Review of Return of the Jedi (1983) by Danny R — 12 Dec 2015

Richard Marquand's well-crafted final sequel is the weakest of the original trilogy, but It is still first-rate entertainment with some truly impressive Oscar winning visual effects, and tremendous action sequences.

It begins with the droids C3P0 and R2D2, wonderfully played by Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker, once again wandering the Tatooine desert bickering as though nothing has changed, the truth however is that everything has changed, Luke Skywalker, played superbly by Mark Hamill, who is now one-handed with a robotic hand to replace the one he lost during a light saber duel with the evil Darth Vader, is also a full Jedi Knight that has come to terms with the revelation that his nemesis is also his father.

Han Solo, played marvelously by Harrison Ford, is encased in carbonate and occupying prime space on gangster boss Jabba the Hut's mantle; and Princess Leia, terrifically played by the luscious Carrie Fisher, who is smoking hot in a gold bikini as Jabb the Hut's slave girl.

Inadvertently offering themselves to Jabba as gifts, C3PO and R2D2 are both waiting for Master Luke to come and rescue Han, Leia and themselves. Meanwhile Darth Vader, played by Dave Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones, is now running the construction for the evil Emperor of a new more powerful Death Star, that is why the Alliance which is headed by Princess Leia, has to destroy that new battle station as soon as possible.

After Han's Solo's rescue from the Jabba the Hutt, Luke sends Han and Leia to meet the other Rebels, and then Skywalker returns to Dagobah, loyal to his word, to finish his Jedi training with Yoda.

Han and Leia on the other hand rendezvous with the rebel fleet and plan their latest assault on the Imperial Empire. Landing on the forest moon Of Endor, our heroes befriend the natives which are called Ewoks, little print-sized furry creatures, and set about destroying the structure responsible for the new Death Star's protective shield, so that the fleet can attack.

Luke confronts Vader only to find himself hauled before the Emperor, played nicely by Ian McDiarmid, earning himself a prime view of the destruction of the Rebel Alliance. When the shield is deactivated however, Lando Calrissian, well played by Billy Dee Williams leads the Rebel fleet into the Death Star's interior super structure with the Millennium Falcon in an effort to destroy the main reactor which would obliterate the Death Star.

What makes this epic such an enjoyable movie is that it has truly stood the test of time. It's funny, exciting and resolves the numerous plot threads with total satisfaction. Luke's final confrontation is not bungled, in fact the escalation of suspense through the Emperor's temptations of Luke to the dark side is engrossing.

It's wholly credible as Luke tries one last time to save his father, this is really all we wanted from this chapter of the series, a moving and emotional reconciliation between father and son. Jedi, thus, does not disappoint.

Inter-cut with a large scale ambush on the forest moon of Endor, and the all-out space battle between the Rebel Alliance and the Imperial Empire, it sees the franchise out with a pulse-pounding high. Yes the Ewoks are about as agreeable as asbestos; I never really like them to much, they made the seriousness of the on going final battle a little less potent with their kid-friendly comic relief.

So while Jedi is the lesser of the three films, and lacks the freshness of the first film and the sustained suspense and urgency of the second, it adequately concludes this great sci-fi trilogy - something many other franchises have not been able to do.

Astute direction by Richard Marquand, and a rousing Oscar nominated score by John Williams. Highly Recommended.