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Now that Star Wars: Episode III
– Revenge of the Sith has been out in theaters for a few weeks, I thought it
might be fun to look back at the movie that ends the original trilogy of Star Wars
films: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. After all, even though it was released 22
years ago, it’s still the chapter that wraps up George Lucas’s six-part space saga. And
if you haven’t seen it in a while, you may be in for some surprises on the DVD cut of the
film.
First of all, for everyone who’s been living under a rock or has
otherwise not been inundated with Star Wars, the film’s opening crawl will quickly
tell you everything you need to know: following Episode V (The Empire Strikes
Back), Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is still trapped in carbonite in Jabba the Hutt’s
palace on Tatooine. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher),
Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), and our old droid friends, C-3P0 and
R2-D2, are all in on a rescue attempt. Meanwhile, the Empire is constructing a new, more
powerful Death Star, and Luke has to return to Dagobah to complete his Jedi training with
the ancient Jedi Master Yoda. Will Han be rescued? Will Luke complete his training in
time to defeat Darth Vader and the Emperor and bring down the evil Empire once and for
all? If the answers to these questions aren’t obvious, you probably haven’t watched much
Star Wars. But, though the answers are more or less obvious, seeing how it all
comes to fruition is exciting in much the same way seeing Anakin become Darth Vader was
in Episode III: you know where they’re going, but seeing how they get there is
half the fun.
The important question, though, is how does it work as a
movie standing on its own? The answer is that it works—and, more, it excels. Although
some of the more hardcore fans complain about the Ewoks, loveable, teddy bear-like
creatures who defeat a battalion of Stormtroopers, if you look at them in the right way,
they really work. After all, Lucas was using them to make the point that the
technologically advanced society isn’t necessarily victorious 100% of the time—especially
against an enemy protecting their homes and way of life. The action on Tatooine,
featuring Carrie Fisher’s gold bikini, which has been the subject of so much fanboy
drooling over the years, is thrilling. And the space battle against the Death Star
actually manages to exceed the standard set in Episode IV – A New
Hope. Lastly, the final battle between Darth Vader and his son Luke is
everything you could hope for—and the long-awaited redemption of Anakin Skywalker will
bring a tear to the eye of even the most jaded Star Wars fan.
I
could go on and on extolling the virtues of this film. I haven’t even mentioned the
fantastic performance of Yoda by Frank Oz, who truly makes you forget you’re watching a
puppet.
This is a movie that may have taken a backseat in the past to
the flashier Empire, but it holds up well over time. Best of all, Jedi is
now available with the other two films of the original trilogy on DVD. It’s been cleaned
up for a full-on digital presentation, and it features a few slightly altered scenes.
The most debated of these features a digitally inserted Hayden Christensen as Anakin
Skywalker in the final scene. The change is small, though, and it really doesn’t impact
the rest of the movie.
The bottom line is that this is a great movie. If
you haven’t seen it for years—or since its DVD release—check it out. And if you’re new
to the saga since Episode III debuted, this is the movie to see—the one that wraps
it all up. The Force will truly be with you
