Star Wars Retrospective: Episode 6

I've found out that my problem with my headaches is a combination of the fact the weather (I get headaches when it's way to hot out), my new glasses, and caffeine withdrawal of all things.  After I had a soda, I felt MUCH better.  So, instead of cutting out the soda entirely, I'm trying to wean myself down from three cups of soda at approximately 20 ounces, (what I'm starting with now) to two, to one, to none.

Anyway, on to the retrospective.

Episode 6: Return of the Jedi.  The end of the Original Trilogy, and the end of the saga of Anakin Skywalker. And also the worst of the Old Trilogy.  Don't get me wrong, it's still a very good movie, and it's vastly superior to Episode 1 and 2, but it doesn't live up to the quality seen in the two directly prior.  Hell, it' superior to Episode 3!

There's little I can say about the characters at this point.  Ian McDiarmid makes his debut as Palpatine in this movie, and performs his role as Emperor and Lord of the Sith perfectly.  Imperious, creepy, kinda sleazy, and powerful as hell; McDiarmid portrayed those traits perfectly.

Now, for plot points; Vader's redemption.  We see a hint of what Anakin Skywalker should have been in Empire, when Vader called out to Luke through the Force, but this is the movie where we truly get to see what Luke means to Vader; Luke is not only his way to free himself from the thrall of Palpatine, he's his last link to Padme, and his only chance at being loved.  And that's all he ever wanted, every since he left Tatooine as a boy; to have some love him.

Luke's journey, however, is very different.  He's trained to be a weapon to kill the Emperor and Vader, but he ends up a true Jedi; a wise man who looks for the right answer, not just the quickest one.  Granted, he stumbled on the journey; he not only attacked the Emperor out of anger (and he would have killed him, had Vader not jumped to the Emperor's defense), but he viciously attacked Vader when he realized that Luke had a sister.  But, in the end, Luke chose to be a Jedi, like his father before him.  Better, in many ways, because Luke was calm during situations when Anakin would have losing it.

Now, the story between Leia and Han continued as it should, with a couple of fun twists.  I thought the moments when Han thought Leia was in love with Luke to be kinda funny in a lot of ways.  The scene where Han says "I won't stand in the way of you and Luke" was too funny, especially when Leia told him that Luke was her brother.

The Ewoks were cool.  Cute and cuddly characters who had a very tribal, hunter focused society made them both kid appeal and awesome.  Watch the way they fought the Empire; not the silly moments where they try to take down an AT-ST with a piece of rope, but the moments where they are jamming their spears into the soft parts in the stormtrooper armor. 

Now, for the nitpicky stuff.  First is the change from Sebastian Shaw as Anakin's Force Ghost into Hayden Christensen as Anakin's Force Ghost.  The reason behind it is that Anakin reverts back to the way he was before he falls to the Dark Side, and I really don't have a problem with this change.  It's a very silly change, but it doesn't hurt the universe or the movie.

What I DO have a problem with is this; how the hell does Cloud City, Tatooine, Naboo and Coruscant know that the Emperor is dead and the Death Star has been destroyed?  I know instantaneous galactic wide communication works, but I question the logic of showing that.  I really doubt the Empire would broadcast the Emperor just died, and I doubt that the average citizen would believe that the Alliance killed the Emperor that early. 

And, of course, Jar Jar is now in Return of the Jedi....No.   Just.....No.  Why the fuck would George Lucas put Jar Jar in Return of the Jedi?  Granted, he's not physically in the fucking movie, but why have him shout "Wesa free!"

All in all, I enjoy watching Return of the Jedi.  I just ignore the bullshit, and I enjoy the movie.

Next up, a full retrospective on the entire saga.

Now, unlike these past six, tomorrow won't be an old entry; it will be brand new.  So, I'm going to actually have to think about what I'm going to say.  Look forward to it!