**THE WACPINE OF 'RETURN OF THE JEDI'**


WRITING: 8
ATMOSPHERE: 7
CHARACTERS: 8
PRODUCTION: 9
INTRIGUE: 7
NOVELTY: 7
ENJOYMENT: 7


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**The Good:**


I love Luke's darker persona as he has to fight to stay on the light side. It shows how much he has developed throughout the trilogy, but also how he is similar to his father.


The climactic lightsaber duel is awesome, as is the operation to destroy the second Death Star.


The production design is impeccable, the costumes look amazing and the music and sound design are top-notch. I'm happy that the model work and basic visual effects have been conserved, even in the altered versions.


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**The Bad:**


The added song performance in Jabba's palace is the most cringeworthy and unnecessary addition to the original trilogy. I wish the Disney+ version would have edited that part out.


The Jabba sequence, while at times exciting and well-made, just feels like a prolonged intro before the real film begins. The same goes for the endless Endor sequence before the Battle of Endor begins.


One of the main problems is the fact that this film doesn't divide the action into several smaller blocks of a story like the previous two films, and only really focuses on three very long acts (Jabba, Endor, final battle). That makes Return of the Jedi feel slower than the first two films.


The new characters don't stand out this time, and most of the old ones remain fairly bland. Luke, Leia, C-3PO and Vader are the only interesting characters.


While I understand that adding Hayden Christensen's force instead of the original one at the end is a way to tie the original trilogy closer to the prequel trilogy, it doesn't make any sense. Yoda and Obi-Wan look the way they did when they died, so Anakin should be older here.


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**The Ugly:**


Is it just me, or we're the Ewoks created just to boost plush toy sales?


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**WACPINE RATING: 7.57 / 10 = 4 stars**

Return of the Jedi, the final installment of the original Star Wars trilogy, had a lot to live up to after the success of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. While it is an exciting adventure movie that features a rescue mission, espionage, and an epic battle, it falls short of reaching the same level as its predecessors. The cast, including Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher, all return and deliver solid performances, with Hamill's portrayal of Luke Skywalker being particularly noteworthy. However, some of the scenes are drawn out and the inclusion of the Ewoks as the main battle force diminishes the Empire's power and feels like a merchandising ploy. The visual effects, including the speeder chase on Endor and the space battles, are impressive, and the forest moon of Endor is a unique and visually striking location. However, the use of a second Death Star is unoriginal and the added scene of Boba Fett in the Dune Seas is not well received. In addition, the inclusion of the prequel trilogy creates inconsistencies with certain aspects of the story, such as Leia's memories of her birth mother. Overall, Return of the Jedi is a fitting end to the classic trilogy that provides closure to the characters' arcs, but it has its flaws and doesn't quite reach the same level of its predecessors.
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El retorno del Jedi, la última entrega de la trilogía original de Star Wars, tenía mucho que cumplir después del éxito de Una nueva esperanza y El imperio contraataca. Si bien es una emocionante película de aventuras que presenta una misión de rescate, espionaje y una batalla épica, no llega al mismo nivel que sus predecesoras. El elenco, que incluye a Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford y Carrie Fisher, todos regresan y brindan actuaciones sólidas, y la interpretación de Hamill de Luke Skywalker es particularmente notable. Sin embargo, algunas de las escenas se alargan y la inclusión de los Ewoks como la principal fuerza de batalla disminuye el poder del Imperio y se siente como una estratagema comercial. Los efectos visuales, incluida la persecución del deslizador en Endor y las batallas espaciales, son impresionantes, y la luna boscosa de Endor es un lugar único y visualmente impactante. Sin embargo, el uso de una segunda Estrella de la Muerte no es original y la escena añadida de Boba Fett en Dune Seas no es bien recibida. Además, la inclusión de la trilogía de la precuela crea inconsistencias con ciertos aspectos de la historia, como los recuerdos de Leia de su madre biológica. En general, Return of the Jedi es un final apropiado para la trilogía clásica que cierra los arcos de los personajes, pero tiene sus fallas y no alcanza el mismo nivel que sus predecesores.

This is not quite Bantha fodder.

Following on from the freshness of Star Wars (1977) and the all round greatness of craft and story telling that was The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi was always going to struggle in comparison. That's not to say there are not fans who prefer it of the original trilogy, because there are many, and like minded fans of George Lucas' space saga shouldn't have a problem with that.

However, it is the weakest of the three. The characters we have come to love, and to be a part of their universe, are performed with gusto - but they are mostly thinly written, reduced to playing second fiddle to special effects, while the dark heart has been replaced with - well - smokey hokey (furry teddy bears with sticks and stones, I ask you). Then there's the lack of sexual tension so evident in the previous two films. Oh we love Han and Leia because that's love! But one can't help missing the sparks that was once between them - and Luke of course, hmm...

Yet for all that, of the irks and complaints, Return of the Jedi is still a thrilling film, the budget up on the screen to entertain the children and the adults with the child within. Characters and creatures wander into this wonderful world for super impact. The Emperor, Jabba the scene stealer, Rancor and Sarlaac, while the speeder bike chase, further lightsaber shenanigans and the space battle ensure the action is never far away - even if one can be a little underwhelmed by the big finale not all it can be.

Ultimately it was not without faults, but still it was one hell of a conclusion to a genre defining (then) trilogy. 8/10

This third of the original Star Wars films is probably my weakest. Possibly because the writing is not too tight but for me, more so because the "Ewoks" take over the thing and they are just stupidly annoying. What had potential to pitch the ultimate evil partnership against the Rebel Alliance became a toy-fight straight out of a Laurel and Hardy comedy - the storyline was infantile. Still it’s a great film to look at, and features just enough menace and diversion in the first hour to make it worth watching until an ending that I found the ultimate in disappointment!

Arguably the weakest (comparably) of the original trilogy, yet 'Return of the Jedi' is still an excellent film!

Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher remain a thoroughly enjoyable trio. I did find parts of the plot a little similar to 1977's 'Star Wars', due to the Death Star stuff, but overall I unquestionably enjoyed the 135 minutes.

The score is great again, while the new bunch of characters are cool. There are some memorable moments in there, as we see the first spate of films come to a close very nicely. I'm very intrigued to see where things go with the prequels, hopefully they continue to hit high marks.