Review #1,262: 'Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi' (1983)

As a child, I owned all of the original Star Wars trilogy on VHS, purchased when 'remastering' was all the rage and the iconic sci-fi saga found itself on the receiving end of a much-needed cleaning-up. This was, however, before George Lucas tampered with his already-near-perfect legacy, adding unneeded special effects and elongating certain scenes for seemingly no other reason to show how far CGI had come (although it now looks incredibly dated). Despite the perfection of episodes four and five, my go-to Star Wars movie on a boring Sunday afternoon was always Return of the Jedi, the third instalment now widely remembered as the poorest of the bunch. I don't quite know what it was about Jedi that always caused me to reach for it. It certainly wasn't the Ewoks, those cuddly fur-balls shoe-horned in to sell more merchandise, although they aren't as annoying or distracting as I remembered.

Jedi is most certainly the least effective of Lucas' creation, but there's still plenty of charm and excitement to solidify the entry as, at the very least, a satisfying closure to the saga, despite Disney's welcome efforts to further explore the Star Wars universe. The Empire Strikes Back broke up its characters but managed to keep a firm grasp on the various story-threads. Jedi does the same again, but is less successful at holding all the action together. Nevertheless, the characters get to enjoy an early reunion at Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tatooine, where the slug-like abomination hangs Han Solo (Harrison Ford), still frozen in his carbonite prison from the last movie. C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) and Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) all arrive at various intervals as part of a rescue operation, as does Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the latter having completed his Jedi training and going about his business with a brooding confidence.

A horrific car crash may have robbed Hamill of some of his boyish good-looks, but it did nothing to dampen his skills as an actor. Skywalker's newly-found intensity, which no doubt stems from his flourishing grasp on the Force and skill with a lightsaber, is matched by Hamill's execution. He stops by to see Yoda (Frank Oz), who confirms that Darth Vader is indeed his father and a fallen Jedi, and has a brief chat with the spirit of his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness). Skywalker's thread is by far the most interesting, inevitably heading towards a showdown with his father and the puppet-master behind the Empire, the rasping Emperor (Ian McDiarmid). Although Vader's brutality has been turned down as he plays lap-dog to his boss, audiences back in 1983 must have been holding their breath as the Emperor tortures Luke in an attempt to turn him to the Dark Side, and Vader is clearly shown to be wrestling with his allegiance.

The rest of the action fares less well, as Han Solo and Leia find themselves captured by the community of Ewoks who seem to want to eat them, while C-3PO bares a close resemblance to the God the little critters worship. Their aim is to take down a generator controlling the energy shield of a brand new Death Star - yes, they have somehow managed to nearly complete a bigger, meaner planet-killer in a remarkably short space of time. Lando and the remaining Rebel Alliance are forced to repeat the climax of A New Hope, and while it's certainly a spectacular battle, it can't help but feel like more of the same. Jedi is best remembered as a series of memorable moments than a truly great film. It's easy to forget the film's messy narrative and cynical desire to boost merchandise sales, especially as a child, but it's hard to forget Leia in a gold bikini, Jabba's grotesque rat-like pet, the high-speed chase through the forests of Endor, or the shockingly crap death of fan-favourite Boba Fett. Nowhere near the annoying child-pandering misfire some believe it to be, but also some way off the magnificence of its predecessors.


Directed by: Richard Marquand
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, Ian McDiarmid
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie