Film Review #85: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

How on earth could George Lucas possibly top The Empire Strikes Back?  Or more bluntly, how could he possibly finish his most cherished product and give it an ending it deserves?  Return of the Jedi had quite a bit of pressure on it to deliver something big.  And through it all, was Return of the Jedi able to meet the expectations of the original and it's breathtaking sequel.  Well...why on earth would I create a disease known as "Return of the Jedi syndrome" if it did?  And yet, I still love this movie.  It gave us a fun adventure and the redemption of Darth Vader was worth sitting through the boring scenes in Jabba's palace.

PLOT: Set a year after The Empire Strikes Back, Luke enlists his friends on a rescue mission to save Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt.  The plan is overly complicated, leaving almost everyone in the dark about the situation and makes little to no sense in the realms of logic, but it did give us an entertaining battle, so I guess the good outweighs the bad.

Luke then travels to Dagobah to finish his training with Yoda, but learns that Yoda is dying and that Luke must complete his journey to defeat Darth Vader and the Emperor on his own, despite there being another Skywalker.  When returning to the Rebellion, they learn that the Emperor is overseeing the final stages of the construction of an even more powerful Death Star.  Han enlists their help in going to the forest moon of Endor to disable the deflector shields around the Death Star so the Rebels could destroy it and save the galaxy once and for all.

Meanwhile, Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine plot about trying to turn Luke to the Dark Side of the Force, while Luke desperately attempts to find some sort of light and hope left within the shell of a man once called Anakin Skywalker...

What's Bad?: As I previously stated in my "Return of the Jedi Syndrome" post, the film was not supposed to be this lighthearted adventure movie.  In fact, when George Lucas and Gary Kurtz began developing the trilogy, they intended to make the ending very bittersweet.  But both began to realize they wanted different things with the franchise moving forward: Kurtz wanted the films to drive the industry, while Lucas wanted the industry to drive the film.  What do I mean by that?  Well, by now, Lucas was more influenced by the gross receipts and toy sales of his films rather than the quality of the films themselves.  Do I even need to bring up the Prequels?

There was also more depth and a strong sense of completion.  The Dark Knight Rises actually gave me the kind of ending I was expecting for this film, but more on that when we reach "Superhero Summer 2015".  For instance, the ending involved the New Republic struggling to keep away the forces of the Empire, while Luke, as the last of the Jedi, sort of rides off into the sunset.

This was the first film that seemed geared towards kids more than the general public.  For instance, the Ewok franchise that took off from this movie, or the increased sales in toy sales.  NO I WILL NOT REVIEW THOSE PIGSHIT AWFUL EWOK MOVIES!

What's Good?: This film actually keeps in the tradition of the first two in several areas despite the lack of vision of George.  Because we have gotten to know the characters, it's a little sad to watch the whole story come to an end.  We've seen Luke, Leia, and even Han mature significantly in these movies, from idealistic farmboys and self absorbed smugglers, to true heroes with nobility and honor.

The best part of this movie is the redemption of Darth Vader.  For most of us, Darth Vader is the epitome of evil.  There are none out there who could resist the allure of power that Vader emitted.  Than, to learn that this monster was actually Luke's dad, famed Jedi Anakin Skywalker?  That was enough of a mindblow in Empire.  But we learn more about Vader, that he does in fact care about Luke and does consider the thought of leaving the Dark Side.  But he has been so immersed in it, that he feels he cannot give up the power and most bring Luke over as well.

All throughout the movie, we keep hearing that Luke has two choices: To destroy Vader and the Emperor, or to join them and allow the galaxy to plunge into eternal darkness.  But Luke decides to invent a third alternative path.  He chooses not to destroy Vader, but to show him the light by throwing away his life for him.  By choosing to pass on the Dark Side, thereby showing how horrible the Emperor is, he shows his father that anyone can resist the darkness and become a hero.

Overall: This film was pretty damn entertaining.  It wasn't too lighthearted, though the ending was a bit corny.  Lucas completed his trilogy and completed the final stages of growth for his fans who sat and watched A New Hope when they were kids.  They began to take their steps into adulthood, struggled with the truths of reality, and yet fought on to see through to the dawn that shined through the darkness.  A solid film and a good payoff to a legendary trilogy.

Final Grade:  A-