Return Of The Jedi (1983)

Starring - Mark Hamill; Harrison Ford; Carrie Fisher; Billy Dee Williams & Anthony Daniels Director - Richard Marquand MPAA - PG Return Of The Jedi is the third installment of the Star Wars trilogy, and the second best of the three (Star Wars being the best). It picks up where The Empire Strikes Back left off -- Han Solo is feeling somewhat confined and Luke Skywalker is dealing with some serious parental issues. In this film, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) travel to the forest moon of Endor. There they must try to deactivate a generator that is powering a shield protecting the Empire's new Death Star. Once the shield is removed the Rebel armada plans to attack the Empire's new space station in their final showdown with Darth Vader and friends. If you don't know all this by now, most likely you have either been in a coma or living in a South American jungle for the last 15 years. Unlike The Empire Strikes Back, which bordered on depressing in places, Return Of The Jedi is much more fun, Especially the scenes on the Endor moon involving the Ewoks. The Ewoks, by the way, are probably the cutest creatures to ever hit the big screen, with the possible exception of E.T., Steven Spielberg's little alien that hit theaters the year before Jedi. Return Of The Jedi also benefits from what seems like the most action of the three films. This is highlighted by the spectacular battle between the Imperial forces and the Rebel/Ewok team. I must confess to being a much bigger Han Solo fan than I am a Luke Skywalker fan. So if I have one criticism of the movie, it is the extended periods in the film that focus on the Emperor's attempts to turn Luke to the dark side of the Force. A minor complaint, but one point worthy of note. Although it is not a point large enough to prevent me from ranking Return Of The Jedi as one of my favorite films of all time. Return Of The Jedi serves as a fitting end to one of the greatest series of movies ever produced. It ties up all the loose ends of the previous films and stands as a reminder that sequels don't necessarily have to be inferior knockoffs of the original film. Whether you've seen the first two films or not, Return Of The Jedi is easily two of the most enjoyable hours you will ever spend watching a film. 10/10 Reviewed October 27, 1998 by Joe Chamberlain