Return of the Jedi (1983)

For a long long time in a galaxy not so far away (sorry) 'Return of the Jedi' was considered the weakest film in the trilogy. While it did just as well as the previous two entries and critics were leaning more towards the positive, it's hard to deny that the follow up to 'Empire' was a little lackluster. Many will cite the silly creatures that are seen the most here and that the film went for a more straightforward and family friendly film after the darker and grim second entry. Maybe they have a point, because I will admit that as a kid 'Jedi' was by far my favorite film and the one I'd always go back to. Like the prequel trilogy, it uses eye candy and creature effects to stretch out the film as if they didn't have enough material for a proper finale so they threw in some extra stuff for the kids.

But it's also of the popular opinion that today, 'Return of the Jedi' is hardly the worst thing 'Star Wars' would ever throw at us (in both film and television) and much like Lucas' 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' I am glad it's gotten a second chance even if it has more scars than the other two. I do think the biggest problem with 'Jedi' is that it starts and ends so strong but the entire second act as previously stated feels so tacked on and grinds the entire film to a halt. And its more than just the Ewoks themselves but rather the fact that the heroes are just screwing around on this planet far more than necessary as if they're aware that they need to wait until the hour mark to sync up with the space battle.

Overall, the film does feel very much like a jigsaw puzzle in the worst way with the audience suffering as each piece slowly fits into place. But don't get me wrong, I still like this film but I've unfortunately grown up and can see the flaws without those special childhood glasses. It still has those memorable fights, great character development, and overall the film does bring a satisfying conclusion to the original trilogy. It's just that second half that really drags 'Return of the Jedi' down and even a big fan like me can't really deny it.

8.5/10