supervision. The Rebels have their hands full contending with the Empire, but before they can take it on, they must rescue Han Solo. Last we saw Solo, he was frozen in carbonite. In Return of the Jedi, we learn that he is being held captive by Jabba the Hutt on the planet Tatooine. Princess Leia disguises herself as a bounty hunter and unfreezes Solo. Their happy reunion is cut short by Jabba the Hutt and his gang who capture Princess Leia, along with Solo. Enter Luke Skywalker. Now a Jedi, Luke arrives at the Palace and demands Jabba to free his friends. Despite unexpectedly falling through a trap door and encountering the ferocious monster, Rancor, Luke victoriously defeats the beast. Jabba is furious and orders his men to capture Luke and his friends and dump them into a bottomless pit. However, Luke overcomes these incredible odds, defeats Jabba and his army, and escapes with Leia, Han, and the rest of the Rebels. After making this exciting getaway, the Rebels plan a meeting at a rendezvous point to discuss their next move against the Empire. Luke, however, has some unfinished business he must attend to before the meeting.
Luke has kept his promise to complete his training with Yoda, but finds the small, Jedi Master ailing on his deathbed. Before he dies, Yoda confirms that Darth Vader is indeed Luke’s father. This devastates the young Jedi, and he seeks out Obi Wan Kenobi for consolation. Kenobi also reveals that Luke has a sister, Leia, who also has an understanding of the Force. However, Kenobi warns Luke that even though Darth Vader is his father, he must still face him and fulfill his destiny. Meanwhile, the Rebels have discovered a weakness in the Death Star, but to access it, they must first disable the ship’s security system. To do this, the Rebels must travel to Endor, a nearby planet, where the security system is located. When the Rebels land on this planet, they are befriended by its inhabitants, the Ewoks, and form a alliance that would ultimately prove advantages for both.
The Rebels decide to launch a war on the Empire that involves an attack on two fronts. On one front, Han Solo would lead a small squad of Rebels in their mission to disable the security system on Endor. On the other, Lando Calrissian would pilot the Millennium Falcon and lead a fleet of ships to destroy the Death Star. Luke, who isn’t part of either attack plan, accepts his destiny and allows himself to be captured so he can be brought before Darth Vader. He is taken to the Emperor who immediately attempts to turn him to the dark side of the Force. The Emperor relentlessly antagonizes Luke, attempting to stir the young Jedi’s anger. He tells Luke that the Rebels are walking into a trap and that the Death Star is operational. At this point, Luke gives in to his hate and tries to kill the Emperor, but Darth Vader intervenes. Once again, to restore peace in the galaxy, the Rebels must overcome great odds to be victorious.
Of all the films I have reviewed, Return of the Jedi is one of the most difficult. It has so many great elements, but at the same time, plenty of annoying parts that can’t be overlooked. This film is extremely entertaining, and it’s full of the same spectacular effects, beautiful music, and intense action sequences that I loved in the previous two movies. It successfully incorporates another evil villain into the story. If Darth Vader wasn’t already the perfect bad guy, this film brings us face-to-face with the Emperor, who is even more diabolical. Then, there’s the truly satisfying moment when Luke finally reaches his pinnacle as a Jedi. Despite all this, I hated how the filmmakers developed some of the main characters and the way they resolved their storylines.
On the positive side, I love how Return of the Jedi ties up the Luke and Darth Vader storyline. Luke obviously loves his father and doesn’t want to fight him. Instead, he tries to turn Darth Vader away from the dark side. At first, Luke seems to be succeeding, and Vader seems to weaken during their meeting. But, then, Vader takes Luke to the Emperor, who mercilessly antagonizes Luke and stirs up his hatred. The only reason why Luke gives in to his hatred is because he wants to kill the Emperor. He later fights Vader to protect his sister from Vader’s threat to turn her to the dark side. This leads to the commencement of the climatic lightsaber fight, which is unquestionably the high point of the film. It’s a beautiful combination of emotion and angst which is intensified by John Williams’ haunting score. The events that follow and how the battle is resolved is truly magnificent. It’s an unforgettable ending to a fantastic storyline about the rise and fall and ultimately, the redemption of the Skywalker name.
The new characters also add to the quality of the film. The Emperor is the perfect character to hate. As a symbol of the dark side, you can’t help but despise him. He’s crafty, smart, and dangerously persuasive. It’s easy to see why he’s so powerful and a major threat to the Rebels. Ian McDiarmid is a revelation in his performance as the Emperor. Despite not yet turning 40, McDiarmid successfully carries off playing the role of a much older character. His skillful acting adds charisma and stature to the Emperor which makes this villain similar to a Shakespearean figure. As far as villains go, I liked Jabba the Hutt as well. He is very menacing and a great foil for Luke and the Rebels. His evil laugh still makes my skin crawl. When it comes to new characters, I’ll admit that the Ewoks are fine. While I have a love-hate relationship with them, they are cute and provide some nice moments that make the Rebels more human. They even make C3PO more likable which is no easy task.
With all these factors working for Return of the Jedi, why isn’t it a great film? Let’s look at how this picture develops the main characters, starting with Han Solo. I’ve heard criticism of how his character was portrayed in this installment and they are absolutely correct! Throughout the film, we watch Solo’s cool guy persona morph into that of a lovesick, goofball. He acts cluelessly during the escape from Jabba’s Palace. Sure he rescues Lando, but otherwise is mostly useless. He foolishly becomes jealous of Luke and Leia because she is concerned about Luke risking his life to face Vader and the Emperor. Then, he leads the Rebel force on Endor, only to be outsmarted by the Storm Troopers and captured by the Empire. Worse, this former bad boy is helpless to save himself and has to be rescued by the Ewoks. Heck, he doesn’t even get to command the Millennium Falcon during the last great battle against the Death Star. If it wasn’t for Harrison Ford’s charisma, this character would be comparable to Jar Jar Binks.
Sadly, other characters would meet the same terrible fate with how the filmmakers developed their characters. For instance, Boba Fett, one of the coolest characters in the series, is not defeated in a fight to the death with Luke Skywalker. No, he is brought down by dumb luck. While I don’t hate the Ewoks, I really resent that they were the main reason for the Empire’s defeat. Rather than Han and Leia spearheading the victory, these critters singlehandedly defeat the mighty Empire using their homemade weapons. While it’s refreshing to see nature defeat technology, it just doesn’t seem realistic. So much for Emperor’s grand boast that he sent his best troops on the planet to surprise the Rebels at Endor.
Also, while Carrie Fisher looks great sitting next to Jabba the Hutt in a skimpy, showgirl outfit, was that really necessary? Her character is known for her bravery, intelligence, and fierce loyalty to the cause of freeing the galaxy from the oppressive Empire. It was these traits, not her beauty, that made her one of the greatest heroines in cinema. Ultimately, she is the one who kills Jabba, but sadly, one of the first things people remember about the Princess is her provocative, Las Vegas style costume, which is a shame.
Don’t get me wrong. Return of the Jedi is a very entertaining film and it’s hardly ever boring. I mean the space battles are riveting, and we’re taken to new, interesting places, such as Jabba’s dark, creepy palace and the forests of Endor. It also goes without saying that John Williams continues to impress with his brilliant musical score. Not to mention, this was one of my favorite Star Wars films as a young boy, so based on nostalgia alone, it will always have a special place in my heart. Because of all these reasons, it’s easy to say that I’ll enjoy watching Return of the Jedi every time. Unfortunately, after each viewing, the flaws in the main characters and their storylines become more obvious after each viewing. If you remove the subplots and only focus on Luke Skywalker’s storyline, this would be an excellent film. If the reverse is done, though, and you focus on everything but Luke’s quest, it would be a mediocre movie. Overall, viewers will be satisfied with the conclusion of this trilogy. After repeat viewings, though, they’ll see the weaknesses and will be left wondering if more could have been done to make Return of the Jedi a much better film.
Brian’s Rating 7.5/10
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