Return of the Jedi: the 40th Anniversary
The Blind Eternities forum
Posted on May 10, 2023, 8:47 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
This year is the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi, the third and final installment in the original Star Wars trilogy.
After the phenomenal debut of the previous movie, The Empire Strikes Back, which ended with one of the most shocking plot twists in motion picture history and the heroes being completely and utterly defeated, audiences were eager for the conclusion of this epic storyline, so hype and anticipation were very high. RotJ underperformed compared to its predecessor, but that simply was because ESB had been such a phenomenal film, and not due to any failing by RotJ.
Some elements of RotJ did feel somewhat corny and campy compared to the previous two films, such as the various quirky critters in Jabba the Hutt's palace or especially the Ewoks, but the film did also introduce Emperor Palpatine, who is unquestionably one of cinema's greatest villains, played to absolute perfection by Scottish actor Ian McDiarmid, and it also contained its own plot twist, which is nearly as famous as the plot twist from the previous movie, although, unlike the previous plot twist, which was very subtly foreshadowed in the first two films, that plot twist was a complete surprise that had no foreshadowing, at all (as a side note, I wonder if the writers of this film took inspiration from Halloween II, which was released in 1981, two years earlier, and featured a very similar plot twist that also made little sense). Also, this movie was the first time in the franchise's history that merchandising influenced the production of the film, since actions figures for the character of general Crix Madine, released only shortly before the film, had beards, which forced Dermot Crowley, the actor who played him, to wear a fake beard, which I think was a severe travesty. Even more egregious are the changes that George Lucas has made each time that the film has been re-issued; replacing Lapti Nek with Jedi Rocks was already a highly questionable decision, but having Darth Vader shout "no!" while Palpatine was torturing Luke and also replacing Sebastian Shaw as Anakin with Hayden Christiansen was absolutely unforgivable; I shall confess that I like the new victory song in the 1997 version over the original 1983 victory song, but that is the only change of which I approve.
Naturally, with any film of this magnitude, especially one made before the internet was commonplace, rumors have spread about this film, and one rumor that I heard was that an early script of the movie had the entire plot be focused on rescuing Han, with the heroes fighting Boba Fett at the climax of the film, saving the confrontation with Vader and Palpatine, and the final battle against the empire, for a future film. I also heard a rumor that Luke's sister was originally intended to be a completely new character, but that Leia was revealed to be his sister after Lucas and the other producers chose to end the story after three movies. Has anyone here ever heard any rumors about this film?
RotJ does contain a number of flaws, but I definitely think that it was a fitting conclusion to an epic film trilogy, and helped to ensure that Star Wars had a permanent place in popular culture. With this year being the film's 40th anniversary, I expect that Lucasfilm shall promote and celebrate that milestone, since this film definitely deserves to be honored in such a way.
How does everyone else feel about this year being the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi?
Slight correction, Palpatine was introduced in Empire - there is a scene where he and Vader have a conversation via hologram. He was actually played by a woman, Marjorie Eaton (which was only uncovered in 2016), in his first appearance in Empire, albeit one in heavy makeup and with a male voiceover. In 2004, Lucas digitally altered Empire to replace Waton with McDiarmid.
May 11, 2023 12:41 a.m. Edited.
DemonDragonJ says... #4
Caerwyn, yes, I do recall that, and I am just barely old enough to have seen the original theatrical versions of the original trilogy on VHS, but that scene was so brief, that I considered RotJ to be Palpatine's proper introduction.
Abaques says... #2
Mostly it makes me feel old....
Honestly RotJ is a great film, only really suffering when compared to Empire Strikes Back, which is one of the best films of all time. Personally I rate it as the third best Star Wars film, only barely behind A New Hope and comfortably ahead of Rogue One. The confrontation with Luke, Vader and Palpatine was excellent, with the best lightsaber duel of the original trilogy. The attack on the second Death Star is still probably the best large scale space battle in Star Wars (with Rogue One's attack on Scariff being number two for me). And while the Ewoks were a little silly, the battle on Endor is still fun.
I will go to war over not respecting Yub Nub as the best victory song of all time. If I become a billionaire tyrant and one of my sports teams wins a championship, Yub Nub is getting blasted through the stadium speakers.
May 10, 2023 11:18 p.m.