Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

Review Date: April 8th, 2022

Another day, another Star Wars review. Return of the Jedi, the last movie of the Original Star Wars Trilogy Here, we have more character introductions, & some more character development as well. Sometime after its release in 1983, Star Wars became even bigger. It was originally titled as Revenge of the Jedi. But the title was too dark for George Lucas. So he changed it to Return of the Jedi. Here’s the original trailer of Revenge of the Jedi, before the title got changed:

I know it’s been about a week since I last did a review. Things have been exciting for me, & my Aunt Sandy (Dad’s older sister) got me HBO Max last Friday, so that I can see The Batman (2022). I even made a movie poster for it from Canva. Check it out in the Photo Gallery section on my website. But anyways, let’s get down to the review.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!

1 year after the events of The Empire Strikes Back, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), & R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) rescue Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from Jabba the Hutt at Jabba’s Palace on Tatooine, by unfreezing him out of carbonite. But they are caught, & enslaved. Then, Luke Skywalker arrives to bargain for his friends’ release. But they fall through the trapdoor, to be eaten by a rancor. When Luke kills the rancor, Jabba sentences them to death, by being fed to the Sarlacc, a dangerous beast on the desert floor that digests its prey over the course of a millennium. Having hidden his (Luke Skywalker) new lightsaber inside R2-D2, Luke frees himself, & his friends, & they battle Jabba’s men aboard the crime lord’s sail barge.

During the fight, Boba Fett falls into the Sarlacc Pit, Han Solo accidentally damages his jetpack, & Princess Leia strangles Jabba to death with her chains, killing him. They destroy Jabba’s sail barge, & they escape. During the time of the film’s theatrical release, the audiences back in 1983 think that Boba Fett had died. But in reality, he did manage to escape from the Sarlacc Pit in some other works though. Like in comic books for an example. Here’s a video from YouTube by The Stupendous Wave, explaining those details:

As the others rendezvous with the Rebel Alliance, Luke Skywalker returns to Dagobah, so that he can finish his training with Yoda (Frank Oz), whom he discovers his dying. Yoda confirms that Darth Vader (David Prowse & James Earl Jones), once the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker is Luke’s father, & reveals that there’s another Skywalker. After that, he vanishes, & becomes 1 with the force. The spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) informs Luke that Princess Leia is his twin sister, & that he must face Darth Vader again to finish his training, & defeat the Empire.

Meanwhile, the Rebel Alliance learns that the Empire has been constructing a 2nd Death Star known as…

Death Star II

under the supervision of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid).

As the station’s protected by an energy shield, Han Solo leads a strike team, which includes Luke, Leia, & Chewbacca to destroy the shield generator on the forest moon of Endor; doing so will make it easier for the Rebel Alliance to destroy the Death Star II. Then, they encounter a tribe of Ewoks, gaining their trust after an initial conflict with them. Shortly after, Luke tells Leia that she’s his sister, & Darth Vader is their father, & that he must confront him. Surrendering to the Stormtroopers, Luke is brought before Vader, & fails to convince him to turn back to the light side of the force.

Then, Darth Vader takes Luke Skywalker to meet Emperor Palpatine, revealing to Luke that the Rebel Alliance, & his friends are headed into a trap. Back on Endor, Han’s team gets captured by the Empire. But a counterattack by the Ewoks allows the Rebels to infiltrate the shield generator, while Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), & Admiral Ackbar lead the Rebel assault on the 2nd Death Star.

Back on the 2nd Death Star, Luke Skywalker attempts to attack Emperor Palpatine. But Darth Vader intervenes, & the 2 engage in a lightsaber duel. Luke Skywalker defeats Darth Vader, by severing his prosthetic hand. But Emperor Palpatine tells Luke to kill Vader. Refusing to kill his own father, Emperor Palpatine tortures Luke Skywalker with force lightning, as Luke Skywalker begs Darth Vader to help him. Unwilling to let his own son to fall into the hands of his master, Darth Vader saves Luke Skywalker, by betraying Emperor Palpatine, & throwing him down a reactor shaft, falling to his death. But is severely electrocuted in the process. At his father’s final request, Luke Skywalker removes Darth Vader’s helmet, seeing the face of Anakin Skywalker. But he dies peacefully in Luke’s arms.

After the strike team destroys the shield generator on Endor, Lando Calrissian leads the Rebel fighters into the 2nd Death Star’s core. However, they manage to destroy the 2nd Death Star’s main reactor, & escape before the station explodes, as Luke Skywalker escapes in a shuttle. Back on Endor, Luke burns Vader’s empty armor on a pyre, & reunites with his friends. As the Rebel Alliance celebrate their victory, Luke Skywalker looks cheerfully upon the spirits of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, & the now redeemed Anakin Skywalker. Anakin Skywalker was played by Sebastian Shaw in the theatrical version, & Hayden Christensen in the 2004 DVD re-release.

THE END (for now)

The last installment of the Star Wars Original Trilogy was a great conclusion though. However, with the Prequels being finished, the ending could’ve been better if there were more Jedi ghosts though. Something more like this…

OVERALL: 9/10

End of Review