3. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
The Movie: Picking up where
Empire left off,
Jedi sees Luke starting to understand the appeal of the dark side (lightning powers, black leather gloves), while Han and Leia lead the rebels in a desperate final battle against The Emperors fleet.
Jedi returns to the franchises roots, starting in Tatooine, and ending with a showdown at the Death Star 2.0. A tribe of adorable, easily marketed bear cubs, called Ewoks, join the ensemble, unwittingly becoming pioneers in the proud tradition of Worst Things in
Star Wars. Along the way, we bid farewell to Jabba, Yoda, The Emperor, and Vader, in an emotional, but triumphant swan song for the saga. Good defeats evil, love blooms on the battlefield, and it all ends with everybody partying it up Ewok-style. Its a textbook happy ending, provided youre willing to ignore the massive power vacuum left by The Emperors death, and the depression Luke faces in the wake of losing a father and a lover. But its not like
Star Wars has ever been about politics and hormones. Could you even
imagine what that would be like?
What It Says About You: Every time some geek gets worked up over the Ewoks, you have to stifle a laugh. So what if the Care Bears save the day? At what point was the franchise that named its mystical energy source, The Force, supposed to be taken seriously? Blockbusters are meant to be entertaining; you dont get how someone can hate speeder bike races and cute fuzzballs, but love 20 minutes of swamp yoga with Kermit the Frogs great-grandfather. This series is about having fun, something
Empire forgot when trying to cover up the innate ridiculousness of
Star Wars, and starting the awful trend of people mistaking darker for better." The story is whats most memorable to you, and
Jedi wraps it all up in a neat little bow. You think Wicket and his bear buddies are fine, and probably laugh more often than you should at people saying, its a trap! You still have the occasional sex dream involving a gold bikini, and youre totally cool with that.
Favourite Star Wars Accessories: Official
Return of the Jedi popcorn bucket, and complementary collectors cup from Burger King
Soundbite: The prequels might suck, but at least now Im taking less stick for liking
Jedi.
Favourite Movies: Roger Moore-era Bond,
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home