Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Why out of all the Star Wars films, why Return of the Jedi? Honestly I have always thought of Jedi as my #3 out of the original trilogy. I rarely hear people say that it is their favorite, unless they haven't watched it since they were kids. The top dogs in my own polling, over my lifetime, have been Empire Strikes Back then A New Hope. With this blog I didn't want to watch & review films I know inside and out, and the other two Star Wars films I know inside and out. I wanted to give Jedi another shot to see if I would like it more or agree with my former list.

Return of the Jedi has great moments of adventure, love, and that classic good vs. evil. The part that still holds me back from fully loving it are the cute & cuddly Ewoks. I love the movie up until they arrive on screen. I feel their teddy bear look takes away from the dire scope of the universe falling into the wrong hands. Some say they bring comic relief, but since you already have C3P0 and R2D2, you don't need more because it begins to cloud the story. In the end I still find that the film is a great ride with love-able characters, with a story that ends on an up beat note.

Story
This is the 3rd and final chapter of the original trilogy. It begins with our heroes rescuing their comrade Han Solo from Jabba the Hut's palace with great success. This sequence shows off the new Luke Skywalker and a more centered character overall. The rebellion decides that they need to destroy the rest of the Death Star once and for all. While Luke takes on the task of trying to bring his father, Darth Vader, to the light side of the force. The story seems to splinter after you have all your favorites together. Luke goes on to battle his father, Han & Leia are on Endor trying to take down a shield generator, and Lando Calrissian and the rest of the rebel fleet are caught up in a space battle with the Empire.

In the end you have an attempted rising action that doesn't rise that well for me. The best part of the film and the most dramatic is Luke taking on the Emperor and finally fighting Darth Vader. With John Williams emotional score, you can't help but feel something. As for the others, I just didn't feel the high stakes game they were playing. If Han & Leia can't get these shield generators down, then Lando and the rebels won't be able to defeat the Empire in space, but I don't feel this urgency in the film with those two story lines. I also don't know if this is the 3rd film in a trilogy syndrome, where you don't have much, if any, rising action in the film since most of it was done in the previous two. I also feel the same way about Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, I just don't feel the full force of what is at stake, aka I am not as emotionally attached to the story. Either way, out of the three Star Wars film, Jedi has the weakest script structure which hurts it in the end.

Direction
I know many Star Wars fans are aware of this knowledge, but I am unsure if non-fans are, but George Lucas did not direct Empire or Jedi. Mr. Irvin Kersner directed Empire Strikes Back, and Mr. Richard Marquand directed Return of the Jedi. George Lucas originally offered the directing job of Jedi to David Lynch, but he turned it down the job to direct Dune. Richard Marquand is mysterious because in the Star Wars documentary, Empire of Dreams, Kersner gets a lot of screen time and is talked about in great detail by the cast, crew, & George Lucas. When the documentary reaches Jedi, Marquand is barely mentioned or shown. There seems to be a rift between Lucas & Marquand. Marquand is quoted as saying, "It is rather like trying to direct King Lear with Shakespeare in the next room!"

Someone had to be on set everyday making decisions on the minute details, and that was Richard Marquand, not George Lucas. The credit of the acting, composition of shots, that goes to him. I think Marquand's directing lays heavily in the acting. Maruqand himself said, ""I'm very interested in directing actors, many directors direct cameras." Although I don't think then it's better then Kersners touch, I do think he is certainly more of an actors director then Mr. Lucas. The characters seem more grown-up, more adult, even if there are teddy bears running around their waists. Overall I think Marquand does an overall exceptional job, with his fingerprint predominantly on the acting. I still remain curious about what decisions he was able to make while directing the final film in a blockbuster trilogy.

Acting
I don't think many people are putting Star Wars on to watch an actors film. It is a ride of story, effects, and story. In Empire and Jedi you get to see a better spectrum of emotion & acting from the actors. Mark Hamill is more adult, more "the one," in this film. The Jabba the Hut sequence proves that. Harrison Ford's role is a little smaller but still notable, although he thought Han Solo should have been killed in the beginning, he still puts forth a charming role. I think Carrie Fisher does her best in this film. She seems more like a woman and less of a princess in need. I think Marquand's hand in these three are where he really shines. As he said himself he is an actors director.

I think Return of the Jedi is a classic sci-fi film, and a great installment of the Star Wars saga. Although it may still be #3 on my original trilogy list, I would much rather take part in a Jedi viewing then any prequel, am I right or am I right?