Return Of The Jedi

The gang of our favorite futuristic rebels must save their buddy Han Solo from the evil clutches of Jabba the Hut, attempt to break through the shield of the Empire’s brand new Death Star complex, blow it up, and allow for Luke Skywalker to partake in a showdown with Darth Vader (aka Dad), while saving the galaxy. All that and….meet the cute and cuddly Ewoks!

The most kid-friendly film of the trilogy, this one features plenty of great special effects, cool hover-scooter chases in the Forest Moon, a better understanding of the entire Star Wars universe and the players’ roles within, and a few surprises thrown in for effect. The ending is also a complete 180 degree turn from the darker Empire conclusion, with just enough space left over to maneuver a few more episodes, if they so desired. I especially liked the last 45 minutes or so, which featured three separate scenarios happening all at once, with the action in the film alternating effectively between the three.

Quite entertaining to say the least, and while the Ewoks were pretty childish, I did still enjoy their goofy presence, and Leia in a skimpy belly-dancer’s outfit was just, well….inspirational! One thing that totally stuck out with me during the first few scenes, was the obvious use of puppets as some of Jabba’s henchmen, and the god-awful blue screen techniques utilized in the underground monster scene with Luke (And I was watching the digitally re-mastered version…go figure!). Other than that little scaffoo, all else was very cool, with plenty of great new added scenes, cool space fights and mechanical monsters, a better grasp of Darth Vader’s origin, and a surprisingly tender father/son moment near the end of the film. All in all, a formidable bookend to the greatest science-fiction trilogy of all-time.

(c) 2021 Berge Garabedian