The International House of Mojo

Gabez likes Star Wars and horses.

We’re running out of time at the original Star Wars trilogy watchathon, and we need to cut around thirty minutes if we’re going to finish at the right time. Luckily, Return of the Jedi is the perfect film for cutting. That’s not to say it’s bad; it’s not, it’s brilliant, but, man, there’s some useless crap that could have easily been edited out, especially during the teddy bears’ picnic at the end. Anyway, we rub our limbs to get the blood flowing again and to fight off the rheumatism for another two hours as we settle in for the last leg of the trilogy. After Empire’s great cliff-hanger ending we can’t wait to find out what happens next, despite the fact that most of us already know how it ends.

THE POWAAAAR OF THE DARK SIDE

The film opens with some classic Threepio and Artoo action (that we skipped), some incredibly important scenes discussing the Emperor (that we skipped) and then some ridiculous alien dancing (what is it with this movie and dancing - skipped). Things really pick up when Luke and Leia stage a desperate rescue operation for Han, which involves fighting a cool looking monster and probably one of the best action sequences ever over a giant sand monster stolen from Dune. Unfortunately the CGI-additions are still here, and still look tacked-on and unnecessary as they did with A New Hope. Again, I don’t have any problem with adding new CGI sequences back into the mix - unlike some fans; one person called it a “worse disaster than 9/11” - but it would have been nice if they could have made it look less CGIish and kept the Alien singing to a minimum.

We get the sense with Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi that the actors have all matured, and the development of Luke’s character in particular stands out. As he fearlessly walks into Jabba the Hut’s domain and warns Jabba that this is his last chance, the character is a million years away from wanting to go to “Toshi station to pick up some power converteeeeers”, and the film is all the better for it in my opinion. The later scenes in the Death Star are maybe a bit emotionally flat, but then as I always say bad under acting is better than bad over acting any day, and, like in the last two films, the actors all do great jobs at carrying their roles and staying in character which is enough to keep the excellent plot afloat.

REBEL SCUM

Return of the Jedi also has the most thrilling space battle since the Americans tried to take over Mir, with the Millenium Falcon leading an attack against the Death Star, brilliantly intercut with the fight over the shield generators on the nearby moon. Tense, gritty, tightly scripted and paced and with some really great moments that you’ll never forget - this is Star Wars, after all. The special effects certainly do not disappoint, and with the exception of the recent CGI, they never feel overdone and unnecessary as they did in Phantom Menace. And speaking of Episode I, the pod-racer scene is back albeit with more at stake than just loosing some money. The chase through the forests looks thrilling and fast, and if you’re of a nervous disposition or have been taking hallucinatory drugs then you’ll keep ducking whenever Luke or Leia narrowly miss a tree branch.

I’m getting a bit tired of saying this now, but the music score is really one of the best things about Star Wars. Return of the Jedi has some great tracks under its belt, especially during the lightsaber finale at the end. People in the room scoffed at the Ewok’s pan-pipes and one person threw a shoe at the screen complaining about the “stupid West Indies” (the daft racist), but really a score can only reflect what’s happening on the screen and at that John Williams does a great job. Return of the Jedi manages to tie up a lot of the themes of the saga too, with great renditions of Luke’s theme and Yoda’s theme that make up for the lack of emotion from the actors (which is actually how it should be with Star Wars).

FLY CASUAL

Whilst Empire Strikes Back had a better plot, Return of the Jedi has a much more interesting idea at its heart that links it with Revenge of the Sith. We’ve covered a person’s fall to evil, but the really profound question which comes out of that is “can they ever be redeemed?” This question makes the final duel a lot more interesting, with the audience wondering both whether Luke will fall to the dark side and whether Vader will ever return to the light side. I also love the way the epic space-battle is shown alongside the battle on the moon, which is interesting in itself as it pitches technology against good old fashioned sticks and stones. If you want to over- analyse everything (I know I do) then you could link the end battle with Blakean ideas of innocence versus experience, but most people will just enjoy the fireworks. That’s another good thing about Star Wars, though - everyone likes it for a different reason, explaining its long lasting age-defying appeal.

Having already liked the last battle because it’s full of interesting twists and ideas, I don’t have any major problems with the Ewoks. As annoying as they might be, they never get in the way of the story and the characters who actually matter, unlike Jar Jar Binks in Phantom Menace. Han Solo’s character also provides an excellent contrast to the fluffiness of the Ewoks, which is exactly what Harrison Ford does best in my opinion. There are also some great moments throughout the film, not just from Han, like when Luke tells Leia who she really is (giving way to cries of “Incest!” and “this is worse than Hollyoaks!” from people in the room) and of course the whole Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker thing at the end. In fact, Anakin’s ghost at the very end is one of the best moments in the saga for me - having Hayden Christensen in completes the circle and makes a lot of sense - and it’s a great way to end the film.

If you like you can write Return of the Jedi off as “the one which had those annoying muppets”, but if you did you’d be missing a truly excellent film. In some ways Jedi is the best film of the saga for me, as it wraps everything up so nicely and Anakin’s final fate is so brilliantly done. It was also great to watch Return of the Jedi and the original trilogy in context to the prequels, as it does actually enhance the cinematic experience when you wisely note that some of the lines and scenes and shots are referenced in the other films, tying everything up nicely in one neat little package. And that’s exactly what Return of the Jedi is - a tied up version of Star Wars, albeit with a flashy aluminium box and lots of pretty ribbons fastening everything together. If Phantom Menace was masturbation, then the original trilogy is an unforgettable weekend in Paris with a twenty five year old scorcher.

4.5/5 - A great film, I don't care what they say!

Pros: Great music; lots of fun; good to watch back to back; nice special effects; occasionally great lines and characters

Cons: Mostly bad scripts; prequels loose a lot of the magic; some CGI looks fake; spawns lots of bad merchandise and games; Jar-Jar Binks and the Ewoks

Next week: something completely different.