Taking place roughly a year after The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi functions as the culmination of the trilogy, bringing as much as possible to a close and tying up any loose ends raised in the first two films (that is, until Disney and company ignored the finality of that ending in order to spin out another three films). What Lucas did is make a kind-hearted adventure film to the scale of his imagination. After that, Lucas was free to do anything he wanted with the final film of the Original Trilogy (and the planned final film in the series at that point) and with as high a budget as he wished. A New Hope was a phenomenon and The Empire Strikes Back reinforced the franchise’s power and sway over the imagination of the public. But expectations can cloud judgment, and, in actuality, Return of the Jedi is not only a worthy finale to the Original Trilogy, but also possibly the best of the series.įor one, it is the first film in the Star Wars series to offer a glimpse into George Lucas’s pure vision for his universe, unburdened by limitations of cost or studio input. Essentially, it had to be a miracle follow-up to a miracle follow-up, and for many viewers, both at the time of its release and in the present day, the film simply does not live up to the promise. It also had to follow-up a film that had miraculously outstriped all the wild expectations placed upon it. It was the climax of the most popular series of all time and had to tie up all the loose ends left by the cliffhanger of its predecessor. However, it is the film’s overwhelming capacity for sympathy, such as the way it treats its villains with a kind eye and takes a moment to pause over the death of an unnamed alien, that makes its story so affecting.Ĭoming out three years after The Empire Strikes Back, which has come to be widely regarded by both critics and the public as the best film in the Star Wars saga, Return of the Jedi could never live up to the lofty expectations weighed upon it even in 1983. It is a masterwork for its exceptional use of parallel editing and incomparable design, one that gives us both the grotesque majesty of Jabba’s Palace and the dizzying exactitude of the space battle over Endor. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi delights the viewer with the spectacle of its climax, one that has never been outdone in movie history, but it also lives in the small moments, which paint every corner of this magnificent universe with affection and sympathy. A cyborg father watches in pain as his son is tortured. A small Ewok mourns the death of his companion. A monster handler weeps over his dead pet.
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