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EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983)Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billie Dee Williams.
Directed by Richard Marquand.
MPAA rating: PG
"Beyond compare" is what Star Wars fandom has time and again labeled Episode VI--Return of the Jedi; general audiences, however, may not get as much out of it. Non-stop action, hilarious one-liners, and a progressing romance are striking as directed by George Lucas, and one feels that he really tried to make this last SW chapter something special. Jedi commences with Sith Lord Darth Vader (voice by James Earl Jones) coming to a new Death Star (in orbit around Endor's forest moon), more deadly in firepower yet looking deceptively unfinished. Announcing that the feared Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) will arrive there in person, Vader induces gasps of fear from even high-ranking Imperial officers. Moving to the planet Tattooine, we find our heroes pooling their resources and cunning to rescue their comrade, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), a decoration at the repulsive Jabba the Hutt's palace. R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels) first enter the desert dwelling bearing a message from "Jedi Knight" Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who bargains for Solo's life by giving the droids as servants. Jabba does employ both robots, though Han isn't released.
With Lando (Billy Dee Williams) already undercover and posing as part of an entourage, a bounty hunter comes to cash in on the captured Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), Han's staunch sidekick. That night, the hunter is revealed to be Leia (Carrie Fisher), who frees Han from his carbonite hibernation—the film's most romantic and tender scene. It is cut short by Jabba and his entire cohort. Though he gets past Jabba's guards, the Knight Skywalker still has a lot of proving to do as he joins Han, Leia, and Lando--condemned to die in the monstrous Sarlaac. Amid the rolling sand dunes, a lone desert skiff carries those both noble and corrupt. Luke is first to walk the plank, jumps off to a surely immediate death… then catapults up, grabs the lightsaber thrown him by R2-D2, and makes short work of Boba Fett and a virtual garrison of gunmen. From Han's half-humorous blindness, to the menacing Sarlaac's moving tentacles, this scene is a spectacle without ever looking staged (though many avoid it due to Leia's state of undress).
To the Dagobah system and Yoda (voice by Frank Oz), Luke journeys one last time, as the powerful but small Jedi dies in front of him after giving a final charge: destroy Vader, and your Jedi training will be complete. There are also hints of another Jedi in the galaxy; when Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guiness) appears in spirit form to console Luke, he fields some questions about the Sith Lord's identity, and confirms that there is another presence in the Force—Luke's previously anonymous sister. Back at Rebel headquarters, a massive attack is planned, in which a small team must use a stolen code to get past the security post covering the forest moon of Endor. As the Death Star II's force field deactivates, Lando Calrissian (now a legitimate officer) is to fly inside the sphere and take out the reactors. That "small team" turns out to be a reunion of Han, Luke, Leia and the droids, who proceed through forests and past Imperials to blow up the space station's shield generator. Or, at least, are assigned to. They run into some Imperial entanglements early on. Filmed in California's redwood forest, a chase on small, unprotected "speeder bikes" remains one of the saga's greatest rushes as Luke and Leia fly through lush green branches and under giant tree roots to eliminate a company of stormtroopers. In the end, viewers realize this action sequence made little difference but, man, is it fun to watch. Believing that the golden-skinned C-3P0 is a god, the primitive, furry Ewoks take an indignant Han, Luke, and Chewie under custody in a hokey sub-plot intended to increase product tie-in sales. One wants to believe there's some other point in featuring these pint-sized teddy bears, but after repeated viewings the truth becomes obvious. It is unavoidable. Fortunately, Harrison Ford's ire keeps the audience engaged, as the Han Solo character is used a great deal, spouting one comedic line after another: "Well, why don't you use your divine influence, and get us out of here?" Luke becomes their savior, employing his Jedi skills to the tune of composer John Williams's "Force Theme." Adopted into the adorable bears' tribe, the Rebel comrades disclose much during simple conversations atop a jungle bridge; again, deft acting via megastar Ford transforms this otherwise tedious segment into something epic and heart wrenching.
The Ewoks handily lead their newfound allies straight to a bunker where the shield generator is located, while Luke purposefully turns himself in to the Imperials. He soon arrives on Death Star II, face to face with Darth Vader. Believing the black-robed man can be changed (and telling him so outright), Luke follows the Sith Lord dutifully into the Emperor's chambers. And with that, the 30+ minute Return of the Jedi culmination is set up. Using something akin to the reverse of reverse psychology, the wrinkling ruler becomes most candid, revealing that he knows the schemes of the Jedi's friends, and even the Alliance's master plan. This verbal exchange gives hints of Lucas's higher vision for the saga; despite the "dark side/light side" seeming to preach Hinduism, Star Wars is less about spirituality and more about determination and nobility. Against a seemingly omniscient adversary, Luke holds his ground again and again, idealistically standing on trust in Han and Co., faith in Vader's inner good, and the rightness of his own mission. Back on the ground, AT-AT Walkers, manned with untold garrisons, are far out of sight--until General Solo attempts to fulfill his mission, and is vastly outnumbered. Outgunned, anyway. A sea of furry Ewoks descends on the Rebels' foes in a large ground battle that pits blaster rifles against sticks and stones. Strategy and protection are minimal--one scene sticks out of a teary-eyed cub mourning another's death--but, in the end, friendship and ingenuity go a long way. Above in the darkness of space, Lando Calrissian and Rogue Squadron find the Empire all too ready for their offensive; they also must fight off Imperials, in the form of TIE fighters and other spacecraft.
The story of Anakin Skywalker comes full circle as Luke is barraged with lightning bolts from the Emperor's hands, and the camera pans to the face of Darth Vader. Torn between Luke's screams and his allegiance to the Empire's sovereign, Vader reverts to Anakin… by throwing his former master into a nearby endless chasm. Truth has redeemed him. Saved yet dying, Anakin Skywalker makes one last request to Luke, "Take this mask off me so I can see your face with my own eyes." An Ewok village celebration is a great moment in itself: fighters dropping fireworks overhead, the Ewoks singing and playing, and the spirits of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Anakin looking on at the festivities. Almost forgotten after decades of corruption and power mongering, partying goes on releasing the pent-up joy of freedom fighters who are no longer "rebels," but founding leaders of a New Republic. The conclusion to the entire six-part Star Wars saga, Episode VI--Return of the Jedi has a mind-boggling scope, so big it that may be lost on casual moviegoers.
- Josh Shepherd
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