4
7
8
(there is nothing better)
(mild violence)
(The Force)
Star Wars began with a farm boy and the way his family changed the universe. Then came the prequels which shifted the focus to the father, the villain. It was really about him the whole time. Return of the Jedi pits father against son amidst the fall of the Empire, and brings the life of Anakin Skywalker back around to full circle.
Luke and his band of rebels set out to save Han from Jabba the Hutt. Reunited after much swashbuckling they return almost immediately to the rebel gathering – a last ditch effort to bring down Emperor Palpatine before he can finish his newest project of death and discrimination – the Death Star!
Wait, didn't we do that already? I could have sworn we saw the Death Star go down in flames already. I guess Palpatine must LOVE his planet-busting space stations. This one's bigger, badder, and protected by a force field. What could go wrong? The guy that designed that exhaust port has undoubetedly been unceremoniously removed so let's give it another whirl, why not?
Some feel it's an unnecessary retread (and I suppose there's merit to such a thought), but people love to nitpick. I shouldn't be harsh, I do it too, it kind of comes with the territory of writing reviews. All I can say is that until internet forums started pushing the criticism I never heard any disparaging remarks about the Empire giving the Death Star another run. I certainly didn't mind it as a kid with my eyes glued to the theater screen like my life depended on it.
Most critics say the worst thing about Return of the Jedi is the marketing gimmick known as Ewoks. The little teddy-bear-like creatures are too cutesy for fans that would rather be watching Jabba or Boba Fett. I guess I can understand that somewhat. The Jabba portion of the story is my favorite, too, and not just because of Leia's bikini.
The concept of the Ewoks doesn’t bug me, and I’ll tell you why. The whole point is that technology cannot match the human spirit (even if that spirit is displayed partly in little, furry aliens; the concept is the same). Though primitive, the Ewoks overcome the Empire’s army turning the tide of the ground battle which then turns the tide of the space battle. If the Ewoks had looked too fierce or advanced then the Empire wouldn’t have been so quick to ignore them as a potential threat. Not all aliens can be Wookies and Hutts so I don’t care so much about short, fuzzy guys (even if a tribe of Gammoreans would have been more fun).
There are many things I love about the story, but the dialogue sometimes makes me cringe. For starters, everything is “complete”: training, journey to the Dark Side, failure. I get sick of hearing the word “complete” over and over particularly when it isn’t the best word for the thought anyway. The “Dark Side – Good Side” dialogue about the Force is too cheesy, as well. While a few moments like this bug me, they aren't nearly enough to keep this from being a fascinating part of the best movie series ever created.
Once again blue screen shots aren’t anything like what they are today, but the stop-motion is better that it was in previous films, and creature costumes are as great as ever. Jabba, the huge slug creature, is absolutely amazing. CG has only recently been able to create creatures as realistic as this incredible feat of puppetry. While Jabba is the most amazing creature, others are impressive, as well. In A New Hope we got to see the Mos Eisley cantina with a bunch of quick shots of odd looking aliens. In The Empire Strikes Back we got a Wampa that was improved in the Special Edition, a quick look at the bounty hunters, and the wonderfully done Yoda. Those were just the warm up.
Return of the Jedi has scores of aliens that get plenty of screen time. Jabba’s palace is where most of them are found. Pig-faced Gammoreans, Twi’leks with head tails (lekku), 3-eyed Grans, and (later in the movie) fish-faced Mon Calamari, plus many others supply a better view of the Star Wars galaxy. I can't help it, crazy-looking alien species are a large part of what fascinated me as a young viewer.
Music-wise the greatest new addition is the Emperor’s theme. It’s low and dark with human voices adding a haunted quality to it. A fun little pop number is performed for Jabba. In the original it was "Lapti Nek." In the Special Edition it was replaced by "Jedi Rocks" with a new lead singer and an edgier sound. There’s a similar situation with the end celebration song. The original has a more tribal sound with singing Ewoks while the replacement has a more somber, reflective mood. I love the new song, but I don’t think the other should be treated like it never existed.
Whatever its shortcomings, Return of the Jedi is a satisfying end to a wonderful story. Unlike many sequels that should have remained unmade, every movie in the original Star Wars cannon is worthy of the overall legacy.
Morality
While still within PG range, this is perhaps the most questionable of the original 3 movies. It’s a little more violent for one thing. Ewoks beat stormtroopers with rocks and are blown up in return. Jabba is strangled before the camera, the Rancor eats a guard and is crushed under a gate, and Luke is tortured by Palpatine after a brutal battle with his father. It's bloodless and not at all graphic, but we are dealing with an Empire that doesn't mind mass slaughter in the name of power and the people struggling to bring down their tyranny.
Everyone has seen Leia's skimpy bikini by now. It's actually not especially revealing by comparison to what the average college girl wears on public beaches these days, but it's definately meant to tantalize especially since Jabba shows that he enjoys putting girls on display for his amusement. His other dancer, Oola, wears a somewhat revealing cosume as well.
There is no questionable language at all.
Spirituality
The theme of redemption is key here. The end of the trilogy is where that comes into play. Darth Vader is an evil killing machine, a key player in the demise of the Jedi Order, and the biggest threat besides the Emperor himself to freedom in the galaxy. The last of the Jedi know the son of Anakin to be the galaxy’s best hope of victory so they push Luke to destroy Vader.
Luke is not a soldier, he’s a dreamer whose greatest ambition, learning about his father, has finally been realized in horrific understanding. He doesn’t have it in him to challenge his father to a battle to the death. His mentors are upset about that; Yoda has made it clear that there is no coming back from the Dark Side. Luke cannot accept that and does something even the most experienced master thought impossible; he helps a Sith lord find redemption.
In the end it is a son’s love for his father that destroys the evil of the Emperor, not firepower or strategy. In the average action movie Luke would have used his lightsaber to punish Vader for all his past sins with some smart-aleck line about sticking a saber where the light don’t shine; in Star Wars Vader repents and finds unrestrained forgiveness.
Offering that kind of forgivness on a human level is difficult especially if you think about all the pain and misery Vader has caused Luke directly. Luke watched him kill Obi-Wan, his aunt and uncle died at the hands of troops under Vader's control, and there's no telling how many of Luke's friends Vader himself as well as the pilots under his command shot down. After suffering that much loss wouldn't you feel rage, a need for justice, a desire for vengeance?
God offers us forgiveness that is more powerful than anything we can do against Him. I love the story of how Paul went from a murderer of early Christians to a writer of scripture. I think Vader's story is a little closer to the one of the thief on the cross, though. Here, at the end of his life, is a man wanting to let go of the evil in his heart. He would have no opportunity to preach for God, he would not go on to be useful in the way that Paul would be, yet Christ did not hesitate in giving him a blank slate. He didn't recount all the evils the man had done, he didn't say ,"Oh, you're just doing this because you are about to die." He didn't refuse because this thief, pinned like a bug on display, would never be able to be baptized or take communion.
Like the fictional Vader in the care of his son, like the thief executed on the same hill as the Savior, so are we offered a blank slate. We need only to accept it, to turn from our wicked masters, the Emperors of our lives. It's never too late, but we aren't promised tomorrow.
Final Thoughts
The depth of the themes of fogiveness have a lot to do with why I like the Star Wars series so much. The creatures and lightsaber battles captured my imagination as a child, but then as now the substance of the story touched me in profound ways. The Ewoks may never be my favorite part of the franchise, but the salvation of Vader is.
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