Harry Situation’s Countdown Reviews: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

        STAR WARS

                                                    EPISODE VI

                                           RETURN OF THE JEDI

                            A trilogy was completed. Lucas made his final (sorta)

                                installment in the Star Wars franchise with

                            Return of the Jedi, yet another hit at the box office

                             It seems that Star Wars had, at the time, become the

                             most epic trilogy ever made. There’s no way Lucas 

                             could botch it up, right? ...Right?

Welcome to part 3 of my Star Wars Countdown Reviews as we conclude the original trilogy with Return of the Jedi, which was originally titled Revenge of the Jedi but Lucas had it changed at the last minute.

This was, at the time, the final installment in the Star Wars series, but we all know that the story certainly never stopped there. In this one the Rebels (Luke, Leia, & the rest) set out to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, the Hutt gangster of Tatooine. Meanwhile they learn that there is a second Death Star in development with the Emperor in close watch. The galaxy is at stake as the end comes near.

This was a solid conclusion to a trilogy that I saw as a kid. The Rebel Alliance wins, the Empire is defeated. The ultimate battle between good and evil. It was, and still is, epic after all these years.

Everything I loved about the last two returns in this film. The writing, the characters, music, and special effects are still out of this world - pun intended. But let’s talk about some of the new stuff added.

First let me talk about the Emperor real fast. When I was a kid I thought the Emperor was a real scary dude. I also learned that Vader was more of an underling. The real bad guy was Emperor Palpatine all this time. And if Yoda wasn’t enough to convince you that old people can kick your ass, The Emperor should. I mean from a distance he just looks like a frail old man, but when he started attacking Luke with Force Lightning, that sent chills down my spine. Even this theme is frightening. Give it a listen on YouTube and tell me if you don’t have goosebumps.

Second, Luke’s lightsaber. It’s green. Thanks to that we get a whole spectrum of lightsaber colors now. Awesome!

Actually let’s talk about Luke’s development in this one. In the first two Luke was just learning the basics of the force, but in this one he’s officially embraced his destiny. The way he moves and talks makes him seem that he is years beyond his experience. He is officially a Jedi Knight. Hell he’s even content on trying to bring his father, Darth Vader, back to the light side as much as Vader is trying to get his son to the dark side.

Now let’s talk about the usage of special effects. There is so much life with them when we are shown all the aliens in Jabba’s Palace and the Ewoks of Endor. Even to this day the Rancor and Sarlaac pit still look mighty impressive. I still have no idea how they are made. 

Yet that’s kind of the downer for this movie. There is too much time and focus on Jabba’s Palace and the Ewoks that it kinda distracts from the main story. Again I don’t have a problem with it, I mean I like seeing it, but from a storytelling point it’s kinda like one of those weird side missions you take in RPG’s that seems to go on and on.

Overall this is still an epic conclusion to an awesome trilogy. I love rewatching it again and again like the other films in the Star Wars Saga.

                                  Light Side:                       Dark Side:

                                 -Action                            -Too much focus on 

                                 -Characters                        Jabba’s Palace

                                 -Writing & directing        -Too much focus on Ewoks

                                 -Special effects

                                 -Music

                                 -Luke’s development

                                 -Epic conclusion to

                                  Original Trilogy

Final Grade: A

That concludes the reviews for the Original Trilogy. Next we’ll move on to the Prequels. These reviews are going to be different from the others because I’m going to dig deep into each film and address each problem while offering a rebuttal or two. I don’t hate the Prequels as much as other die hard fans do, but I will acknowledge their flaws.

So there’s my review of Return of the Jedi. Have you seen it? What are your thoughts? What’s your favorite moment of the Original Trilogy? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check back for more reviews here on Prose!

5 Best Quotes:

Emperor Palpatine: “Good, good. Let the hate flow through you.”

Yoda: “There is... another... Skywalker.”

Obi-Wan Kenobi: “He’s more machine now than man. Twisted and evil.”

Luke Skywalker: “The force is strong in my family. My father has it. I have it. My sister has it. You have that power too.”

Admiral Ackbar: “It’s a trap!”