On May 25, 1983 – 40 years ago today! – Return of the Jedi was released in theaters.
The film was the final chapter of the original Star Wars trilogy, tying together the three-part story in an immensely satisfying way for the main characters. The heroes rescue Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt, all the while Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and the Empire oversee construction of a second Death Star. In light of this, the Rebellion launches an attack in three parts: Han Solo leads a strike force to the forest moon of Endor, Lando Calrissian leads a fighter squadron to attack the station, and Luke Skywalker faces his father and confronts his destiny.
I adore Return of the Jedi, and I find it one of the most fun and re-watchable of all the Star Wars films. It has plenty of exciting action pieces, from the Rancor fight to the Sarlacc Pit to the Endor speeder chase to the three-fold final Battle of Endor. But it does so all while developing the relationships between the main characters and their emotional journeys, with Han and Leia’s relationship, Luke and Leia’s revealed family ties, and Luke’s efforts to redeem his father.
The movie brought back the original cast, including Harrison Ford as Han Solo, which had been a bit up in the air for a short while. But it also introduced new characters like Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine (in the special editions his debut now happens in The Empire Strikes Back), Jabba the Hutt (in the special editions his debut now happens in A New Hope), Mon Mothma, Admiral Ackbar, Wicket, and more. George Lucas provided the story and wrote the script with Lawrence Kasdan, but the movie was actually directed by Richard Marquand. After the bold new directions taken by The Empire Strike Back, this movie was a return to the safer elements of the franchise (like another Death Star), but that didn’t mean that it was simpler. It’s the most overtly political Star Wars movie ever made (George Lucas took inspiration from the Vietnam war for the Ewoks rising up to beat the Empire, and he took inspiration from Richard Nixon for Palpatine, to name two examples), and it’s also a deeper exploration of Lucas’s vision of the Force and the Jedi.
The movie was well-received at the time, becoming the highest-grossing movie of 1983, and it remains a fan favorite for many. You’ll rarely see it listed as the greatest of all Star Wars movies, but you’ll frequently see people mentioning how it’s their favorite, and the most fun they’ve had watching the franchise. And I think that’s a fitting legacy for this movie: it’s a thrilling ride with the heroes we’ve come to love so much, giving them exciting moments while developing the emotional stakes to give a satisfying conclusion to the original trilogy.
Star Wars Thoughts 