'Return Of The Jedi' Is The Best 'Star Wars' Movie, And Here's Why
Okay, let’s get one thing out of the way right now. Star Wars is great. Every entry in this long-running series is fantastic in its own right. Together, they tell an amazing, generations-spanning story that really is the sum of its parts. However, any chance I get to talk about one specific film in this series is great to me, and Return of the Jedi is no exception. I absolutely adore this entry in the series. It is such a fantastic conclusion to the original Star Wars saga, and I think it is often an overlooked gem of the original trilogy.
First off, the film gives us arguably the best Luke Skywalker we have seen in the series. While there is a long setup for his arrival, it is well worth the wait. When Luke finally shows up, we see him at his peak as a full-fledged Jedi Knight. His return is made even more amazing when you learn that everything up until that point has all been part of his plan. His first plan may not work out super well, but it leads to scenes of Luke putting his Jedi training front and center. We see him take down a rancor, fight bounty hunters and pirates, and aid in Jabba the Hutt’s defeat. This entire movie does a great job of showing how powerful Luke has become as a Jedi Knight with training.
On the opposite side of the coin, it also sets up the reveal of the Emperor extremely well. He is shown as a hologram in the previous entry, but we finally get to see him in person in Return of the Jedi. He is just as menacing as we have been led to believe in the previous film, and that is in no small part to Ian McDiarmid’s wonderful performance. It is also nice that Ian McDiarmid also portrays him in the prequels as well, and this was his first time in the role. Up until this point, we have known Vader to be the biggest threat, but now we see the person Vader calls “Master.” He is cunning and manipulative, and he is everything you could want in a main villain for the series.
The film also does an amazing job of setting up the conflict within Luke. We are told that Luke is a Jedi Knight, but throughout the movie, we see him battle with the Dark Side both internally and externally. When we first see him, he uses the Force to choke two of Jabba’s guards, which doesn’t seem like a very Jedi thing to do. He even gives in to his anger when he fights Vader toward the end of the film. The Emperor plans to use this anger to get Skywalker to join him and replace Vader.
However, Luke’s other conflict with his father prevents this. He doesn’t merely want to defeat Vader. He wants to save him. Luke can sense the good in his father, and he seeks to bring him back to the Light Side. No one, including Obi-Wan and the Emperor, thinks Luke will be able to do it. It is hinted that Yoda may have known Luke would be able to, but there was definitely still a lot of doubt in them. Luke must break through the flaws of the Jedi Council that we see in the prequels. He embraces the Dark Side without falling to it. This may also be what helps him save his father from the Dark Side. Obviously, this is where we also see Anakin’s redemption, which is brought on by Luke. I know this seems a little tacked on, but I think that this aspect has been talked about so much that it almost goes without saying that it is one of the things that makes this film great.
There are also a lot of subtle things that make this movie great. It gives us three amazing battles that occur simultaneously toward the end of the film. We see Han and Leia fighting on Endor, Lando and the Rebels battling at the Death Star, and Luke facing Vader and The Emperor. It also has great scenes throughout the movie like the battle by the sarlacc pit and Luke facing the rancor.
This movie also has some of the coolest make-up and creature designs of all the original trilogy. Not to mention all the wonderful miniatures and backgrounds we see in the film. The film also delivers on the relationships between all the characters which had been building up over the previous films. You really feel that this motley crew of rebels, smugglers, aliens, and Jedi have become friends and have a certain level of trust and love for each other, and it is great to see them working together to beat the final villain.
I love this movie. As a kid, this was the only Star Wars film I owned on DVD. There were periods when my dad and I didn’t have internet or cable, so I would watch this movie on repeat almost every night. It never got old then, and I am sure it wouldn’t get old now. It closes out both the original trilogy and the entire Lucas series perfectly, and it is an ending that most series could only hope to have. There is always a new detail to find and something new to love upon rewatching it.