Good ol' Return Of The Jedi. Once the often ridiculed member of the Star Wars family...until the prequel trilogy came along and put everything in perspective. Now it's embraced as part of the original three movies...the Holy Trilogy, if you will. As an early teen Jedi was my favorite movie of all time...until I developed a more critical sensibility...and a love of R-rated action (Mr Cameron, Mr McTiernan, Mr Donner...I thank you). But despite it's flaws, Jedi is still a corker of epic proportions.
The negatives are plentiful:-
1/ The plot, complete with a Death Star to destroy, is just too similar to the first movie.
2/ The first quarter, comprising of the rescue of Han, is a bit slow. Who'd have thought that it would take Mark Hammil to make an appearance to get the momentum going.
3/ The production design is the weakest of the trilogy. The Jabba Palace interiors are positively bland in comparison to, say, Mos Eisley in Star Wars.
4/ Similarly, the lighting is way too flat and conventional. Compared to Lucas's documentary approach in Star Wars and lush hues in Empire, Alan Hume's approach is just OK.
5/ The same can be said for Richard Marquand's direction. Solid, but there's little flair.
6/ Once rescued, Han not only loses his cynical edge...but has very little heroic to do. Thank Jebus he formulates the plan to gain entry to the bunker!
7/ Ewoks. They do work within the context of the movie and they are convincing as an living, breathing alien life form. But did it really have to be teddy bears? Even 27 years on, this seems like a blatant merchandising exercise rather than a genuine story choice.
But the pluses far outweigh the negatives.
1/ The effects are the best of the whole saga. In fact they still stand up as some of the best committed to celluloid. Whether it's the cutting edge 'go-motion' creature effects, the flawless model work in the climactic space battle or the attention to detail of the Endor conflict, it's still dazzling stuff.
2/ The action is first rate. The Rancor. The Sarlacc Pit, The Speeder Bike chase and the whole finale...cinematic action at it's finest.
3/ Speaking of the finale, this is where Lucas's multi story editing comes into it's own. All three parts of the climax (space battle, land battle, saber fight) all interlock and bounce off each other brilliantly.
4/ Luke's story, the centre point of the classic trilogy, is the best handled part of the plot. Now that Lucas has completed Revenge Of The Sith, the plot has added emotional weight as Vader's story comes full circle.
5/ The special edition revisions are the least intrusive here than in the other two movies. In fact, John Williams re scored victory music is a vast improvement over the cheesy Ewok song that previously existed. However the extended dance sequence in Jabba's Palace is wholly unnecessary.
6/ The mission to Endor has a nice World War II vibe, riffing on the men-on-a-mission style movies like The Guns Of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare.
7/ Princess Leia. Slave Girl outfit. Mmmmmmm.
So not perfect but still better than most movies. Why? Because it's STAR WARS!!! Like you really needed to ask.
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