‘Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi’ (Film)

‘STAR WARS: EPISODE VI – RETURN OF THE JEDI’

Please feel free to comment on the review.

Light of the Force
by Tim Bradley and Timelord007

Tim Bradley:
There are no Wookiees in this review except for Chewbacca…and perhaps Timelord007! 😀

Timelord007:
(Wookiee roars)

Tim Bradley:
(to Timelord007) Timelord! No Wookiee talk during this review! Speak English!

‘Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi’ is the sixth film in the ‘Star Wars’ movie saga, although this was the third made in the series. The film was released in 1983. It was directed by Richard Marquand with its screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas and the story by George Lucas.

The movie was included in the original ‘Star Wars Trilogy’ DVD box set when I purchased it from Tesco in early 2006. I enjoyed watching these original ‘Star Wars’ movies after watching the prequels. I see why they’re popular and ‘Return of the Jedi’ is a fine conclusion to the original trilogy.

Timelord007:
‘Return of the Jedi’ was the first ‘Star Wars’ movie I saw at the cinema…’a long time ago’ in 1983 when I was 8 years old. I remember taking my Luke Skywalker action figure with me and being totally captivated throughout.

I had seen ‘A New Hope’ on TV the previous year but hadn’t yet seen ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ because the video rental market was only just starting up and we didn’t get a VCR until the following year. So I didn’t know Darth Vader was Luke’s father and that reveal came as a shock.

Tim Bradley:
This is where everything comes together in the ‘Star Wars’ saga with what had happened in the previous five films. Luke Skywalker faces his destiny and gets challenged when he’s determined to save his father and resist the temptations of the Dark Side of the Force. Will Luke succeed in this?

During the review, Timelord007 and I will identify what’s good and what’s bad about this movie. There’s bound to be plenty of positives and negatives identified in this review as well as sharing nostalgic memories of the ‘Star Wars’ movies which I know Timelord007 will be very happy to share.

The film takes place roughly one year after ‘The Empire Strikes Back’. In the movie, the Galactic Empire is building a brand-new weapon which is another deadly and more powerful Death Star. Couldn’t they have thought of something better than that since the first Death Star failed?

Timelord007:
I imagine they could have, but I think it shows the arrogance of the Galactic Empire. They choose to build yet another Death Star, but cloak it with a protective shield from a bunker on Endor, thinking this time they will be triumphant.

(to Tim) Did you know Tim that after Darth Vader’s first appearance on the Death Star, there’s a deleted scene where Vader yet again communicates with Luke to lure him to the Dark Side? Luke is shown constructing his new lightsaber. It was a good scene and should have made it to the final cut.

Tim Bradley:
(to Timelord007) Yeah that’s a good point there, Timelord. That deleted scene should have made it to the final cut of the film. At least we could have seen where Luke Skywalker got his new green lightsaber in the film. I assumed he got it from Yoda or perhaps the dead body of Qui-Gon Jinn in ‘The Phantom Menace’. 😀

Anyway on the planet Tatooine, Luke Skywalker and his friends are looking for Han Solo who was captured and frozen up in a block of carbonite since ‘The Empire Strikes Back’. C-3PO and R2-D2 are sent to send a message of warning to Jabba the Hutt at his palace where the frozen Han Solo is kept.

Jabba the Hutt is a grotesque, slug-like creature on the planet Tatooine. He briefly appeared in the two ‘Star Wars’ movies ‘The Phantom Menace’ and ‘A New Hope’. I didn’t mention Jabba the Hutt in my reviews for those two films, but now I am because I have this overriding question that needs to be answered!

(to Timelord007) Timelord! WHO IS THIS GUY?!!!

Timelord007:
Jabba the Hutt is one of the galaxy’s most powerful gangsters and has a heavy influence in both the political and criminal underworld. He is also immune to Jedi mind tricks. Basically Jabba the Hutt is the Al Capone of the ‘Star Wars’ universe.

Tim Bradley:
He also reminds me what should happen if you eat too many McDonalds meals. And don’t get me wrong, I love McDonalds! 😀 Jabba the Hutt is also very hard to negotiate with when Luke Skywalker attempts to secure the release of Han Solo and his friends. Jabba should’ve agreed to Luke’s terms!

Mark Hamill returns as Luke Skywalker. Luke has now become a fully-fledged Jedi Knight under the training of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s ghost and Yoda. I like how confident Luke is in the film, especially as he saves Han Solo, Princess Leia and his friends from Jabba the Hutt’s clutches with his green lightsaber.

Luke also faces some tough challenges in this movie, as he’s reluctant to face Darth Vader again and kill him when the time should come. Through the Force, Luke senses and believes his father has some good left in him. Will Luke get to rescue his father from the Dark Side and from the Emperor?

Timelord007:
Mark Hamill is fantastic as Luke Skywalker. He simply owns his role and I like that the film hints Luke’s become a little arrogant since ‘The Empire Strikes Back’. He berates Jabba not to underestimate his powers and his black clothing attire could be conceived that Luke may turn to the Dark Side of the Force during the movie, like father like son.

Tim Bradley:
Harrison Ford returns as Han Solo in the movie. Han manages to get free from his entombment inside a carbonite block and reunites with Leia who loves him. I like how disorientated Han is when on Tatooine before he gets rescued. He assists the Rebellion to destroy the Empire’s new Death Star.

In this movie, Han Solo gets to be the action hero when fighting the Empire’s forces and shutting down the Death Star’s energy shield on the planet Endor. Han Solo is seen doubting Leia’s love for him. I did like that mistake Han made when he assumed Luke and Leia were in love with each other.

Timelord007:
Harrison Ford is so darn cool as Han Solo! A charming rogue with a heart! I like how Han has evolved over the three movies from the money-obsessed scoundrel seen in ‘A New Hope’ into a man willing to risk his life in leading a dangerous Rebel attack on an Imperial bunker on the planet Endor.

It turns out Harrison Ford was reluctant to return as Han Solo and thought the character should die in this movie. George Lucas vetoed this idea, saying ‘it would upset many children if Han was killed’. So Han lives! I mean…as if they’d kill off Han Solo, right?

Tim Bradley:
(aside; teasingly) Timelord007 hasn’t seen ‘The Force Awakens’ yet! 😀

Carrie Fisher returns as Princess Leia in this movie. I liked that moment when she unmasks herself to Han Solo once rescuing him from Jabba the Hutt’s clutches, saying that she loves him. Leia also gets to take part in the action on Endor, as she rides with Luke on a speeder bike after some Stormtroopers.

Leia also gets to meet up with one of the Ewoks on Endor and befriends him, even though he threatens her with a spear at first. I really like that scene between Luke and Leia when he tells her Darth Vader is his father and that she’s his sister. Leia seems to accept it. She’s always known he was his brother.

Timelord007:
Carrie Fisher kicks butt in this movie! From strangling Jabba with her chained shackles to the awesome speeder bike chase on Endor to battling with the Rebels against an Imperial attack in the movie’s action-packed climax. Carrie portrays Leia as a woman who doesn’t stay on the side-lines and watch events unfold, but actually gets involved in the action.

Tim Bradley:
There is something about Princess Leia that I’ve got to address with regards to this movie. When Leia first rescues Han Solo, they both get captured by Jabba the Hutt and his minions. Han Solo gets taken away whilst Leia is forced to become Jabba the Hutt’s slave and dress up in…a skimpy slave outfit!

Okay, has ‘Star Wars’ become a sex show now?! Compared to Padmé Amidala’s sexiness in ‘Attack of the Clones’ and Princess Leia’s sexiness in this, I’ve seen more sex appeal in ‘Star Trek’! Don’t get me wrong, Princess Leia is a pretty lady, but that costume she gets forced to wear by Jabba is unflattering!

I mean, what ‘Star Wars’ fan would actually enjoy this kind of thing?!

Timelord007:
ME! (laughs) There’s nothing wrong with wearing a skimpy slave outfit. I wear mine every Sunday (too much information)! Carrie looks sexy in that slave outfit. I know from interviews, she didn’t find it a comfortable experience. But boy did she look hot!

The action sequence on Jabba’s barge is awesome! We see Luke using his skills as a Jedi when he cuts through Jabba’s minions. My only criticism with this sequence is how poor Boba Fett is used. This is an iconic character in the ‘Star Wars’ universe and yet he hardly does anything in either ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ or this movie.

Boba Fett is criminally underused and given a poor, slightly comedic ‘death’ scene. George Lucas should have noticed from ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ that the character had developed a cult following and shown his skills as a bounty hunter in this movie. Alas it was not to be.

Tim Bradley:
Billy Dee Williams returns as Lando Calrissian. In this movie, Lando helps out with saving Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt. He’s no longer the backstabber that was seen in ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and working with Darth Vader. He helps out with the Rebellion’s fight against the Empire.

I admit I’m surprised Lando’s treachery wasn’t talked about with Han Solo during the film. Lando gets to show his heroism in this movie by leading an attack on the Death Star weapon and pilot Han Solo’s ship, the Millennium Falcon. It was interesting to see Lando as a fighter in ‘Return of the Jedi’.

Timelord007:
Lando’s betrayal seems a afterthought. It’s all “Let’s be friends again”. But at least Lando gets to fly the Millennium Falcon which was originally his spaceship and blows up the second Death Star. And Billy Dee Williams brings a charm to the character and reprised the role in a couple of audio plays.

Tim Bradley:
There’s ‘Star Wars’ audio plays now?! I didn’t know that!

Timelord007:
Yes! The original trilogy was adapted for audio, adding new scenes to flesh out the back-story for the characters. Mark Hamill stars as Luke Skywalker in ‘A New Hope’ and ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ but not ‘Return of the Jedi’. Anthony Daniels voices C-3PO and Billy Dee Williams returns as Lando.

There’s also ‘Dark Empire’ and ‘Dark Empire II’, which are full-cast audio dramas as well as a ton of narrated audiobooks from Random House, usually narrated by Jonathan Davies.

Tim Bradley:
Thanks for that piece of interesting info, Timelord! I must check those out sometime! 🙂

Anthony Daniels returns as C-3PO in the movie. C-3PO is amusing as ever with his ever-so polite manner and panicky behaviour. It was funny when Luke Skywalker offered C-3PO and R2-D2 as gifts to Jabba the Hutt, yet C-3PO hadn’t been aware or informed of the plan for this whereas R2-D2 had.

C-3PO gets to join Luke and the others on the planet Endor before he gets worshipped as a god by the Ewoks. I found this amusing as C-3PO is reluctant to be the Ewoks’ god. He speaks in the Ewoks’ native language and he gets to fly high on his chair and show he’s a god, with Luke Skywalker’s help.

Timelord007:
Well, we’ve all heard Anthony Daniels is up himself and rather stuck up. So he’s right at home playing C-3PO, the eccentric protocol droid. And Daniels injects humour into the character. With R2-D2, it makes for an entertaining double act.

Tim Bradley:
Kenny Baker returns as R2-D2 in the movie!

Timelord007:
(groans) ARGH!!! You had to mention Kenny Baker didn’t you, Tim!

Tim Bradley:
(puzzled) What? What’s the matter?

Timelord007:
My parents were at a motorway service getting a coffee and my Dad, who is very inquisitive, had seen a Mercedes reconfigured for a small person to drive. So what does my dad do? Starts looking through the window! And the next thing, somebody taps his leg! It’s Kenny Baker!

Tim Bradley:
Wow! Kenny Baker! That must have been a nice surprise for him!

Timelord007:
Kenny asked if my Dad would like a closer look inside. He and my parents chatted for about 20 minutes.

Tim Bradley:
A chat with Kenny Baker! Even better!

Timelord007:
When the ‘Star Wars’ films came out on DVD, I was watching the ‘Empire of Dreams’ documentary and Kenny appeared discussing the character of R2-D2. My Mum said, “I’ve met him”. I replied, “No you haven’t!” She called my Dad and said, “We’ve met him, haven’t we?” And my Dad replied “Yes”.

And they told me how they met him and my jaw hit the floor in shock! (Pause) I said “You mean to tell me you have met R2-D2! And your son’s one of the biggest ‘Star Wars’ fans and you didn’t get his autograph?” My parents explained, “Well, we didn’t know he was an actor.”

Tim Bradley:
(awkward) Oh! Well…that was…rather unfortunate…

Timelord007:
(yells) I’ve been a ‘Star Wars’ fan for 35 years! I can’t believe one of my parents, especially my Mum, didn’t know that he was Kenny Baker! I was gutted neither of my parents are ‘Star Wars’ fans and they met one of the most historic characters in the franchise!

Tim Bradley:
(reassuringly) It’s okay, Timelord! It’s okay. It’s going to be alright!

Timelord007:
(sobs) No, it’s not! Forgive me, Tim! I need a moment alone to re-focus…!

Timelord007 walks off.

Tim Bradley:
Oh. Well, I suppose I’ll have to continue the review without him for a bit…

There’s the sound of “ARGH!!!!!!!!!” by Timelord007 before he sobs in the background.

Tim Bradley:
(clears throat) Anyway, with R2-D2…

Timelord007 returns.

Timelord007:
I’m calm now, Tim! Ready to continue!

Tim Bradley:
(puzzled) Okay! That was quick!

(continues) Anyway, with R2-D2, I found it very amusing when that little droid was serving drinks aboard Jabba the Hutt’s barge and C-3PO was shocked by this. But R2-D2 gets to show how fearsome he is, especially when escaping Jabba the Hutt’s barge and also when on the planet Endor.

It was a shock when R2-D2 attempted to open the door to get inside the Imperial bunker, but got zapped and damaged in the process. The relationship between R2-D2 and C-3PO remains great, especially when they have the double act moments and C-3PO gets annoyed with R2’s stubbornness.

Timelord007:
Kenny Bakers makes R2-D2 such a likeable character! And less we forget, he has saved the day on more than one occasion. His double act with C-3PO adds charm, humour and a touching friendship to the saga.

Tim Bradley:
Peter Mayhew returns as Chewbacca, Han Solo’s long-time Wookiee friend in ‘Star Wars’. It was a shock when Chewbacca got captured by Jabba the Hutt’s minions and was taken down to the dungeons. I love that reunion moment when Chewbacca gave Han Solo a bear hug in the dungeons.

I still can’t understand what Chewbacca’s saying, even though Han Solo obviously can. But I like it when Chewbacca gets to take part in the action once fighting the Imperial forces on Endor. This includes throwing Stormtroopers around before he and some Ewoks take control of a Scout Walker.

Timelord007:
Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca is just brilliant! This character’s communication is through growls and howls. Yet the audience knows exactly what the character is thinking or saying. His friendship with Han Solo is one of the best things about ‘Star Wars’ since Chewie is always by Han’s side.

I loved the scene where Chewie cuddles Han and warms him while Han is suffering from hibernation sickness. It’s a touching scene and shows how much Chewie cares for his buddy.

Tim Bradley:
Frank Oz as Yoda returns in this movie. Luke Skywalker goes back to Dagobah as he promised in ‘The Empire Strikes Back’. But sadly, Yoda dies of old age in this film. This was very sad to see, especially since I’d seen Yoda in the prequels films before seeing him in the original ‘Star Wars’ films.

Yoda does come back as Force-ghost at the end of the movie, but I doubt he’ll return in future ‘Star Wars’ films set after ‘Return of the Jedi’. 😀 I hope I’m wrong on this since Frank Oz is still alive by this point. But it seems unlikely. After seeing the first six ‘Star Wars’ movies, I prefer Yoda as a puppet! 🙂

Timelord007:
Yoda doesn’t feature much in this film, but tells Luke that to become a full Jedi, he must confront Darth Vader. Yoda’s death is sad and always brings a tear to my eye. Frank Oz brings the character to life with that unique sounding voice, combining wisdom tinged with sadness.

Tim Bradley:
Sir Alec Guinness returns as Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Force-ghost. I like the scene Luke has with Obi-Wan (or Ben as he calls him) when he demands to know why he didn’t tell him Darth Vader was his father. I like the moment when Luke learns from Obi-Wan that Princess Leia happens to be his sister.

Timelord007:
Alec Guinness brings emotional weight and gravitas as Obi-Wan Kenobi. When he explains to Luke about his father’s transformation from Anakin Skywalker as a Jedi Knight to becoming Darth Vader as Lord of the Sith, it adds depth and meaning. It reflects just how hurt Kenobi is about his friend’s descent to the Dark Side of the Force.

Tim Bradley:
As Timelord007 mentioned earlier, Boba Fett returns in this movie, performed by Jeremy Bulloch (who I’ve met by the way). There’s also Jabba the Hutt, who looks like an animatronic creature, voiced by Larry Ward. Strange since in ‘The Phantom Menace’ and ‘A New Hope’, he looked so CGI. 😀

It wouldn’t be a ‘Return of the Jedi’ review by me and Timelord007 if we didn’t mention the Ewoks! Those furry little creatures help the Rebels to shut down the Death Star’s energy shield on the planet Endor. I like the Ewoks as they’re so cute and cuddly. Warwick Davis stars as Wicket the Ewok here.

Timelord007:
I actually like the Ewoks who are great warriors and whose strength in numbers is underestimated by the Empire.

Tim Bradley:
Ian McDiarmid returns as Palpatine/Darth Sidious, the Emperor of the Galactic Empire in this movie. Here we see the Emperor determined to have Luke Skywalker join him and Darth Vader on the Dark Side. The Emperor is so hideously gleeful in the movie, especially when he watches Luke and Vader fight.

Timelord007:
Ian McDiarmid is utterly terrifying in the role of the Emperor, whose character simply oozes evil. It’s very easy to overplay a role like this, but McDiarmid keeps the character sinister and grounded in evil malevolence.

Tim Bradley:
Darth Vader returns, performed by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones. I enjoyed how Darth Vader’s journey in the ‘Star Wars’ movies has come about in ‘Return of the Jedi’. Having seen what went on during the prequels and the original trilogy, I’ve been able to appreciate Vader more.

Vader manages to capture his son Luke. I like that scene where Luke tries to persuade Vader to come back to the light and not be evil anymore. But Vader says it’s ‘too late’ for him. I also like that lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader when in the presence of the Emperor and it gets very tense.

Timelord007:
Darth Vader…well, what can one say that hasn’t already been said? It’s strange to depict the performance really as Dave Prowse plays the character but it’s James Earl Jones’ booming distinctive voice that brings the character to life.

Tim Bradley:
By the way, Timelord! I’ve met David Prowse in real life!

Timelord007:
You haven’t?!

Tim Bradley:
Here’s my autograph from him to prove it!

To Tim The Force Is With You Darth Vader Dave Prowse M.B.E.

Timelord007:
(screams) NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Timelord007 walks off.

Tim Bradley:
(cheekily) Ah! That explains where Vader’s “NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!” from the ‘Return of the Jedi’ Blu-ray came from, as I’ve seen on YouTube! Best not mention that I’ve met more people from ‘Star Wars’! I don’t think Timelord007 can handle it! 😀

Timelord007 returns.

Timelord007:
Okay! I’m back! Where were we?

(continues) I was a bit surprised Vader doesn’t kill anyone in this movie, barring the Emperor. I felt Vader a little side-lined in the first half of the movie. However the conversation between Vader and Luke subtly hints that Vader is conflicted by his growing love for his son.

And of course, that final choice to watch Luke die at the hands of the Emperor or kill him is such a tense standout moment. Vader looks at his son, then at the Emperor deciding what to do. It’s one of my all-time favourite scenes in the entire ‘Star Wars’ franchise.

To this day, I still get goosebumps when Vader grabs the Emperor and throws him down the chasm to save his son. It cleverly mirrors the Windu/Palpatine scene from ‘Revenge of the Sith’ and brings the character full circle.

Tim Bradley:
I agree with what Timelord007 has said about Darth Vader when he throws the Emperor into the chasm. It fulfils the prophecy mentioned in the prequels about Anakin Skywalker being the chosen one and bringing balance to the Force by him destroying the Emperor/Darth Sidious as the Sith Lord.

I like that last scene between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, where Vader asks Luke to take his mask off and we see what he looks like. Sebastian Shaw plays the deformed Anakin Skywalker behind the Darth Vader mask. I’ll give the film this. It matches so well to what was in ‘Revenge of the Sith’.

Timelord007:
I remember my exact reaction of Vader’s unmasking at the cinema back in 1983. I was literally squirming in terror at the thought of what he may look like. But thankfully he didn’t look too bad and the scene is both touching & emotional.

With all the digital tinkering by Lucas over the years, since Anakin’s eyebrows have been digitally removed for the Special Edition, I was half expecting Hayden Christensen to be CGI’d into the unmasking scene.

Tim Bradley:
Speaking of which, the film ends on a triumphant note where all our heroes including Luke, Han and Leia are with the Ewoks as they celebrate their victory defeating the Galactic Empire. Luke Skywalker also sees the Force-ghosts of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and…Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker?!

(puzzled) Oh! That’s…confusing! Was Hayden Christensen alive and around that time to film his scenes in ‘Return of the Jedi’ back in 1983? (to Timelord007) Timelord?

Timelord007:
No, the scene originally featured Sebastian Shaw. It was altered for the DVD Special Edition to feature Hayden instead. I get why Lucas did this as Anakin became Darth Vader. But when he saves Luke, he destroys the Darth Vader evilness within him and becomes Anakin Skywalker again, looking like he did before he turned evil.

Well that’s my take on why Lucas changed the scene. I’d love to know though who taught Anakin how to become one with the Force after his death. Qui-Gon taught Yoda and Yoda taught Obi-Wan. This was after Anakin became Darth Vader in ‘Revenge of the Sith’?!

Tim Bradley:
That’s a very good point, Timelord! I hadn’t thought about it like that with Anakin as a Force-ghost!

Timelord007:
Here’s a bit of pointless trivia I forgot to mention. There are posters of the movie’s title on Google. Originally this film was titled ‘Revenge of the Jedi’ and even released teaser posters with that title. George Lucas however changed it to ‘Return’, as he felt the Jedi would never seek out revenge.

Tim Bradley:
The music by John Williams for this movie is superb as ever! Again John Williams reuses many of the ‘Star Wars’ music pieces he used before in ‘A New Hope’ and ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ as well as creating new ones. I especially enjoyed that Ewoks’ theme music he created for ‘Return of the Jedi’.

Timelord007:
John Williams’ music score is yet another masterpiece. Williams’ ability to combine rousing action adventure during Jabba’s barge attack to haunting choral work during the Luke vs. Darth Vader duel and Vader’s reckoning packs such an emotional punch. It gives me goosebumps still to this day and brings the whole movie to life!

Tim Bradley:
The DVD special features are as follows. On the DVD for ‘Return of the Jedi’, there’s an audio commentary by co-writer/executive producer George Lucas; Carrie Fisher; sound designer Ben Burtt and visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren.

On the Bonus Material DVD for the ‘Star Wars Trilogy’ DVD box set, there’s a ‘Documentary and Featurettes’ section. This includes ‘Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy’ making-of documentary, which is divided into 12 chapters. The featurettes include ‘The Characters of Stars Wars’; ‘The Birth of the Lightsaber’ and ‘The Force Is With Them: The Legacy of Star Wars’. There are trailers and TV spots for all three films of the original trilogy. For ‘A New Hope’, there’s a teaser trailer, a launch trailer, a re-release trailer and a 1997 trailer. For ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, there’s a teaser trailer, a launch trailer and a re-release trailer. For ‘Return of the Jedi’, there’s a ‘revenge’ teaser trailer, a launch trailer and a re-release trailer. There are four TV spots for ‘A New Hope’, four TV spots for ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and three TV spots for ‘Return of the Jedi’. There’s a ‘Video Games and Still Galleries’ section. There’s a sub-section for ‘Star Wars Battlefront’ which includes an Xbox game demo and a game trailer. There’s an ‘Episode III: Making the Game’ featurette; ‘Exclusive Production Photos’ and ‘One-Sheet Posters’. There’s also the ‘Episode III Preview: The Return of Darth Vader’ to enjoy!

There’s more to enjoy on recent Blu-ray editions of ‘Star Wars’, including brand-new audio commentaries featuring archival interviews with cast and crew; new documentaries; deleted, extended and alternative scenes; prop, marquette and costume turnarounds; matte paintings and concept art; supplementary interviews with cast and crew; a flythrough of the Lucasfilm Archives; etc.

Timelord007:
Overall ‘Return of the Jedi’ gives a superb closure to the original trilogy. The action is both thrilling and tightly-edited together, making for some epic battle scenes. The story reflects how we by all coming together, no matter what shape, size, creed and colour, can change the future for the better and fight against the greater evil.

The emotional scenes with Darth Vader, Luke and the Emperor feature plenty of depth, heart and emotion. It shows how love can triumph over evil; and that sends out a positive message that if we all put aside our differences, there’s a chance for peace in the future.

Tim Bradley:
And speaking for myself, I’m very pleased I’ve seen these ‘Star Wars’ movies, both the prequels and the original trilogy. ‘Return of the Jedi’ was a fitting conclusion to the original trilogy and I’ve enjoyed the journeys of all the characters and being able to enjoy the action sequences throughout.

I did wonder if that would be the end of ‘Star Wars’ for me, since it seemed like there was nothing else to tell with the prequels and original trilogy when I watched them in 2005/2006. Little did I know the ‘Star Wars’ saga would resurface. I was happy to know I’d seen these movies beforehand.

(to Timelord007) Thanks for helping me with this review on ‘Return of the Jedi’, Timelord!

Timelord007:
(impersonates Yoda) Enjoyed it, I have! Helpful, I hope I’ve been!

Tim Bradley:
It seems there’s a peace and freedom in the ‘Star Wars’ galaxy now! Can it last 30 years later?

‘Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi’ rating by Tim Bradley – 8/10
‘Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi’ rating by Timelord007 – 9/10

---

‘EMPIRE OF DREAMS: THE STORY OF THE ‘STAR WARS’ TRILOGY’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

This is a ‘Star Wars’ making-of documentary that was released in 2004! It was released on the ‘Star Wars Trilogy’ Bonus Material DVD and is currently available to watch on Disney+. It documents the making of the original ‘Star Wars’ trilogy and the impact it’s had on popular culture over the years.

I enjoyed watching the documentary on the Bonus Material DVD for the ‘Star Wars’ trilogy. It highlights certain aspects of the making of the original ‘Star Wars’ trilogy that I hadn’t been aware of and it was really fascinating to watch the making of these three movies that have inspired millions. 🙂

The documentary features interviews with the cast and crew including filmmaker George Lucas and cast members like Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, etc. I enjoyed hearing their insight into the making of the ‘Star Wars’ trilogy between 1977 right to 1983. 🙂

In the documentary, it covers how the world was changing in the mid 1970s and how George Lucas built his ‘rebel force’ to create his vision he wanted with his ‘Star Wars’ films. It’s fascinating that the original story treatment for ‘Star Wars’ in its trilogy form had been conceived way before it occurred.

George Lucas had to divide his ‘Star Wars’ story into three films and he took risks to ensure that the films would become successful in the years of their making. I wonder if he did that with making the prequel films. It’s certainly a lesson that Disney could learn in terms of how to make a movie trilogy.

Pretty soon, we look into the making of the first ‘Star Wars’ film which was eventually dubbed ‘Episode IV: A New Hope’. I enjoyed the anecdotes shared by the actors and crew and how challenging it was making the film with the limited resources they had in terms of the special effects.

There were doubts that the first ‘Star Wars’ film would never get made on time and that it wouldn’t make an impact like George Lucas would’ve wanted. Thankfully the epic in crisis was soon adverted as the first ‘Star Wars’ film became a success and it was a winner among many people who saw it. 😀

It’s intriguing how George Lucas was determined to make his ‘Star Wars’ films independently without the interference of studios like 20th Century Fox getting in the way. It must’ve been a challenge to keep that momentum up, especially with all the challenges faced with making the films.

The next film to be made in the trilogy is of course ‘The Empire Strikes Back’. It’s fascinating how George Lucas brought in director Irvin Kershner to make this second film of the trilogy and how challenging it was to make the film as impressive as the first one but make it really different in tone.

Talk is made about how the puppet Yoda worked and how Frank Oz operated him behind-the-scenes. Interestingly, Yoda may be more difficult to operate as a puppet compared to how a typical Muppet would be operated. Talk is also made over how the Darth Vader reveal was kept a secret. 😐

Apparently, Mark Hamill was the only one who privately knew Darth Vader was Luke’s father whilst David Prowse who played Darth Vader on set had to say Obi-Wan killed Luke’s father. I wonder if that would’ve been any better – Obi-Wan killing Luke’s father rather than Vader being Luke’s father.

I liked how the Skywalker studios were created and built in-between the making of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and ‘Return of the Jedi’. It’s fascinating to note that the Skywalker studios would go on to help bring Pixar into being and that is where the ‘Toy Story’ films were made and lots more films.

There’s then going into the making of ‘Return of the Jedi’. Interestingly, Warrick Davis was 11 years old when he played Wicket W. Warrick the Ewok in the movie. There’s also talk about the speeder bikes scenes and how Harrison Ford originally wanted Han to be killed but George Lucas vetoed it. 😐

The rest of the documentary has a look into how the ‘Star Wars’ legacy continued. This includes talk about the Special Editions versions of the films that were released at cinemas in the early 1990s as well as the prequel films which included ‘The Phantom Menace’ and ‘Attack of the Clones’ by then. 🙂

‘Revenge of the Sith’ was still in the making at the time of this making-of documentary. There’s clearly a lot of love on the making of these films both from the behind-the-crew side with George Lucas and his team as well as from the cast who grew to become ‘family’ with knowing each other. 🙂

‘Empire of Dreams: The Story of the ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy’ was very enjoyable to watch. It’s very in-depth in lasting for about two and a half hours, but provided you can find time to watch it, you’ll find it a very fascinating insight into the making of these films. I’m glad I’ve seen the documentary at last!

‘Empire of Dreams: The Story of the ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy’ rating – 9/10

---

The previous story was ‘Ewoks: The Battle for Endor’ (TV)	The next story is ‘Star Wars: Heir To The Empire’ (Book)
Return to Star Wars
Return to Sci-Fi