It's hard to know where one stands on this film...

Rating: 9/10 (14 April 2003)

Back in 1983, Star Wars was the hottest thing that had come out of Hollywood. Ever. Children were lining up in droves to get their hands on the toys (which were actually well-made in those days) and adults were either lining up with the children, or buying tickets to see the film. Repeatedly.
Sadly, it didn't take film studios long to realise after this film had finished its theatrical run that merchandising, not ticket sales, was where the real money could be made. This fact is quite wittily referenced in Mel Brooks' Spaceballs, but today, we have really bad films with childish merchandising like Harry Potty, or really great films on which some mediocre merchandising is based, such as The Lord Of The Rings. Or really mediocre films on which good merchandising is based, such as Tomb Raider.
After The Empire Strikes Back was mostly done without George Lucas' creative input, he threw a tantrum and basically promised the world that he'd never let go of creative control again. A real tragedy, I am sure you'll agree. While Lucas was still vaguely aware of his creative deficiencies, and he hived off the direction and writing tasks, he just had to slip more merchandising tie-ins for the benefit of the audience, and his wallet.
Most of these merchandising tie-ins weren't too bad, however. The Ewoks made for good symbolism, with an evil, technologically advanced empire being defeated by midget teddy bears who have only the forces of nature (and the Rebellion) on their side. The creatures in Jabba's palace were an example of Lucas at his most outrageous, but the Special Edition of 1997 turned them into a farce. However, what I really craved at the time, and I still do, is a proper scale replica of the Super Star Destroyer. Sure, the cost would have been horrendous, but it would be worth it.
The conclusion of the whole Skywalker saga is surprisingly effective, if a little sappy in places. The motivations and the acting are done well, but some of the dialogue is utterly appalling. Half the time, I didn't know whether there was going to be a lightsaber battle or a Blues-Brothers style Christian revival meeting. All they needed was for James Brown to come out from behind the Emperor's throne and all would be lost in a sea of madness.
One area where the Special Edition is an improvement, however, is the celebration scenes after the end of the battle. With the Emperor dead and the entire galaxy liberated, the original theatrical release just got plain silly. Many overzealous fans have claimed that the lyrics of the original finale music translate into something like "Have some droppings, bad actors, but please pull the burrs out of my butt fur". Seeing the revelry in all the places we've visited in the previous two films, as well as Coruscant, makes for a far more satisfying conclusion by comparison.
Okay, it's not a perfect film, but at least in 1983, George didn't insist on complete control over the films, and that is exactly where the new episodes are going wrong. Sure, the special effects are a thousand times better and the lightsaber duels make those of the earlier three films look like old men hitting each other with their canes by comparison, but at least they managed to make us care about the characters in this effort.