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

REVIEW

When Empire Strikes Back showed that the Star Wars "universe" could take a darker, more mature approach, hopes were high that the third part of the trilogy would continue in the same vein. Sadly, those hopes were dashed immediately when Return of the Jedi turned out to be nothing more than a more expensive remake of the first film, only with teddy bears.

The suspicion that the Star Wars franchise was rapidly turning into little more than a monstrous merchandising machine had been growing since the first film had launched a tidal wave of toys, books and other cash-ins. By the time we got to Jedi, it was looking very much like the whole thing was made just to sell toys - cynical, I know, but the feeling is inescapable, especially as this final film in the initial / middle trilogy features, as we shall see, the most transparent marketing ploy ever seen in a Hollywood movie.

Even if that were not the case, Jedi is still a huge disappointment - dull, formulaic (which is saying something when one considers how formulaic the series had already been) and marking a return to the leaden dialogue and slipshod plotting of Star Wars, it clearly wasn't the great climax that fans had every right to expect. Virtually every scene in Jedi screams commercialism as Lucas and his cohorts parade a series of marketable aliens, potential video games and possible spin-offs before our eyes in place of a plot.

The first part of the film clumsily and hurriedly tries to tie up all the loose ends left by the first two films, with the frozen Han Solo being rescued in a well choreographed and generally well staged sequence set back on Luke Skywalker's homeworld Tatooine - though it does involve a rather cursory disposal of Bobba Fett. But once the action returns to space and the plan to destroy the Empire's bigger, better Death Star (it was a stupid idea that failed the first time so why are they trying it again?), things start to fall apart.

The first sign that things were amiss was the introduction of the Ewoks. The cuteness that had threatened to overpower Star Wars and even impinged on Empire here swamps the third film as the race of teddy bear warriors took centre stage in readiness for their invasion - of toy shops that is, not Imperial territory. These wholly unconvincing creations are utterly loathsome to anyone over the age of 12 - and even the kids didn't seem to like them that much as sales of the inevitable soft toys weren't as great as Lucasfilm had expected.

Lucas was clearly enamoured of the Ewoks, however, and after Jedi proved to be the expected commercial success, he misjudged the appeal of the Ewoks and oversaw two hideous made for TV movies, The Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks II: The Battle for Endor (1986), films so bad that even die-hard Star Wars fans try to forget about them. And as if that wasn't enough, the flea-ridden pests were back again for the deservedly short-lived animated series Ewoks (1986). In Jedi, they added new dimensions of cuteness and sentimentality that the film seems to positively wallow in.

But it's not just the Ewoks that are the cause of Jedi's problems - though they are the chief culprits. There are plenty of other problems too. A bigger role for the Emperor gives Darth Vader the foil that he sorely needed in Empire but to detrimental effect - in Star Wars, he and Governor Tarkin had been near equals and there was a subtle, understated air of rivalry and political chicanery between them. In Jedi, Vader is clearly just an underling and as such his menace is somewhat reduced. Seeing him kowtow to the Emperor is an unnerving sight but not for the right reason, and his last minute redemption is utterly ridiculous, betraying everything that had made the character so interesting.

The other characters fare equally poorly - though the acting is of a consistently higher quality than in previous instalments, the lead characters are effectively sidelined or given little to do. Billy Dee Williams might just as well not have turned up for all the impact his Lando Calrissian makes this time and the three main leads just seem to be going through the motions in poorly written roles. Lucas seems to have become embarrassed by the love triangle between Luke, Leia and Han and came up with the most astonishing cop-out to duck out from it - Luke and Leia are brother and sister though neither knew it! No wonder the cast looked alternately bored, embarrassed and mystified.

Elsewhere, the other big "shock" for this film - the death of Yoda - is so coldly written and blandly filmed that it's impossible to give a damn. The fact that Yoda - a muppet, let's not forget - was the most irritating character in a whole cast of irritating characters didn't help much, but even the fans, who seemed to love him, surely couldn't have been moved by this misfire.

The climax is the most ludicrous thing yet seen in a series that was well used to ridiculous moments. Not only does it suggest that the destruction of the Death Star and the death of the Emperor will bring this huge, galaxy-spanning Empire to its knees (what about the hundreds of thousands of troops that must still be stationed elsewhere? And are there no pretenders to the Emperor's throne waiting in the wings? If not, it's a very unusual empire...) but we also have to put up with the deeply embarrassing sight of partying Ewoks singing and dancing. The traditional rush for the cinema exit at the end of a film took on stampede proportions at the end of Return of the Jedi.

On the plus side, the effects this time are astounding. There are far too many of them, further relegating the characters to the sidelines, but they are incredible and still impress now. The speeder bike chase is brilliant and the final assault on the Death Star even tops the identical sequence in the first film.

By now, it was clear that Lucas was running out of ideas and the proud claims that the three Star Wars films were always intended to be the middle trilogy of a vast, 12-part epic were starting to look very dubious. The rehashing of elements that made the first two films such hits suggests that Jedi was either drastically rewritten or that Lucas had in fact been making it all up as he went along, something that many of has suspected all along. Certainly the hurried climax of Jedi and the daft revelation of Luke and Leia's true relationship look like they were cobbled together when Lucas simply couldn't think of a way to untangle the narrative knots created by Empire.

So it was no surprise then that, in the wake of Jedi, Lucas announced that it was all over for Star Wars, that the rest of the series would never be made. It turned out to be a lie, of course, adding to the ever-thickening fog of misinformation that has emanated from Lucasfilm over the years. But back in 1983, fans feared that this really was it and they could surely have been unimpressed by what Lucas had left them with. It was a worthless climax to an over-hyped, over-rated but immensely popular and successful franchise.
KEVIN LYONS

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008