Return of the Jedi

This is not quite Bantha fodder.

Following on from the freshness of Star Wars (1977) and the all round greatness of craft and story telling that was The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi was always going to struggle in comparison. That's not to say there are not fans who prefer it of the original trilogy, because there are many, and like minded fans of George Lucas' space saga shouldn't have a problem with that.

However, it is the weakest of the three. The characters we have come to love, and to be a part of their universe, are performed with gusto - but they are mostly thinly written, reduced to playing second fiddle to special effects, while the dark heart has been replaced with - well - smokey hokey (furry teddy bears ...

Fun, cute, imaginative, iconic space adventure with a kick-axx cast

"Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi" (1983) was the anticipated end of the original trilogy that began with the initial blockbuster from 1977. The trilogy is an epic, but simplistic space fantasy about an evil empire and the noble souls who dare to fight it. The main cast features Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Ian McDiarmid (Emperor) and the voice work of James Earl Jones (Darth Vader) and Frank Oz (Yoda).

This is an amusing, inventive, iconic space adventure with a stellar cast that upped the ante with edgy cuteness. While I prefer the ...

Arguably the weakest (comparably) of the original trilogy, yet 'Return of the Jedi' is still an excellent film!

Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher remain a thoroughly enjoyable trio. I did find parts of the plot a little similar to 1977's 'Star Wars', due to the Death Star stuff, but overall I unquestionably enjoyed the 135 minutes.

The score is great again, while the new bunch of characters are cool. There are some memorable moments in there, as we see the first spate of films come to a close very nicely. I'm very intrigued to see where things go with the prequels, hopefully they continue to hit high marks.

This third of the original Star Wars films is probably my weakest. Possibly because the writing is not too tight but for me, more so because the "Ewoks" take over the thing and they are just stupidly annoying. What had potential to pitch the ultimate evil partnership against the Rebel Alliance became a toy-fight straight out of a Laurel and Hardy comedy - the storyline was infantile. Still its a great film to look at, and features just enough menace and diversion in the first hour to make it worth watching until an ending that I found the ultimate in disappointment!