Last night we watched Return of the Jedi, the next movie in the Star Wars chronological timeline after The Empire Strikes Back.
This is not a review and it isn’t meant to rain on anybody’s opinion of this movie – it’s simply an attempt to articulate my own feelings about it. Your mileage may most definitely vary.
I remember going to see Return of the Jedi when it was first released and being very satisfied with how the over-arcing saga ended (or so we thought at the time). It’s the only movie of the original trilogy that I didn’t see multiple times in the theater. While it still stands head and shoulders over the prequel movies, I think it’s the weakest overall of the original three movies.
Warning! Spoilers Below (if there can be such a thing as spoilers for a movie released in 1983).
What I Liked
The Rescue of Han Solo. The set piece at the beginning of the movie was strong enough that if they’d wanted to, they could have expanded it into it’s own movie (obviously it would have needed additional plot points to work). That said, it was a great way to tie up the cliffhanger from The Empire Strikes Back, as well as to show how far Luke had traveled on his journey to becoming a Jedi Knight. It also showed how Leia, Luke, Chewie, and Lando gelled as a team.
Luke Returns to Dagobah. It was important that Luke keep his promise to Yoda (and, by extension, to Obi-Wan) in order to differentiate him from Vader. And I think it was the right decision to show it happening, rather than just tell us in exposition. Plus, we got to see Yoda’s death scene and another conversation between Luke and Ben, always a bonus.
Luke and Vader’s Duel. The duel between father and son may not have been the most exciting thing ever, but it was the most important scene of the movie. It solidified Luke’s choice of the Light, even to the point of his willingness to sacrifice himself rather than kill his father and become the Emperor’s lackey. It showed Luke had learned the lessons that Anakin didn’t (or couldn’t). This is the moment the entire saga turned upon; the culmination of which started Vader’s redemption (though for the record, I think Anakin still had a long way to go to atone for his many heinous acts, even after he became a Force Ghost).
Space Battle. The space battle scenes are spectacular and still hold up well after all these years.
What I Was Ambivalent About
Leia as Luke’s Sister. Honestly, I’m okay with the fact of Luke and Leia as siblings. I just wish George Lucas had made this clear much earlier in the trilogy – even if only to Luke – as it would have eliminated a few (now) squicky moments in the earlier movies.
What I Disliked
The Ewoks. I sort of remember being mostly okay with the Ewoks when I saw the movie at the theater in 1983, but I also remember wondering what Lucas was thinking when he chose to use them over the original idea of Wookies. I suspect this was a combination of heavy-handed Nature vs. Technology (as a stand-in for Good vs. Evil) storytelling, coupled with a bit of greed. Did anyone get their first look at an Ewok and not immediately think toy tie-in? And now? I find the Ewoks both disturbing – does no one remember they were going to cook and (most likely) eat Luke, Han, and Chewie? – and ridiculous.
Leia’s Bikini. Totally unnecessary, especially since neither Han nor Luke were forced to be half-naked (or even partially unclothed) in an objectifying way in any scene. And let’s face it, does anyone really think Jabba the Hutt had a thing for naked human women?
Conclusion
All in all, the Return of the Jedi holds up as an entertaining movie and a satisfying conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy. I’m glad I was around to watch all three of them in the theater in their original release, but they’re still well worth watching (or in my case, re-watching) today.
