Retro Review: Star Wars – Episode VI (1983)

In celebration of Disney’s Star Wars Weekends, we’re releasing Retro Reviews of the original Star Wars movies! Stick around all weekend as we take you on a journey through your favorite trilogy!

—D. Alexander, The Editor

Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) from Lucasfilm Ltd.

Who: Richard Marquand directs, the team of Edlund, Muren, Ken Ralston, and Phil Tippett create Academy-award winning visual effects, and Hayden Christensen is nowhere to be seen. (Just Google “Return of the Jedi ending” to explore the saga of the 2004 DVD edits.)

What: The last piece of the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi brings all the characters together as the Rebel Alliance reforms to attack the new Death Star. A byproduct of this foolhardy and brave attempt to take out the Empire is that the true nature of many alliances and relationships are revealed.

Where: While in the world of the story our heroes gather together from across the whole galaxy, in real life only a few locations were used for this last film. The moon of Endor was filmed in Redwood National Park as well as in other locations in California. Other filming spots included Arizona and Elstree Studio in England.

When: Twilight Zone: The Movie and the cult hit WarGames were both released in the same year as Return of the Jedi. It might be a stretch to say that Return of the Jedi is a 1980s film while A New Hope was distinctly a 1970s film, but I’m going to say it anyway. The reason for this is that Return of the Jedi is known for the fact that it involves Princess Leia in a metal bikini, a whole bunch of furry aliens, and three or so parallel action sequences in the finale. Meanwhile, A New Hope retains a scrappier, more serious sci-fi atmosphere that seems to be an echo of many of its ‘70s contemporaries or forerunners (Soylent Green, The Fantastic Voyage, Alien).  Return of the Jedi was a probably a product of its time, its creators’ expanded experience, and the reception of Empire Strikes Back.

Why You Should Watch It: Aside from the jungle battle (those speeder bikes!) and the last lightsaber fight (which also involves electrocution), there is something in here that appears to be solid character development for its protagonist, Luke Skywalker. Luke, Leia, and Han are all fairly likable, but in my opinion Luke really shows a previously unseen maturity in this film. One finally sees how this kid from a desert water farm could really be the hero who saves the universe. And the ragtag bunch of characters that have sort of collected around these main three all seem to have their own place in the climax. The feel-good ending has its detractors, but it recalls the ending of the first film and the archetypal nature of this whole heroic adventure.

Why You Could Maybe Skip It: It would make sense that, if you didn’t care for Episode IV or Episode V, you probably won’t like the finishing chapter. Also, if the concept of the Ewoks (warrior teddy bear aliens) bothers you, then you may not be a fan.

It’s also worth noting that Leia’s role in this last film is complicated. She remains one of the only women in the films, and the only main female character. She began the series as a sharp-tongued princess on the run and she remains much the same throughout the second film, though she softens toward Han and deepens her connection to Luke. Most importantly, she remains a leader in the first and second films despite meeting those men.

In the third film, however, she is overtly sexualized for the first time in the series and she also has less authority in this film than in the others. As Luke’s star rises, hers seems to fade a bit. (Arguments can be made that this is not the case from canon material in the extended Star Wars universe, but this is the impression given by the films that the majority of people know.) Leia remains an assertively smart heroine, and a role model for many, but this final film was not the most kind to her.

If you enjoyed B.K.’s review and would like to read other pieces like it, you can find the rest of her work HERE. You can also follow her on Twitter @kobayashiXmaru.

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