The final installment of the Star Wars saga is directed by Richard Marquand, while George Lucas serves as Executive Producer and co-writer. It begins with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and the rest of the heroes from the previous entries setting out to rescue Han Solo from galactic godfather Jabba the Hut. Elsewhere, the Empire is building a new Death Star. Just as you’d expect, the Rebellion stages a mission to destroy the Death Star. A ground force must go to the forest moon that the station is orbitting in order to disable a powerful shield so that the Rebel fighters can attack the Death Star. Luke has a more personal mission, though. He confronts Darth Vader and The Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) and must resist their attempts to turn him to the Dark Side of the Force.
The film is highly entertaining, and has anything one could expect from a Star wars film. The set design and effects are truly outstanding. In my opinion, the climactic space battle is just as good as any CGI extravaganza of today. The designs of many of the creatures inhabiting Jabba t he Hut’s lair are quite impressive as well. “Jedi” does have some serious flaws though. It’s definitely more cutesy and kiddie-aimed than it’s predecessors, in particular the furry Ewoks, a race of cute and cuddly teddy bear-like warriors who lend a helping hand in the battle against the Empire. As spectacular as the film’s climactic assault on the new Death Star is, it can’t help but seem like an unnecessary rehash of the first film’s climax. The final complaint is a minor one: Some of the plot turns used to tie up loose ends seem way too convenient.
I realize that it seems like I’m saying there’s a lot wrong with the film, but there’s really not. The action scenes are very entertaining, and the film carries a good deal of emotional weight. The best scenes are the scenes between Luke, Vader, and The Emperor. Vader delivers Luke to The Emperor who wishes to turn Luke and constantly taunts young Skywalker. The best performances of the film belong to Hamill and McDiarmid during these scenes. You can see doubt forming in Luke’s mind and you can see changes in the character of Darth Vader during these scenes. There’s not much more I can get into about that without giving out spoilers.
Overall, “Jedi” is certainly the weakest of the original Star Wars trilogy, but just because it’s not as good as the others in no way means that it’s not good on it’s own merits. It’s more of a return to the light-hearted adventure of the first Star Wars film. When Lucas revised the films to create the “Special Editions” this entry underwent the most changes, including a change to the ending which is highly controversial among fans. “Jedi” may not be perfect, but the Force is still with it.
Rating: PG
Running Time: 2 Hrs. 14 Mins. (Special Edition 2 Hrs. 15 Mins.)
Special Achievement Oscar: Visual Effects
Oscar Nominations (4): Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Original Score