Star Wars Movies

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

Director: Richard Marquand

Writers: George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan Cast: Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia Organa), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), Ian McDiarmid (The Emperor Palpatine), Frank Oz (Yoda), Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan/Ben Kenobi), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Kenny Baker (R2-D2), David Prowse (Darth Vader), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Warwick Davis (Wicket), Sebastian Shaw (Anakin Skywalker), Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett), James Earl Jones (voice of Darth Vader).

Release Date: May 25th, 1983

Summary:

Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Lando Calrissian rescue Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt. The friends reunited, they regroup with the Rebellion fleet to plan for an attack on the Empire's new Death Star. Their plan takes them to the forest moon of Endor, where they join forces with the furry natives, the Ewoks. Luke surrenders himself to Empire forces on Endor and is taken to the Death Star, where he confronts his father, Darth Vader. As Luke struggles against the call to the Dark Side of the Force, his father struggles to find the good in himself to defy the Emperor.

Why We Like It:

Considered by many to be the weakest installment of the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi is still a masterful piece of work. The first act, taking place in Jabba's palace, is George Lucas' playful poke at the Mafia genre, as Jabba is indeed Tattooine's mob boss. This part of the film is played almost as vaudeville - the stakes never seem that high, even when Luke, Han and Chewbacca are sentenced to a very slow death through the 1000-year-long digestive system of the mighty Sarlaac. The Ewoks are probably the most despised characters in the Star Wars universe (at least until Jar Jar Binks showed up), creating a too-cute atmosphere that was too much for most fans to swallow. However, the film does best in the scenes between Luke, Darth Vader and the Emperor, finally creating a real sense of danger and intimacy. It's also the transcendent, emotional peak of the original trilogy - the scene where Darth Vader looks back and forth between his son and the monster who's electrocuting him to death, struggling to make a decision as to who he's going to help, gives us chills every time.