SECOND HELPINGS: Return of the Jedi (1983)

After the emotional gut-punch of The Empire Strikes Back, George Lucas intended to wrap his Star Wars trilogy up with a crowd-pleaser. Instead, he delivered a film that still has hardcore Star Wars fans drawing lines in the sand to this day. For some reason, there is not much middle ground on Return of the Jedi. You either love it or you don’t. I’ve never understood the lack of middle ground but, then again, I happen to love this film.

When I was a kid, this was my favorite of the original trilogy films. As I grew up, I came to understand the flaws of Jedi and it fell to the bottom of the list (again, original trilogy only). I still think that this film is more fun to watch than Empire but that’s probably because I don’t mind the Ewoks as much as some people do. More on them later though. First we should consider the most important elements of the film.

The central conflict of the film is pretty lazy. A second Death Star certainly poses a threat to the Rebel Alliance but it’s nowhere near original. This latest time around, the stakes have changed what with the Emperor on board and no thermal exhaust port trenches to make easy work of destroying it. Having Luke aboard during the Rebel’s assault might have increased the tension but I realize now that I never honestly thought about Luke being in danger. I am not sure why that is. Perhaps I just assume the hero will survive.

The rescue of Han Solo from Jabba’s palace at the beginning of the film allows Lucas to add a plethora of exotic creatures to the Star Wars universe. It’s a fun portion of the film to watch without being too cutesy and includes a lot of good filmmaking. Luke’s escape from the rancor is an ambitious sequence but it hasn’t aged very well. Still, the whole first portion of the film serves to get the gang back together and charges up the audience for an almost unwinnable battle.

Luke’s mission to secure his father’s redemption is interesting, as it almost becomes an obsession that threatens his allegiance to the light side of the Force. Darth Vader and the Emperor push Luke to the edge, making for some very tense and emotional drama. The Emperor is an interesting villain because he does not look imposing or threatening at all like Vader, though he does unleash some terrifying Force skills near the end. He is brilliant but cocky. Sure, he managed to single-handedly start a rebellion that brought down the Republic and put him in a position of absolute power, but he relies too much on the strength of his Empire and not enough on the Force. Perhaps he felt he had grown strong and secure enough that the Force was irrelevant to maintaining his power.

Now for all the hate directed toward the Ewoks. What gives? I concede that they are overly cute and an unlikely victor over Imperial forces but they provide some much needed comic relief in what is otherwise a very serious film. And the Ewoks alone do not conquer the troops on Endor. They provide enough chaos and distraction to allow the Rebels to take the upper hand.

In some ways, Return of the Jedi is a more dramatic rewrite of the original Star Wars. The rescue of Han Solo mirrors the against-all-odds rescue of Princess Leia. Then there is the obviously parallel second Death Star and the triumphant ending. It’s not a total ripoff because the characters are much more developed by this installment but I can see why these elements might turn some people off. The music also isn’t as dynamic as Star Wars or Empire but I don’t know if that could be avoided as it incorporates many of the character themes from the other films.

In the end it matches the uplifting climax of the first film with a little more cheese along the way. I can’t help but think that the people who hate on this film probably hold Empire as their favorite. I’m not saying that is a bad thing but sometimes a happy ending can be a good thing. You just have to accept it and let it happen. I am more than okay with this film, even if I do think it is the weakest of the three. It’s a great closing chapter to a dynamite trilogy.

ORIGINAL RATING: 4 out of 5

NEW RATING: 4 out of 5

SECOND HELPINGS: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Much like my Second Helpings review for Star Wars, I really don’t think I am capable of adding something new to the conversation about this film. Hopefully my personal musings will be equally, if not more, enjoyable to read as they were for Star Wars.

With Empire, George Lucas gives his Star Wars universe staying power by showing that the first film was more than just a one-off adventure flick. After all, blowing up a space station in the remote stretches of the galaxy would hardly bring the Empire to its knees. The audience is drawn deeper into the lives of Lucas’s characters. Luke is called upon to develop the Force sensitivity he displayed in the first film while Han Solo is forced to scramble against all odds to protect Princess Leia from the Imperial forces hot on their tails.

Pretty much everything in The Empire Strikes Back is better than the original Star Wars. There, I said it. The world did not come to an end, so let’s all agree that Empire improves upon its captivating predecessor. Lucas used his own money to produce the film and his doubling of the production budget is evident just about everywhere.

Shooting for an authentic look and feel over studio fakery, Lucas once again starts a Star Wars film out on location. The snowy wastelands of Norway provides a spectacular landscape for the Rebel Alliance’s secret base. I think shooting in the elements helps the brain buy into what it is seeing because the finer nuances of nature just can’t be faked. Lucas does pretty well at fooling us by crafting Yoda’s swampy Dagobah hideout though.

Speaking of Yoda, what an accomplishment! In our world he is just a puppet but you’d never know from watching the film. Between Frank Oz’s puppeteering and careful cinematography, Yoda is a fully believable and powerful presence in this film. I always wonder what it is like for actors to deal with inanimate costars on set. Obviously there are dozens of set crew members around but to be able to completely buy in and commit to interacting with a puppet takes skill. To make it all work out believably on screen is something special.

Had this film been another caper film like the first, Empire would have been a bust. Thankfully, Lucas and his co-writers push deeper into the lives and emotions of our main characters. Luke’s journey to study under Yoda draws out the awe and mystery of the Force while Han and Leia’s attempts to evade Imperial Forces has all the action we loved from the first film plus a little romantic heat. It really is great to have Han and Leia stuck with each other for much of the film. Their head-butting banter from the original was brilliant and getting more of it this time around is a pleasure. It reminds me of old school Hollywood like Rhett Butler and Scarlet O’Hara’s bickering when all they really want to do is lock lips with each other.

The Empire Strikes Back is a darker, deeper, and all-around more mature film than Star Wars. The fact that it lacks a triumphant ending like its predecessor may leave some viewers feeling deflated but without the dual cliffhangers of Darth Vader’s revelation and Han Solo’s imprisonment, the good guys would just be lucky to escape. Both cliffhangers force more action and emotion from our characters immediately and it also sets up the events for the eventual sequel. Even the music of Empire shows growth over the original film’s fantastic soundtrack (which I somehow failed to even mention in my Second Helpings review for Star Wars). John Williams gives us a second signature piece for the series with Darth Vader’s theme, “The Imperial March.”

I personally may still prefer the story arc and high adventure of Star Wars over Empire but I can no longer deny that Empire is an improvement over the original in many ways. But I still cannot grant it equal status on my rating scale just yet because without Star Wars, Empire never would have even existed. Maybe that means I am giving Star Wars a little extra credit because of its impact and influence on the industry and pop culture after all. Sue me. Maybe after a few more viewings I’ll be able to determine if Empire works as a stand-alone film. If it makes sense without the context of the first film, maybe it will slide up a notch. We’ll have to see.

ORIGINAL RATING: 4.5 out of 5

NEW RATING: 4.5 out of 5

SECOND HELPINGS: Star Wars* (1977)

To say that I have anything new or original to add to the conversation about Star Wars would be lying. This is one of the most popular and most dissected films of all time. Seeing as it is approaching middle age, I think everyone else has covered just about every possible angle of this film well and good. This affords me the opportunity to casually reflect on a personal favorite.

Even before I got serious about analyzing and reviewing movies, I loved Star Wars on a number of levels. As a kid, your imagination runs wild and Star Wars was just the kind of fantastic adventure you might dream up running around the backyard: heroes, villains, damsels in distress, a longing for something outside of the ordinary routine- it’s all in there. Heck, it’s even got swords and dogfights. What more could a little boy ask for?

This brings up a very important point. Star Wars has always performed well for kids. Empire gets dark but Jedi returns to a more kid-friendly tone for the most part. George Lucas may have tried to replicate that wow effect for the younger set too much with the prequels because the story of Star Wars still holds up for adults in terms of quality. You cannot say that about the prequels.

I must admit that the story in the original Star Wars is much simpler than anything else that came later. Despite its straight-up action-quest saga trajectory, all of these elements are carefully crafted from archetypes from history, mythology, and literature that resonate with most people as long as they are written well.

The story structure itself is built upon story elements that we have all seen or read many times before. Lucas prevents his film from feeling generic and derivative thanks to the characters he populates his universe with. Luke is still your bland, wide-eyed kid who becomes a hero but everyone else is remarkable. Han Solo’s bad boy persona meets a worthy match in Princess Leia. More than just a damsel to save, she is strong and determined to have her say. As an added bonus, she’s a pretty good shot too. Darth Vader is menacing thanks to the dark costume and James Earl Jones’s booming voice. The droids provide comic relief and Chewbacca turns out to be more than just a reminder that you’re watching a sci-fi film.

While they may not look like a whole lot now, the visual effects in Star Wars pushed the movie industry forward. This film also changed what kind of movies audiences crave, for better or for worse. Hollywood has always crafted big spectacle films but they were always limited by effects capabilities of the day. George Lucas tossed the doors wide open on what could now be done visually. Personally, I still love the use of real, albeit miniature, ships with intricate structural detail. It makes all the close-ups look like the real deal.

In 1977, Star Wars was a breezy, exotic tale stitched together with visual flair and a lot of fun. To this day, it continues to be all of that (though visual effects have far surpassed what Lucas had ever dreamed of in the 70s) and there is something special and powerful about that. The Empire Strikes Back and, to a lesser extent, Return of the Jedi gave more depth to the Star Wars universe and the story unfolding before our eyes, so assertions that the original film is not the best of the three may in fact be valid.

However, I don’t think Star Wars is a film remembered more for what it meant or did for the art of filmmaking than for its content (as is the case for films like Citizen Kane). Nor is content more important than the technical aspect (as in High Noon). Both the story and its cultural and industry impact are at least equal in my mind, which justifies Star Wars retaining my highest ranking. Empire may be a better story but Star Wars came first and it was an all-around doozy.

ORIGINAL RATING: 4.75 out of 5

NEW RATING: 4.75 out of 5