It's finally here...I promised that I'd get to the Return of the Jedi review, and now I have...so here it is.

Star Wars (Episode VI): Return of the Jedi
Released in: 1983 (re-released in 1997)
Produced by: 20th Century Fox
Type of Release: Theatrical
Rotten Tomatoes score/my equivalent: 78%/B+
NOTE: For this review, I watched the re-released version (since this is the only version that I have), so my review will be based on this.

Personal History

To be perfectly honest, I had never even watched this movie in part or in its entirety until I was a teenager...and that was during a Star Wars marathon on the Sci-Fi channel (and no, I'm not going to call it by what it's currently known as because I think it's current name is extremely stupid...though most of their original movies are equally as stupid to begin with). Anyway, when I first watched this I liked what I saw. I felt it was more entertaining than Empire Strikes Back but not as entertaining as the original. Keep in mind, this was back when I was 14 or 15, back when I was still interested in Beavis and Butthead and Ren and Stimpy. My opinion about the movie has changed a bit now that I'm older and wiser.

Also, something I thought I should bring up that I've heard many people whine about regarding this movie and that is the whole "The ewoks defeated the Empire" bullshit. I've watched through the movie and I can say that this is definitely NOT the case. Sure, the ewoks were a contributing factor to destroying the shield generator and ultimately leading to the destruction of the second Death Star, but it's not like the little furballs actually took on Darth Vader or Palpatine directly. It was Luke who did that and it was Luke's determination that brought his father to turn on Palpatine and remember who he was deep down. In regards to which individual factor was responsible for the destruction of the Empire, there was none...it was a team effort amongst both rebels and ewoks alike. To suggest that the ewoks defeated the empire is totally false. Of course some people probably think because of their size (being roughly half the size of a normal adult human) that they would be incapable of fighting for themselves. Well, I find this to be inaccurate since there are many cases where size doesn't really matter. The ewoks came across as a tightly knit family group that worked together and were skilled fighters. Granted, they were seriously out-classed in terms of firepower, but they made up for this with intelligence and skill. There would be no way in hell that an army of these things could successfully take on someone like Vader or Palpatine, but I believe that they are capable of fighting when they have to.

Anyway, enough ranting about the ewoks, it's time to get to the more serious part of the review...

Basic Storyline

The movie picks up where Empire ends, with Luke, Leia, etc. leading a mission to recover Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt to start the movie. Later, after Han had been freed, Luke returns to Yoda to fulfill his promise only to learn that his training is complete as Yoda becomes one with the force. While on Dagobah, the spirit of Obi-Wan tells Luke he must confront his father in order to return balance to the force, which will also result in Luke confronting Palpatine. Also, the Empire is constructing a second Death Star in which the rebel forces attack and ultimately destroy after Han and Leia take out the shield generator that protects it (see the ewok rant above).

What works with this movie

+: The acting (Much like in the original two movies, the acting remains solid in this one for the most part...although there are a few more hiccups along the way)
+: Yoda's Death scene (admittedly, it's really hard to see him go like this after seeing what kind of a bad ass he can be. Still, the scene where he tells Luke about Vader is very compelling)
+: The plot (The story itself, or the basic premise of it, is well-written for the most part...particularly in the aforementioned scene with Yoda and towards the end of the movie where Luke and Vader face-off)
+: The humor (while it's a bit more slapsticky in nature here than in the first two...seriously, someone as bad ass as Boba Fett deserves to go out in a more dignified manner than he does, there are still some genuine laughs)
+: Lando (This is where he redeems himself from Empire...leading the attack on the second Death Star and destroying it)

What didn't work in this movie
(NOTE: Some of these are only present in the re-release version)

-: The story's pacing (there were a number of times, mainly towards the beginning, where the story seemed to keep dragging on for far too long. Although the story itself was good, the pacing of it kinda sucked)
-: Prequel Anakin (George Lucas, WTF were you on when you decided to replace older Anakin with whiny Anakin?!! Luke is a grown man now, several years have passed since the events of Episode III, wouldn't it make more sense to leave the older Anakin at the end as it was in the original release?!!)
-: The added features for the re-release (much like in the original Star Wars, it's obvious when something has been changed...and usually it's not for the better)
-: The changed musical score (the original release had a more organic and realistic feel to its music...particularly in Jabba's palace and at the very end with the ewok celebration. Here, it's painfully obvious that they changed things around to make the music sound "better")
-: Boba Fett's death (as I mentioned before, he deserved a more honorable death than what he got)
-: C-3PO's story to the ewoks (granted, it does explain to the ewoks what happened to them, but it also sounds really stupid in the way he does it...even imitating the sound effects. Seriously, was THAT really necessary?!!)

Things that have me asking questions in this movie

?: Are those pig things in Jabba's palace related to Moblins or Ganon himself? (because I took one look at them and I couldn't help thinking about Zelda while doing so)
?: Something that I just thought of tonight...if Darth Vader is dependent on his mask and helmet for survival...how the fuck does he eat or drink?
?: Call me crazy, but I still think there is more of a relationship between Luke and Leia than what Lucas wants us to believe (think about it...this is the man who brought us "Duck Tits" and Jar-Jar Binks...it sounds like something that he'd probably do. Although to be fair, much like all of the weird ass fetishes in Caligula, the incest would be the most normal of the things that I mentioned)

CONCLUSION: While this movie is the weakest link of the original trilogy, mainly due to its pacing and a few other issues, it's still light years ahead of any of the prequels. The movie is still entertaining, but not as much as the earlier movies and it still has a good story.

Story Grade: B (good story, but poorly paced)
Entertainment Grade: B+ (There are several very strong and engaging scenes in this movie that got my attention, along with the action scattered throughout. Though there are scenes that drag on for far too long as well, which holds this grade down a bit. This is supposed to be the epic finale to an epic series, it deserves to have a lot of high-stakes drama and action in it, and while it does have it's fair share, it takes a while to get to the truly good parts.)

OVERALL GRADE (Story/Entertainment average): B+
(Definitely worth watching if you're into Star Wars...while it's not as good as Episode IV or V, it's still good overall.)

Next Review: Batman Begins