I’m finally willing to admit that Return of the Jedi is inferior to the first two films of the Star Wars saga. There, I said it. Jedi has always been at least tied with the original Star Wars as my favorite of the bunch. Maybe it’s because they mark the beginning and the end of the original trilogy, or maybe I just like Princess Leia in a gold bikini.
Jedi brings the beloved story of Star Wars to a close. It’s not necessarily the ending everyone was expecting, so there is room for complaint if your hopes for the series weren’t quite met. Not everyone will be pleased with the story’s resolution. I was. I think that Jedi brings the series to a fitting end, despite recycling a little conflict. The Empire builds a second Death Star. Not exactly original, but who cares! We Star Wars geeks embrace the challenge of squaring off against another battle station. The stakes are also much higher this time, making it more than just a second round.
While returning to many familiar themes, the music of Jedi isn’t quite as memorable. Outside of Jabba’s palace band and the intro piece to the fight above the Sarlaac, there aren’t many new musical pieces that are memorable. While not really a problem, as the revisited themes are epic in and of themselves, it does take away some minor points from the film.
Visual effects are kicked up yet another notch, providing us with amazing fight scenes and one heck of a journey into the innards of the Death Star. Many claim that the Ewoks are the film’s undoing. I disagree, but I do acknowledge that they were a bit too cutesy and likely put George Lucas on the dark path to creating Jar Jar Binks. But we’re thinking happy thoughts here, so no more mentioning of the prequels.
While Return of the Jedi may be the weakest of the trilogy, it is still a great film. Lucas brought us the goods and pulled out all the stops. The pacing, story and adventure is right in line with its predecessors, and it provides an ending that very few will complain about, capping off what is quite possibly the most legendary film series in history.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
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