RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
"Return of the Jedi" (originally titled "Revenge of the Jedi") follows and tidies up the events left open at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. Luke and Leia rescue Han Solo (and thaw him out of his frozen carbonated stage) from the throes of the evil Jabba the Hutt. Luke, the Jedi apprentice, goes back to the Dagobah system to see the dying Yoda who has nothing left to teach him except, go face Darth Vader all over again (still haven't figured out Yoda's dying words and neither did the audience I saw it with in 1983). Meanwhile, the evil Empire has built an incomplete Death Star and the Emperor's strength has only gotten stronger. Will the Rebels, including a newly appointed General Solo (!), be able to defeat the Empire and destroy the new Death Star? If you are new to "Star Wars" and have no idea what I am talking about, don't read further.
After seeing the Special Edition version years ago, "Return of the Jedi" seemed to be the one that suffered the most from the changes, and it is also the weakest of the three. Firstly, there's an embarrassing sequence redone with CGI effects (and a new song!) in Jabba the Hutt's palace, which looks more like an outtake from a Disney musical. Secondly, I noticed a bizarre trimming of the Ewok celebration at the end - Luke's close-ups in recognition of the spirits of Vader, Kenobi and Yoda seemed to have been cut, and the new Ewok song is less joyful and more of a distraction than anything else (And don't get me started on the unnecessary addition of Hayden Christensen appearing in ghostly form in the 2004 Special Edition version).
Needless to say, the effects in "Jedi" are the best of the three, including the battle on the barge in Tatooine, and the battle on Endor with the flying bikes. Harrison Ford, however, seems stoned out of his mind and less heroic than usual. Ironically, it is Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher who give the better performances. Luke is more mature and has progressed into a full-fledged Jedi; Leia finally seems to know how to use her laser gun and has one tender scene with Luke; and Chewbacca, C3PO and R2D2 are more annoying than ever. Revelations are aplenty and we finally get to see what Darth Vader really looks like under that mask. The writing suffers when there are brief scenes between Han and Leia: their relationship is undeveloped and mostly results in minor bickering and simple declarations such as Solo having to say "I love you" to Leia when he gave a more appropriate line for a scoundrel in "Empire" that Leia now has to say: "I know." Come on, Lucas - where's the tension?
"Jedi" is a fun movie and a worthy successor but it is not even half as great as "Empire" and it could have shimmered with improvements in the script department (And why did Lucas approve of those characterless Ewoks who resemble nothing more than teddy bears!) I had hoped that The Phantom Menace would approach the level of the first two Star Wars flicks, but this was not to be. "Phantom Menace" is another guilty pleasure of mine, considering how it is ranked by Star Wars fans below "Jedi." Say it ain't so, Lucas.
2 comments:
I was with this film 100% until the munchkins came out of the woodwork (literally). Why? Why? is all I could think at the time. Do you really need another couple of hundred million in toy revenues George? I don't remember another cinema experience where I was so completely deflated in the middle of a movie. That feeling of betrayal stayed with me a lot longer than I thought it would because when I was watching Avatar I found myself suddenly thinking "Oh God! Please don't trot out some jungle teddy bears to rescue Pandora!"
Hi Chris, thanks for stopping by and I do agree. Those Ewoks were ridiculous...originally they were going for a planet full of Wookies and I would have preferred that overall.
Post a Comment