Star Wars (Original)
Episode IV: A New Hope Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi -
Overview
Positives
Negatives
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Brief Review
The final chapter of the Star Wars saga comes to a dramatic close with some big action sequences and an action-soaked finale featuring a battle on three fronts. The acting from the emperor is spot on and he steals the show here with an evil performance as the Sith lord. The film itself pales in comparison to Empire Strikes Back with a less character-driven plot which is the one big negative here. However, the film is still good and a fitting end to Star Wars.
Full Review
The final push for freedom in the galaxy finally hits the screens with the finale of the Star Wars trilogy, Return Of The Jedi. The film itself is good with plenty of action throughout and some good acting all round although the Emperor being the real scene-stealer.
The story begins with the rebels attempting to rescue Han Solo from the clutches of the evil gangster Jabba The Hutt before shifting to focus on the final battle against the Galactic Empire. The forest moon of Endor is the main setting here after the sandy wasteland of Tatooine and the green planet is an excellent location. The greenery is a welcome change of setting from what has preceded in the Star Wars trilogy but unfortunately that's about all that is different.
The whole tale, despite how good it is, doesn't push the boundaries like the previous two films have which is a shame. This film just feels like a rehash of what has come before with more action to disguise the lack of invention. That's not to say its a bad film, its just it would have been nice to see more groundbreaking stuff. Its a shame though as with all the excellence in the previous two films on show, it would have been good to see something new.
The battle between Luke and Darth Vader is fittingly emotional and the inner-conflict with Vader is interesting to watch considering the lack of emotion present on his face and the conclusion to his character is well done. The final transformation from Vader back to Anakin is a fitting end for the villain and one of the highlights of the film.
The battle in the sky and on the ground over the destruction of the Death Star are both good battles but again, nothing we haven't seen already. The ground battle feels like another Hoth rehash with more agile robots in the form of the AT-STs and more stormtroopers in the fray. The battle itself is still good and fun to watch its just it doesn't feel original here. The same can be said about the sky battle which again, sees the struggle for the destruction of another Death Star. A New Hope anyone? The fight, although not identical, is as damn near to it as can be. The players might be different in that battle, but the lack of invention across both fronts is inexcusable in my opinion.
The Ewoks are also another source for irritation. A lot of people might disagree but their presence here isn't all that significant and although they show that sometimes nature can prevail against a much tougher adversary, that being machines, that's about all they do bring to the table. The primitive dialect with baby-talk feels like its been thrown in for the 'aw' factor rather than actually enhancing the story.
The other newcomer to the scene, the Emperor, is bang on the mark and is by far the best actor here. His lines are delivered well with passion and appropriate bitterness. The evil Sith Lord is the star here above everyone else with Luke being a close second with his compassionate struggle to save his father from the dark side.
The music is still very very good here, as is the special effects which is good to see. The sky battle does feature some neat little effects which is good but there's nothing that really stands out.
Overall, Return Of The Jedi is a strange film. On the one hand, its easily got a better story than A New Hope and more action-packed than the two films before it in the trilogy but its the lack of anything new that really lets the film down. The acting is still good here with the Emperor as the standout man, delivering some brilliant lines, surrounded with bitterness. In many ways, Jedi should get a better score than 4 out of 5 but again, the lack of invention is what lets this film down. Its still a brilliant ending to the Star Wars saga but with nothing that hasn't been done already, its a solemn end for the brilliant saga.