Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Star Wars begins with Anakin Skywalker as a young boy and ends with his death. It also centers around Palpatine’s rise to power and sudden fall (pardon the pun). Return of the Jedi is the conclusion to that overall story.

Don’t think it ends there, though. Numerous tales pit the New Republic against remnants of the Empire and even greater foes. Leia marries Han and bears children, Luke begins a new Jedi academy, Lando searches for the next great business venture, and Wedge develops Rogue Squadron into the most respected team of starfighters in the galaxy.

In other words, this is not the conclusion of Luke and Leia; it’s the story, beginning to end, of their father. The reason that is so important is because of the amount of closure given in the movie. Anakin’s life and Palpatine’s reign are tied up nicely. However, the Empire is way too powerful to just vanish upon the Emperor’s death which is why it’s open to further tales.

I mentioned in an earlier review the theme of redemption. The end of Jedi is where that comes into play. Vader is an evil killing machine, a key player in the demise of the Jedi Order, and the biggest threat besides the Emperor himself to freedom in the galaxy. The last of the Jedi know the son of Anakin to be the galaxy’s best hope of victory so they push Luke to destroy Vader. Luke is not a soldier, he’s a dreamer whose greatest ambition, learning about his father, has finally been realized. He doesn’t have it in him to challenge his father to a battle to the death. His mentors are upset about that; Yoda has made it clear that there is no coming back from the Dark Side. Luke cannot accept that and proves he is the most powerful Jedi ever by doing something even the most experienced master thought impossible; he helps a Sith lord find redemption. (It is possible that Luke’s refusal to set his sights on the destruction of Vader is the real test, not whether one is a better swordsman than the other). In the end it is a son’s love for his father that destroys the Emperor, not firepower or strategy. In the average action movie Luke would have used his lightsaber to punish Vader for all his past sins with some smart-aleck line about sticking a saber where the light don’t shine.

Story-wise it may be great, but it has some of the weakest dialogue of any Star Wars movie. Everything is “complete”: training, journey to the Dark Side, failure. I get sick of hearing the word “complete” over and over particularly when it isn’t the best word for the thought anyway. The “Dark Side – Good Side” dialogue about the Force is too cheesy, as well.

Most people say the worst thing about Jedi is the marketing gimmick known as Ewoks. The little teddy-bear-like creatures are too cutesy for fans that would rather be watching Jabba or Boba Fett. They don’t bug me, though, and I’ll tell you why. The whole point is that technology cannot match the human spirit (even if that spirit is displayed partly in little, furry aliens; the concept is the same). Though primitive, the Ewoks overcome the Empire’s army turning the tide of the ground battle which then turns the tide of the space battle. If the Ewoks had looked too fierce or advanced the Empire wouldn’t have been so quick to ignore them as a potential threat. Not all aliens can be Wookies and Hutts so I don’t care so much about short, fuzzy guys (even if a tribe of Gammoreans would have been more fun).

Once again blue screen shots aren’t anything like what they are today, but the stop-motion is better (still not as smooth as CG, of course) and creature costumes are great. Jabba, the huge slug creature, is absolutely amazing. CG has only recently been able to create creatures as realistic as this incredible feat of puppetry. While Jabba is the most amazing creature, others are impressive, as well. In New Hope we got to see the Mos Eisley cantina with a bunch of quick shots of odd looking aliens. In Empire we got a Wampa that was improved in the Special Edition, a quick look at the bounty hunters, and the wonderfully done Yoda. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

Jedi has scores of aliens that get plenty of screen time. Jabba’s palace is where most of them are found. Pig-faced Gammoreans, Twi’leks with head tails (lekku), 3-eyed Grans, and later in the move, fish-faced Mon Calamari, plus many more supply a better view of the Star Wars galaxy.

Music-wise the greatest new addition is the Emperor’s theme. It’s low and dark with human voices adding a haunted quality to it. A fun little pop number is performed for Jabba. In the original it was Lapti Nek. In the Special Edition it was replaced by Jedi Rocks with a new lead singer and an edgier sound. Both are fun songs, but to the best of my knowledge the only way to get Lapti Nek is to buy the soundtrack box set released before the 1997 Special Edition. From '97 on, the original song is treated like it never existed which is a bone of contention; I thought it should have gotten some kind of presence on the DVD as an extra. There’s a similar situation with the end celebration song. The original has a more tribal sound with singing Ewoks (there are 2 versions on that same box set) while the replacement has a more somber, reflective mood. I love the new song, but I don’t think the other should be treated like it never existed. It, too, should have gotten some kind of feature on the DVD.

Whatever its shortcomings, Jedi is a satisfying end to a wonderful story. Unlike many sequels that should have remained unmade, every movie in the Star Wars cannon is worthy of the overall legacy.

Plot Summary:
The carbonite-encased Han Solo is on display like a piece of art on the wall of Jabba’s palace. Feeling responsible, Lando has infiltrated Jabba’s bodyguard ranks and started the process of the others doing the same. R2 is once again on a secret mission with 3PO along for the ride. Leia almost manages to free Han but is captured and forced to don a skimpy bikini for Jabba’s perverted amusement. Luke, passing himself off as a Jedi knight though not officially so, is the final piece. With all of them there the heroes not only free their friend, but also put a stop to Jabba’s gangster ways.

Everyone leaves to rendezvous with the Rebel fleet except Luke who returns to keep his promise to Yoda. Yoda has seen Luke’s strength having faced Darth Vader, resisted the lure of the Dark Side, and come out mostly in tact. The Jedi master confirms that the Padawan needs no more training but must face Darth Vader again before he is a full-fledged Jedi. Luke, however, disagrees with his assignment seeing a father in need of redemption rather than an adversary in need of destruction.

Upon the death of Yoda, Luke rejoins his friends. The Rebels have gathered information they feel will lead to the ultimate downfall of the Empire. They have found a weakness in the uncompleted Death Star 2 and a way to exploit it. The fleet, led by Admiral Ackbar and General Lando Calrissian, will attack the space station, but for any attack to work the shield, generated from the moon of Endor, must be removed from the equation. That is Han’s job.

Han and crew are taken captive by a primitive native race called Ewoks. Eventually the Rebels befriend the Ewoks who agree to help however they can with the mission. Luke abandons the mission to confront his father hoping to win his confidence and convince him to betray the Emperor. Vader is not ready for such a step and instead takes his son captive.

Once aboard the Death Star, Luke is faced with the task of dealing with his negative emotions while watching the entire Rebel Alliance fall into a cleverly devised trap. It is finally too much for him. He strikes out nearly decapitating the Emperor, stopped only by his father’s lightsaber. As they duel Luke tries desperately to reach his father’s buried goodness.

Finally Luke can hold back no longer; he attacks Vader in fury and overtakes him. Once he realizes what he’s done, however, he refuses to strike the killing blow. Palpatine has had enough of this game and begins slowly electrocuting Luke. Pleading to his father in agony, Luke watches the man transform from a puppet of evil to a heroic saviour. Meanwhile, the primitive Ewoks have helped turn the tide of the battle on Endor allowing the Rebels to achieve their victory.

Content:
While still within PG range, this is perhaps the most questionable of the 3 movies. It’s a little more violent for one thing. It features Leia in a skimpy outfit and technically contains nudity since Oola, the dancer, loses her top as she struggles. It’s so difficult to see her exposed breast that most people don’t really consider it to be offensive.

DVD:
The only currently available DVD is in the Trilogy box set, Widescreen (silver) and Full Screen (bronze) versions. There are multiple VHS versions. The thing to keep in mind is that in most versions the movie has been modified from the original release. It was released a second time in the 90’s with a few changes: the Death Star explosion was improved, audio throughout was cleaned, the Sarlacc was given more detail, new music and video sequences were added to Jabba’s party scene and the end celebration. The DVD version has some additional minor changes such as replacing the spirit version of Anakin at the end with Hayden whose likeness has been forever linked with the character because of the new trilogy. I haven’t compared shot-by-shot, but Vader’s electrocution looks more detailed. Some of the audio has been tweaked to make dialogue and certain sounds more audible. There could be some other minor changes I can’t recall.

The Widecreen version offers 2.35 Anamorphic ratio, extended 5.1, and optional 2.0, surround sound, and high quality of both. There is very little else on the disc (other than the interfaces, of course) so that more room is allocated to video quality. It looks and sounds terrific.

I love the continuity between all the Star Wars DVD’s, spanning both trilogies. The opening animation is the same, and each movie features 3 different interfaces with unique animation including entering and exiting the main menu, chapter selection, and options. This one has Jabba’s palace, Death Star, and Endor.

So that I’m not just copying pages of information between every movie in the trilogy I will talk about the specifics of the box set in a review of the set. If this disc were not part of a set here’s what you would have: a commentary, a THX optimizer, and web links.

The commentary includes George, Carrie Fisher, Ben Burtt, and Dennis Muren. It’s very interesting and informative. Carrie doesn’t talk a lot, but the others do. It would have been great to have other cast and crew do some additional commentaries, but at least this one is good.

One web link is to the standard starwars.com site. The other is to an “exclusive” site for DVD owners. Don’t get your hopes up, there isn’t much to it. There is little so-called exclusive content, and several of the links don’t work.

That’s all for this disc, but the set does come with a bonus disc. You can read about it in the Trilogy review. This one is focused on quality of the movie which is very good. I’m happy to give 5* to Return Of The Jedi.


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12