Movie Review: Star Wars: Ep. VI Return of the Jedi (1983)

Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi (1983) directed by Richard Marquand

Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and the gang return to Tatooine to rescue Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from the vile clutches of Jabba the Hutt. After that fun caper is done, Luke returns to finish his training with Yoda (puppetted and voiced by Frank Oz) though mostly he just quizzes Yoda about Darth Vader being Luke's father. Yoda is reluctant to acknowledge it but does. Yoda dies and Luke has a conversation about the situation with Obi-Wan Kenobi's ghost (Alec Guinness). Obi-Wan has some dubious rationalizations for lying to Luke about his father. He reveals that Leia (Carrie Fisher) is Luke's twin sister. She was hidden from Vader and is the alternate hope that Yoda mentioned in the last movie. Luke heads back to the Rebel fleet.

The Rebels have discovered that the Empire is building another, larger Death Star near the Endor moon. They plan a two-pronged attack. A small force will sneak in a disable the shield generator on the moon's surface (it's a forest moon, so the job will be somewhat easier than it sounds). The main fleet will swoop in and send small fighters into the core of the Death Star, destroying the main power generator and thus the entire battle station. The risk is worth it because the Emperor himself (Ian McDermid) is on board supervising the construction. Han takes Luke, Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 to disable the shield generator. Lando (Billy Dee Williams) will lead the space assault on the Death Star.

The Emperor has foreseen these plans and has his own scheme to turn Luke to the Dark Side of the Force and crush the Rebellion in one swift blow. Vader is still on board with the plan to turn Luke but Luke has sensed good in Vader and hopes to bring him back to the Light Side of the Force. Will good triumph over evil? It's not too hard to guess and probably most people reading this will have already seen the film.

This movie is not as good as its two predecessors (which were fantastic). The acting isn't as strong from the main characters though Mark Hamill does a good job finishing out the hero's journey started in Episode IV. The ending, much like Episode I, has three fields of action. First, Luke and Vader fight while the Emperor tries to get Luke to turn the Dark Side. The light saber fight is good and the stakes are high. Second, Lando leads the fleet in the fleet attack. The space battle is exciting and action-packed. Third, Han and the Rebel strike force on the moon are aided by the local inhabitants, the Ewoks. These creatures are walking teddy bears and somehow they manage to fight and win against the Emperor's best troops. The situation is silly but at least the filmmakers came up with some fun and creative ways for the Ewoks to fight. The ending of this film only has one weak part, unlike Episode I's two really weak parts.

The special edition upgrade of the special effects has minimal impact on this film. The major change is at the end. In the original theatrical release, the defeat of the Empire (which I guess is a spoiler but how else would the film end?) is celebrated on Endor with a fairly cheesy but enjoyably goofy song sung by the Ewoks. The new ending has a more serious, triumphant song, and shows other planets celebrating the defeat of the Empire. I have too many sentimental attachments to the old Ewok song to find much satisfaction in the new ending. Jabba's palace at the beginning has some more exotic aliens (and another different song) which really adds nothing of interest to the film.

The movie is a satisfying end to the saga of Luke Skywalker.

Recommended.