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Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi 1983 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Richard Marquand
PG, 135 min. (mild violence) |
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Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Alec Guinness, Frank Oz, Sebastian Shaw, James Earl Jones
Producer: Howard G. Kazanjian
Screenplay: Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas
Cinematography: Alan Hume
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Released: 5.25.83 (Wide) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
Whether one saw Return of the Jedi on the big screen in 1983 or during its Special Edition run in 1997, the film was almost
doomed to disappointment before its release. With the unprecendented successes of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back,
two of the best films of all time, Return of the Jedi had impossible shoes to fill in concluding a classic trilogy, easily the most influential ever filmed, while
continuing the tradition of likable characters and witty, fun banter between its stars (Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher).
Although Lawrence Kasdan returned to help pen the final chapter with George Lucas, the deck was clearly stacked against
him - there's simply too much to accomplish in the confines of one film to write a riveting storyline. Return of the Jedi
is a good, but not great, film that benefits from familiar characters and an enthusiastic fan base like none other. Despite
being a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, the film does suffer from such silliness as the Ewoks and a tedious second act that
bogs down the momentum created from the first act involving a gangster named Jabba the Hutt.
After the breathtaking and ominous The Empire Strikes Back (the best of the trilogy), this film returns to the pure innocent
fun of Star Wars, albeit with a somewhat darker final act. It's interesting that Lucas chose to begin this last installment on
an upbeat note right from the start, a stark contrast to Empire's depressing, haunting conclusion. It's mostly a
bowl of cherries here, although Luke's final confrontation with Darth Vader and his Emperor is more or less a somber affair.
One could also argue that the riveting tension between Luke and Vader has been reduced to a conversational tone rather
than a hate-hate relationship that drove the first two films. Jedi is determined to be triumphant at all costs, and in some
regards, is hurt by its own narrow-mindedness. However, it's also evident that Lucas, an eternal optimist, would never
end his classic story with anything less than pure bliss.
The story covers quite a bit of ground in a short time. It begins with Luke's (Mark Hamill) rescuing of long-time friend
Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from the clutches of Tatooine gangster worm Jabba the Hutt. Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher),
Lando (Billy Dee Williams), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) are also
there to help, although things don't go as smoothly as planned. Eventually, the gang rejoin the Rebel Alliance for their
final assault on the Empire's newest Death Star, as overseen by the Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) himself. Of course,
Darth Vader (David Prowse, voice of James Earl Jones) isn't far behind, still driven by his desire to turn Luke to the
Dark Side of the Force. When Luke, Han, Leia, and the droids attempt to knock out a force field generator on the forest
moon of Endor, they gain the help of teddy bear-like creatures named Ewoks, while losing Luke to Vader's ominous
presence. Luke knows he must face Vader and his Emperor to fulfill his destiny. The final battle is waged in and around the
Death Star and on the planet below.
As always, the special effects are first rate. Here they are fully realized and technically the best of the trilogy; however,
Empire had such a grand scope of scenery and imagery that it is the most captivating of the films. Six years removed from
Star Wars, Lucas had time to hone his skills in the effects department. The final space battle is more impressive than that
of Star Wars, but it's also become commonplace by this time. It is however one of Jedi's redeeming aspects, glossing over
moments of dull storytelling and irritatingly childish characters (the Ewoks).
The performances can best be called perfunctory, although the actors' best work came in Empire. Clearly Hamill, Ford,
and Fisher are all very comfortable at this point in the series, but there seems to be something missing here. The
innocence-meets-evil aspect of their portrayals in Empire left a lasting impression; here they are effecient and calculated,
but not noteworthy. The newcomer is Ian McDiarmid, whose Emperor Palpatine is believably evil to the core, although it
does relegate Vader's powerful presence to that of a spectator in the arena for Luke's abilities.
Considering the daunting task before it, Return of the Jedi met most expectations head on - it may not be the best movie
of the trilogy, but it certainly has its moments of brilliance. The problem for Lucas was simple. Once you've made two
back-to-back classics, you have nowhere to go but down. At least the descent wasn't too far - short of brilliant but not
mediocre either. For fans of the Star Wars universe, the film is satisfying on almost every level. The only thing left was
to explore the prequels (Episodes I-III), something that Lucas is currently addressing.
© 2003 Jonathan Cornwell
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 |
 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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