3. Luke Unleashes His Anger - Return of the Jedi
The lightsaber duels in the classic trilogy were more about the characters than actual lightsaber fighting. For further detail on this, watch Red Letter Media's amazing review of
The Phantom Menace, particularly
this section. No duel in the original trilogy demonstrates this better than the one between Luke and Vader in
Return of the Jedi. The best part of this confrontation comes at the very end. Luke is hiding in the shadows, hesitant to fight his father in fear of giving into his hatred, betraying his friends, and turning to the dark side. Vader, eager to bring him out, taunts him by suggesting that if he does not turn, his sister Leia will. Struggling to maintain his composure, Luke lets his emotions get the better of him and unleashes at Vader. Fueled by anger, the younger Skywalker attacks his father with ferocity. It's a reversal of the
Empire duel where Vader was in complete control and toying with Luke. This time, Vader is the one who is outmatched. Blinded by rage, Luke beats Vader into submission until he slices off Vader's hand. I love Luke's facial expression right after he beats Vader. He seems as if he's embracing the Emperor's teachings and allowing the dark side to take him over. By using the attributes of the Sith, Luke was able to become more powerful (physically) than he was before. Once again, the filmmakers allowed us to see a new side to a familiar character. At this point in the film, audiences had to fear the worst. After teasing Luke's darker nature at Jabba's palace, it seemed as if he had given in. We never saw Luke like this, and it made the movie more intriguing.