a lousy conclusion

Rating: 4/10 (25 October 1998)

Every time I tell people how horrible I thought Return of the Jedi was they give me this puzzled look and say, "but it's Return of the Jedi! You can't hate Return of the Jedi!" However, this movie really bothers me every time I see it. The creativity of the first Star Wars made it a great movie, and the shocking twist in Empire made it quite possibly the greatest sequel ever. Yet this incredible scenario presented at the end of Empire was wasted in a movie full of rehash. First of all, could Lucas really come up with nothing better than a SECOND Death Star??! And just like the first one, the movie ended in an all out assault on it. Luke and Vader fought with light sabers (again!). Not to mention, in a desperate attempt to recapture the emotion created in the audience after Vader said his famous "I AM YOUR FATHER", Lucas made Leia turn out to be Luke's long-lost sister. Give me a break! A little competition between Han and Luke might show some semblance of conflict among the good guys. Just because it's sci-fi doesn't mean it can't be somewhat realistic in character presentation. Vader's unmasking was disappointing. Instead of Lon Chaney unmasked as the phantom, we got Uncle Fester with acne. Carrie Fischer can't act worth $#\&*! Although I could go on and on, I'll give just one final reason. Three words: Ewoks! Ewoks! Ewoks! I hate those furry little muppet wannabes. They were added for one reason and one reason only, so Lucas could line his pockets by making Ewok stuffed animals, talking Ewok toys, Ewok lunchboxes, and even an Ewok TV show! The bottom line is, this is the most OVERRATED movie in the history of Hollywood!!!