**SPOILERS HEREIN**
I admittedly don’t remember a lot
before the release of the prequels, but I sort of recall a time when the Star Wars trilogy’s reputation was
unanimously sterling. All three films were acknowledged as classics, each one almost above criticism by virtue of being part of the trilogy. Whether true or not (it could just be the fact that I was only nine when The Phantom Menace came out and not in the hardcore fan loop),
after the prequels showed that not everything Star Wars is automatically good, people seemed more willing to
admit to the flaws of the original trilogy. Most of the criticisms seemed directed
at Return of the Jedi. And while I
still enjoy the film thoroughly, I must admit they have a point.
I can forgive the unoriginality of a second Death Star. I can forgive the bits of slapstick and
oversentimentality that sometimes seem out of place. I can forgive the dopey
musical number in Jabba the Hutt’s palace. Hell, I even forgive them for the
Ewoks. Yes, as uncool as it may be to admit, the Ewoks don’t bother me so much.
I remember liking them when I first saw the film as a little kid (and I embarrassingly
recall being really sad at the scene where one is shot to death). As I grew
older, I liked them less and less, but I can tolerate them, unlike certain CGI
cretins.
What I can’t overlook, however,
is the revelation that Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Princess Leia (Carrie
Fisher) are brother and sister. Even though it’s been established canon for
over three decades now, it’s still a bridge too far. Despite differing accounts
about exactly how much of the saga George Lucas had planned and when, I’ve seen
and read enough to believe that he at least had some of his ideas in mind from
the beginning. But I still don’t believe he had this planned from the start.
Aside from Yoda’s (Frank Oz) cryptic “There is another…” in The Empire Strikes Back (which could
have meant any number of things), there’s absolutely nothing hinting at it in
the trilogy until Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) drops the bomb on Dagobah.
Just moments earlier, the shot of Luke swinging from Jabba’s sail barge, golden
bikini-clad Leia on his arm, is like the quintessential comic book hero image (an
image displayed prominently on at least one VHS cover). That image is a lot
weirder knowing the two are siblings, as are several scenes the two of them
share earlier in the trilogy.
Plot resolution is not this
film’s strongest suit. In addition to the awkward reveal of Leia and Luke’s
true relationship, the follow-up to Empire’s
“I am your father.” revelation (Obi-Wan’s “certain point of view” explanation)
is pretty weak. The whole scene between Obi-Wan's ghost and Luke on Dagobah is one big
narrative cop-out, as if the screenwriters couldn’t think of an interesting
story route to tie every plot point together and just opted to quickly get it
out of the way and move on.
Besides the story deficiencies,
the main cast, while not exactly bad, is quite apparently not operating on the
same level as the last two films. At times, they look like they’re bored and
just going through the motions, and their characters aren’t as fun or lively as
before. Also, some exposition scenes are very slow, lacking energy and
emotional spark while flatly explaining the next step in the plot. A few times, one can almost see the pacing and dialogue problems that would beleaguer the
prequel trilogy start to take root.
All that said, there are also
moments that are very, very good. The scenes aboard the Death Star where Darth
Vader (David Prowse) and the Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) attempt to lure Luke to
the Dark Side are engrossing and emotional, with Vader’s climactic redemption toward
the end being the most triumphant moment. Yoda’s death is also beautiful and
sad. In both cases, as in many of the saga’s best moments, John Williams’ score
plays a big part. And the reversal of Empire's famous “I love you” exchange between
Leia and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is a nice touch.
The battle going on around Han
and Leia is pretty disorganized, to be sure. The iconic battles of Yavin in Star Wars and Hoth in Empire were imaginative and well-planned
action sequences. Planning for the Battle of Endor seems to have consisted of
thinking up cutesy ways for the Ewoks to destroy things with their Stone Age
weapons and just stringing them together. There’s not much focus to the fight,
and the non-furry heroes have little to do besides just stand around in front of the
shield generator bunker. Fortunately, the ground warfare is edited together with the
stronger scenes of Luke on the Death Star, as well as the space battle between
the Imperial fleet and Rebel forces led by Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee
Williams). More than just keeping the final act afloat, the dogfights and
attack on the Death Star reactor are as impressive and thrilling as any effects
spectacle in the saga.
And of course, there’s the rescue
of Han from Jabba the Hutt, the opening half-hour or so that almost seems like
another movie, an interlude to the Rebellion plotline. If Star Wars was a serial like the works that inspired it, this
sidetrack would be its own separate episode. Appropriately, this is the saga at
its most comic book, full of colorful aliens (the Jabba puppet is endearingly
PG-repulsive) and pulpy old-school fantasy peril (and some of the technical
blotches and rubber-looking creatures are actually a plus, giving it all a
classic Flash Gordon vibe). Fans of Empire’s darker and more serious tone
might disagree, but the detour to Jabba’s Palace might be the most entertaining
part of the film, and is certainly where the leads show the most energy in
their roles.
So, that’s Jedi, a little flawed but fun, and ending the trilogy on a cheery
note. Would it have been better if it had followed the alleged original story
treatment? With a big battle on the Wookiee home planet instead of Ewoks, and
darker story turns that included death among the main characters? We’ll never
know. But I can’t imagine the movie any other way, or the trilogy without it. And
you know what? I like it this way.
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