When I first saw Return of the Jedi as a kid, I thought it was a pretty solid conclusion. It felt big and epic, I loved the action sequences, and I loved that it took things into another planet with the Endor battle. I also loved seeing all the characters again and watching them grow, especially Luke and Han. As for the bad guys, seeing the emperor was pretty cool since he added that extra level of threat and creepiness.
Stop smiling you freaky old fuddy duddy.
In repeat viewings, though, I started to feel a bit less satisfied. It’s not a horrible film, and it’s not bad either, but I started to feel a bit underwhelmed. Aside from the cool things, it amounts to just another Death Star battle. Plus, some of the writing feels a bit rushed in places, and it does seem like there needed to be more of an emotional punch. I’m not saying that emotional stuff doesn’t exist in this installment, but I feel like this still needed more.
A New Hope had the loss of Obi Wan, Empire Strikes Back had Luke losing his hand and learning the truth about his father, but Return of the Jedi feels like it didn’t have enough of an emotional loss. And while it does have Yoda passing on and becoming one with the force, it feels like there wasn’t enough of an emotional grab before his passing. It’s as if the filmmakers were like, “Hey, you loved Yoda in Empire Strikes Back, right? Remember how wise and powerful he was? Yeah? Well he’s dead!”
In addition to this, the behind-the-scenes production stories suggest that the movie could’ve been different. It might have been stronger on an emotional level, maybe even coming close to Empire. There was actually discussion of killing off Han in the film where he would’ve sacrificed himself in some way. But even though Harrison Ford, co-writer Lawrence Kasdan, and producer Gary Kurtz liked the idea, George Lucas decided against it and got what he wanted. As if that weren’t enough, Kurtz was replaced. I could really dive into why this was a bad idea, but to give a quick take on this: I feel that George should’ve been more open to ideas and that Gary shouldn’t have been replaced. The first two films are, in my opinion, more satisfying and more well-written, so it makes me wonder how ROTJ could’ve been had he still been involved.
In addition, other directors were considered for Return of the Jedi, including Steven Spielberg and, most notably, David Lynch. Richard Marquand does a fine enough job, but I can’t help but wonder if another director might’ve handled the material better. It would’ve been great if Irvin Kershner directed Jedi after having done Empire, but he stated in this interview with Vanity Fair that working on Empire took a lot out of him and that he wanted to move on.
All that stuff aside, the movie does have things that I really like. The speeder bike chase in Endor is really exciting, the whole first act at Jabba’s Place is neat with all its creatures, and watching Lando fly the Millennium Falcon is loads of fun since Billy Dee Williams brings a lot of energy and charisma to the character. Then there’s the ewoks. I can understand why some people don’t like them, but I personally don’t mind their cute teddy bear qualities. They may have been created just to sell toys, but I like the look of them. Their tree-house village makes for nice scenery too, especially during the night-time sections.
And of course, there’s the showdown between Luke, Vader, and Emperor Palpatine. It’s well-choreographed and is pretty intense on a character level. The very last scene with Luke and Anakin is easily one of the film’s highlights. Seeing Luke take off the helmet and have a short moment with his father adds a lot, even giving a sense of closure.
John Williams’ use of the Imperial March is hauntingly effective here.
In the end, Return of the Jedi does have good ideas, and a solid first act, but I get the feeling that we could’ve had a stronger film had things gone differently. I can’t say I hate it because that’s too strong of a word; but from the original trilogy, it is the installment I watch the least. Still, I’m glad it’s there since the good things do work and it does wrap up the story nicely enough.
Until next time… never work on a Death Star as an independent contractor during a giant space battle. See ya next week! o/
Kasey Lewis - Actor, Writer, Creator 
And yes, I’m a big Boba Fett fan, so I do give the film less points for giving him such a lame “death.”
I mean come on, watching him take a whack in the back and ending up a sarlaac snack is ridiculous. It’s like something you’d see in a Buster Keaton short. #BringHimBack
If Darth Vader’s lightsaber hand had not been cut off, I think when the Emperor was torturing Luke that would have given Darth Vader plenty of time to kill the Emperor. He could have cut him in half or stabbed him through the heart.