No. 15: RETURN OF THE JEDI

Reviewed by Sam Hatch

AS THIS IS PART OF A RETRO NOSTALGIA BINGE AS OPPOSED TO A TRADITIONAL REVIEW, THERE MAY BE SPOILERS PRESENT IN THE TEXT.

If I have to explain why I loved the original Star Wars trilogy, then I suppose you need someone to explain the importance of breathing air and other such sundries. I have actually been crafting a Star Wars essay ever since the release of Episode III, and apologize greatly for stalling on its completion. That said, I'll save most of my comments for that piece.

You might grouse about the number in which these films are ordered on my list, but I suppose it correctly reflects my preferences at the time. When Jedi came out in 1983, I was young enough to not care about the deleterious effects of supercute Ewoks and old enough to really tune in to the characters, plot and surrounding hype. Following tradition, Jedi was released on a Wednesday, and I begged and pleaded for my parents to allow me to skip school so I could be the first to see it. They ultimately made me wait for the weekend, but even before the film was released I was a superfan. I had a T-shirt with the original logo "Revenge of the Jedi" emblazoned across the chest, and I had already read the novelization/storyboard tie-in written by Alan Dean Foster.

When I saw it, I loved it. And for years, it was the film I watched the most on home video. It wasn't until the release of the first Special Edition in 1997 that I started to realize that the rubbery monsters in Jabba's menagerie were sometimes sloppy looking. I had often heard my Dad complain about the lack of new storytelling, and that it was simply an example at remaking the first film with a bigger-is-better attitude. Needless to say, I thought he was crazy. In my world the Shuttle Tydirium was the coolest thing on earth and I dreamed of getting involved in a speeder bike chase.

BACK/SAMLAND