Return of the Jedi (1983)

Return of the Jedi (1983) ★★★★★ 3/5

Once my favorite of the original trilogy, it has been removed of that title. Not by time, but rather by George Lucas himself. Because of his meddling in the film over time, it has completely ruined it. While in music it is a fairly common practice to remix and revise songs as time progresses, this practice does not hold true for movies. Upon their creation and release, the audience has the choice to either embrace it or disregard it. When Return of the Jedi was released, I embraced it. Now, I disregard it because of revisions made to the movie.

Over the course of time, George Lucas has altered the film repeatedly. Whether it be sharpening the imagery, adding effects, or worst of all completely altering scenes, his actions after initial release have ruined everything about the film.

The story is that of Han Solo's (Harrison Ford) rescue from Jabba The Hut. The entire cast reunites in the beginning of the film for an epic battle involving beasts, bounty hunters and odd creatures. However so much has changed. There is a ridiculous dance/music number by Sy Sootles and a bunch of other superimposed new characters. There are wide panning shots in the exterior with herds of mythical creatures. The shot looks so incredible animated and fake to begin with it doesn't even belong in a film. It looks like it should be in a video game. The Sarlac Pit where Solo and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) are sentenced to die is a bizarre pink color and suddenly has a head that looks like it was borrowed from Little Shop of Horrors. I had no idea what I was watching.

With the help of C3-PO, R2-D2 and Chewbacca, Solo, Skywalker, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) are saved. The group teams with the Rebel alliance to help destroy the newest Death Star being built. The main action occurs on the Ewok's planet Endor. On the ground, Solo, Leia, the driods and Chewbacca work with the Ewoks to battle Imperial troops on the ground in a effort to disarm the protective shields around the Death Star. In air, Calrissian and the Rebels attack the Death Star. Meanwhile Skywalker is on the Death Star battling his Father Darth Vader (James Earl Jones & David Prowse) as the Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) cheers for the Dark Side of the Force.

In the overall experience of the full 6 part series, Return of the Jedi does a wonderful job of closing the story line. The first 3 films in the series (which actually follow the release of Return of the Jedi) really do a nice job of tying in the characters and bringing us to the point where we see Palpatine go from a corrupt Senator to an evil Emperor. If this movie would have been left in it's original state and not tampered with, I would have easily given it 5 stars. There is too much damage done though and the film does not allow viewers to savor the originality of the film. Furthermore, the final scene has been altered to the point where it can not be fixed. As the Rebels celebrate, a ghostly image of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), Yoda (Frank Oz) and Anakin Skywalker (Sebastian Shaw) smile onward. It is a beautiful conclusion and all is well. Or is it? In the new version of the film, Anakin is shown in his younger years as played by Hayden Christensen in the recent prequels. He doesn't fit at all. It looks awkward in every way possible. This alteration made me feel sick. It completely ruined a fine and tender moment in the trilogy. Horrid.

George Lucas has cheapened and ruined his film. His alterations do far more damage then good and I can only hope that no other director or producer decides to go back and take such liberties with other films. Complete disgrace!

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The Empire Strikes Back (1980) ★★★★★ 5/5

This is a special movie for me. It brings back amazing memories as the first movie I really, clearly recall seeing in the theater. I was six years old and my Dad took me to see this on a snowy night. It was playing in one of those old theaters with the balconies on either side of the screen, the red velvet curtains draping around the screen, plush carpet with oriental designs. This was long before the movie plexes when theaters were in the heart of small downtown streets. Watching this movie in that theater was epic. Being a kid and looking up at the screen full of action and adventure. The sight of that movie on the big screen has always been embedded in my head.

Watching the film on a 60" LED, HD TV from Blu Ray brought back everything. The movie still holds up and is just as good now if not better. To my relief the additions Lucas added to the film were much more minor then what he added to Star Wars. There were no added dinosaurs or flying droids. It seemed that the bulk of the revisions were simply in making the colors brighter from explosions and lasers.

In this sequel to Star Wars, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) find themselves on the run from Darth Vader (David Prowse & James Earl Jones) with Chewbacca and C-3PO. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) makes his way to The Dagobah system with R2-D2 where Yoda (Frank Oz) begins training him as a Jedi Knight. Leia and Solo make their way to Cloud City where they can hide from Vader with the assistance of Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams). However Vader beats them to Cloud City and already has arranged for Calrissian to assist in capturing them. Once captured, Vader surrenders Solo to Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch), a bounty hunter who is going to take Solo to Jabba The Hutt to claim a reward for the price on his head. Vader uses Solo as a test in a carbon freeze chamber. When Vader sees that this device stores prisoners without harming them, he decides to lure Skywalker there in hopes of freezing him in the same manner to deliver him to the Emperor. Skywalker does come to resuce his friends but is too late. Instead he must face Vader where we learn the truth about their relationship. "Luke, I am your Father," Vader says in an effort to bring Luke to the dark side. Skywalker does not give in and chooses to drop hundreds of stories to the bottom of Cloud City where he is stuck hanging from an antenna. While this is happening, Calrissian overthrows a small group of Stormtroopers and rescues Leia and Chewbacca. They flee to the Millennium Falcon and leave Cloud City. As they fly off, Skywalker dangles from the antenna calling to Leia. She senses his trouble and can comprehend where he is. Once Skywalker has been saved, the film closes with Skywalker, Leia C3-PO and R2-D2 safe in a space station looking out upon the universe. The stage is set for the rescue of Solo.

Initially, I always found this to be my least favorite of the original trilogy. Looking at The Empire Strikes Back now, I feel I was wrong. I think this is actually the best of the original three films. The romance between Solo and Leia is classic Hollywood. They have a love/hate relationship with sexual tension so thick you can cut it with a knife. The storyline between Vader and Skywalker is well played. Fighting scenes are exceptional with astonishing visual and sound effects. The mastery in the beginning of the film where the Rebels battle the Empire on the planet Hoth is orchestrated beautifully. Flying fighters take down giant machines. Costumes are far more advanced in this film then the last. While I would say this movie is superior then Star Wars, it also has to be said that this film shouldn't be seen without first seeing Star Wars.