Return of the Jedi
1983
**** (out of 4)
Let me begin by making one thing clear. I have no problem with Ewoks. The standard rag on Return of the Jedi is that these cuddly teddy bear creatures represented George Lucas’ initial foray into kiddie pandering. First of all, there’s nothing inherently wrong with cute in a Star Wars film (as opposed to stupid which will be discussed in the next review), especially when combined with the sly humor that came to define the trilogy.
Second, the Ewoks conceptually made sense in the context of this movie and the Star Wars Universe. The Empire was consistently shown to have an overwhelming advantage in the hardware department. Only when the quasi-spiritual elements of the force were introduced did the odds somewhat even up. For non-force enhanced rebels, the Ewoks’ use of their natural forest environment in battle delivered the message that even the most advanced technology could be overcome by pure hearts and fighting spirits. It’s the classic David and Goliath tale.
If all this seems to lean a bit much toward the sentimental, so be it. As the climatic installment of the series, Jedi has earned that right, especially since much of its screen time was occupied by two of the creepiest villains since, well since Darth Vader.
Take Jabba the Hut, a bloated reptile slug thing crossed with a 1930’s gangster boss. He was not only a giant leap forward in the art of puppetry on film, but also joined the ranks of Hollywood’s classic monsters. Holding Han Solo prisoner in carbonite and chained to Princess Leia in a fetching bikini, the atmosphere of Jabba’s lair was sufficiently dark to recapture the mood at the end of Empire, while also recalling the alien cantina sequence from the original Star Wars.
With Darth Vader now established as Luke Skywalker’s father, a new symbol of pure evil was needed. The pasty wrinkled visage of the Emperor was the perfect personification of the dark side of the force. Ian McDiarmid, under loads of makeup, managed the difficult task of convincing us that his Emperor is not only more evil, but more powerful that Vader, who had previously personified those qualities.
Those who complain about Ewoks, seem not to remember that their scenes were inter-cut with the harrowing “Last Temptation of Luke Skywalker” sequence. That this final lightsaber fight was not about the Emperor and Vader trying to kill Luke, but instead focused on turning him to the dark side, significantly raised the dramatic stakes, further enhanced by some of composer, John William’s darkest music.
Star Wars was the original and Empire may be the best, but I think Return of the Jedi has a legitimate claim as the most purely entertaining entry in the series. George Lucas and company had already created a universe and changed the world. The story had already been built to a point that its resonance was assured and its conclusion inevitable. In Jedi, they took the opportunity to play around and have fun with it, offering more creatures, bigger space battles and characters we now know well, relishing in their personality quirks.
Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back were among the finest examples of the adventure film ever to make their way into theaters. As discussed in earlier reviews, that both films could reach those heights was improbable at best. Return of the Jedi should not be penalized for not quite equaling them. It’s a great film in its own right. More importantly, it’s a real Star Wars film that fully captured the spirit of its predecessors and provided a conclusion that did them justice.
This is a good a place as any to shift gears towards those 1997 re-releases of the original trilogy that featured those digitally enhanced scenes meant to clean up dated special effects and provide continuity with the upcoming sequels. At the time, they were pretty exciting, mostly because there hadn’t been any new Star Wars product on the big screen for quite some time, but also because our expectations for the prequels could not have been higher.
Notable additions included more elaborate scenery on Tatooine, a brief first look at the prequel planet of Coruscant and a humorous bit where a few Stormtroopers chasing Han Solo were multiplied. The Ewok song at the end of Jedi, which, I actually kind of liked, was replaced by admittedly more suitable jungle rhythms. There was also a previously deleted scene in Star Wars with Jabba the Hut, played at the time by an actor, but here digitally enhanced with the familiar creature. My only problem with this is that, for those seeing the film for the first time, Jabba’s big reveal in Jedi is undercut.
Most infamous, is the loathed “Greedo shot first” scene, set in the cantina of the original film. Here’s where the Star Wars catchphrase “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” first started cropping up among the fan base. Han Solo is a good guy, but also a smuggler, fugitive and - what did Leia call him? – That’s right, a scoundrel. This was the point at which George Lucas began acting as a revisionist of his original work. A key character lost some edge and a good scene was made just a little weaker.
Now, with the saga complete, these revisions seem even less necessary than in 1997. If, particularly Star Wars’ effects seems a little dated, I find that part of its charm. Given the choice, I would rather revisit the un-enhanced versions. I don’t mind that the “special editions” exist. I do mind that Lucas seems to want them to replace and not just provide an alternative to the originals.
Still, it was 1997 and Star Wars was back. New movies were in production and some of the most beloved corners of our childhood imaginations were about to be explored again. What could possibly go wrong?
1983
**** (out of 4)
Let me begin by making one thing clear. I have no problem with Ewoks. The standard rag on Return of the Jedi is that these cuddly teddy bear creatures represented George Lucas’ initial foray into kiddie pandering. First of all, there’s nothing inherently wrong with cute in a Star Wars film (as opposed to stupid which will be discussed in the next review), especially when combined with the sly humor that came to define the trilogy.
Second, the Ewoks conceptually made sense in the context of this movie and the Star Wars Universe. The Empire was consistently shown to have an overwhelming advantage in the hardware department. Only when the quasi-spiritual elements of the force were introduced did the odds somewhat even up. For non-force enhanced rebels, the Ewoks’ use of their natural forest environment in battle delivered the message that even the most advanced technology could be overcome by pure hearts and fighting spirits. It’s the classic David and Goliath tale.
If all this seems to lean a bit much toward the sentimental, so be it. As the climatic installment of the series, Jedi has earned that right, especially since much of its screen time was occupied by two of the creepiest villains since, well since Darth Vader.
Take Jabba the Hut, a bloated reptile slug thing crossed with a 1930’s gangster boss. He was not only a giant leap forward in the art of puppetry on film, but also joined the ranks of Hollywood’s classic monsters. Holding Han Solo prisoner in carbonite and chained to Princess Leia in a fetching bikini, the atmosphere of Jabba’s lair was sufficiently dark to recapture the mood at the end of Empire, while also recalling the alien cantina sequence from the original Star Wars.
With Darth Vader now established as Luke Skywalker’s father, a new symbol of pure evil was needed. The pasty wrinkled visage of the Emperor was the perfect personification of the dark side of the force. Ian McDiarmid, under loads of makeup, managed the difficult task of convincing us that his Emperor is not only more evil, but more powerful that Vader, who had previously personified those qualities.
Those who complain about Ewoks, seem not to remember that their scenes were inter-cut with the harrowing “Last Temptation of Luke Skywalker” sequence. That this final lightsaber fight was not about the Emperor and Vader trying to kill Luke, but instead focused on turning him to the dark side, significantly raised the dramatic stakes, further enhanced by some of composer, John William’s darkest music.
Star Wars was the original and Empire may be the best, but I think Return of the Jedi has a legitimate claim as the most purely entertaining entry in the series. George Lucas and company had already created a universe and changed the world. The story had already been built to a point that its resonance was assured and its conclusion inevitable. In Jedi, they took the opportunity to play around and have fun with it, offering more creatures, bigger space battles and characters we now know well, relishing in their personality quirks.
Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back were among the finest examples of the adventure film ever to make their way into theaters. As discussed in earlier reviews, that both films could reach those heights was improbable at best. Return of the Jedi should not be penalized for not quite equaling them. It’s a great film in its own right. More importantly, it’s a real Star Wars film that fully captured the spirit of its predecessors and provided a conclusion that did them justice.
This is a good a place as any to shift gears towards those 1997 re-releases of the original trilogy that featured those digitally enhanced scenes meant to clean up dated special effects and provide continuity with the upcoming sequels. At the time, they were pretty exciting, mostly because there hadn’t been any new Star Wars product on the big screen for quite some time, but also because our expectations for the prequels could not have been higher.
Notable additions included more elaborate scenery on Tatooine, a brief first look at the prequel planet of Coruscant and a humorous bit where a few Stormtroopers chasing Han Solo were multiplied. The Ewok song at the end of Jedi, which, I actually kind of liked, was replaced by admittedly more suitable jungle rhythms. There was also a previously deleted scene in Star Wars with Jabba the Hut, played at the time by an actor, but here digitally enhanced with the familiar creature. My only problem with this is that, for those seeing the film for the first time, Jabba’s big reveal in Jedi is undercut.
Most infamous, is the loathed “Greedo shot first” scene, set in the cantina of the original film. Here’s where the Star Wars catchphrase “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” first started cropping up among the fan base. Han Solo is a good guy, but also a smuggler, fugitive and - what did Leia call him? – That’s right, a scoundrel. This was the point at which George Lucas began acting as a revisionist of his original work. A key character lost some edge and a good scene was made just a little weaker.
Now, with the saga complete, these revisions seem even less necessary than in 1997. If, particularly Star Wars’ effects seems a little dated, I find that part of its charm. Given the choice, I would rather revisit the un-enhanced versions. I don’t mind that the “special editions” exist. I do mind that Lucas seems to want them to replace and not just provide an alternative to the originals.
Still, it was 1997 and Star Wars was back. New movies were in production and some of the most beloved corners of our childhood imaginations were about to be explored again. What could possibly go wrong?
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