Return of the Jedi, the Weakest of the Star Wars Films

Rating: 9/10 (29 July 1999)

It is never easy being openly critical of a Star Wars movie. So many people first saw them when they were very young which creates a do no wrong attitude. But after all of the comments putting down Phantom Menace, I felt the need to be straight about the weakest of the Star Wars movies, Return of the Jedi.
The beginning of Jedi involving the rescue of Han Solo is pretty good. This is a direct continuation of the Empire Strikes Back and fits well with the other two original movies. After this Jedi falls apart. Why?
1. The second half of Jedi is a straight rehash of the last half of A New Hope, in which the good guys need to blow up the evil Death Star. This direct repeat takes away from the suspense of the movie.

2. The acting is very uneven; Han Solo may be the favorite character for many in A New Hope and Harrison Ford is probably the most talented actor with a major role in ROTJ but he often seems out of place playing this new kinder, gentler guy. When Solo finds out Leia's true relationship with Luke, Ford's acting is so bad that I laugh every time I see it. The acting between Fisher and Hamill at the end is also very weak.
3. The Ewoks are a joke; In A New Hope in scene after scene one thing that is established clearly is that the Storm Troopers are a lethal military force. The idea that 4 foot tall creatures with stone tipped spears and arrows could defeat 20 fully armored, blaster carrying Storm Troopers much less a legion of them is so incredible that it ruins the believability of the middle to the ending of the film.
4. The light saber battle has a big problem; There is no way that Luke Skywalker could defeat Darth Vader the way it occurs in Jedi. Mark Hamill's slow and monotonous sword strokes are supposed to force Vader to his knees. There is no physical reason for Vader to do this. Some people try to argue that it was Luke's use of the Force that defeats Vader. But they forget that Vader's connection with the Force is so strong that he is able to defeat the power of the Emperor.
Fortunately, Lucas tried to improve this film. An excellent example is how he changed the original silly ending of ROTJ with its lame music and Mark Hamill's corny smile. Lukas' redone final two minutes are powerful and have the right mood.
But Lucas' real fixing of Return of the Jedi is Phantom Menace. Phantom's plot is in some ways similar to Jedi, (for instance, both films start out with a negotiation meeting) But there are variety and style changes in Phantom. The villains of Phantom Menace are always mysterious and the motives of the enemy are clouded in politics and manipulation. There are moments of deep sadness in Phantom that is not undercut by life after death plot twists. Qui-Gon Jinn and Anakin's mother are tragic characters which have no direct counterpart in the original movies.
The acting in Phantom while not great, unlike Jedi, is always good. This is due to Lucas' use of established actors; Neeson, McGregor and Portman. The fact is Hamill and Fisher never were successful outside of Star Wars films. Also the young Harrison Ford in Star Wars while good, had not yet polished his acting skills.
Unlike the Ewoks, the Gungans in Phantom, in spite of having cartoon elements, are very believable as fighters and as characters. First this is due to the computer animation which is very realistic. But also the Gungan technology while called primitive, their energy weapons, shields and underwater city show a group that can hold their own in Star Wars.

The sword fighting in Phantom Menace is the best I have seen in any film including Rob Roy. Every second of the light saber duels in Phantom feels like a real struggle especially when compared to the battle between Luke and Vader in Jedi.
Jedi has its good points. While Phantom is a much more polished movie, it does not have the thundering climaxes of Jedi. Phantom has intrigue and sadness but it lacks the intense father and son struggle in Jedi.

Return of the Jedi has spectacular special effects. It appeals to younger children and it also tries to show a hero's story of final triumph in a fantasy, science fiction world. The beginning of the movie blends these elements well. The second half falls down due to poor acting, unbelievable characters and a routine plot.