Return of the Jedi

Drew Struzans finest

Now it is trendy among fanboys to disparage Jedi for being anticlimactic, most disdain the ewoks for being too childish. But that aside I think Jedi is a fantastic film, mainly because of the confrontation with the Emperor, because Palpatine is a truly mesmerizing enemy, like a king cobra. I would give the first two movies perfect 10s, but Jedi only gets an 8 from me, which is still really great. The camera work isn't as assured as the first two movies, not as immaculately composed, and the blocking of the scenes isn't always perfect. Indeed, its a great shame Lucas had a falling out with Director Irvine Kershner over the prolonged shooting of Empire and running over budget, if he'd have directed this I have no doubt it would be flawless. But to give credit where credits due Marquand did give us slave girl Leia, something for which I'm eternally grateful, and something which would be decried in this current hollywood psychological climate of equal rights and pro feminism. Now I'm all for those things, and I love how women are being pushed to the front now, I get tired of sausage fests. But I think they threw the baby out with the bathwater by becoming too prudish. After all beautiful women love the power they have over men and love to flaunt their bodies, as proven by any celebrity event you can mention. As the old saying goes, if you've got it flaunt it. I would have loved for Lucas to direct it too, he did an awesome job with Star Wars, theres an electric dynamism to his scenes which is deeply compelling, he was the Michael Bay of his era. And I love Lucas's direction of the prequels, while admitting hes not that strong at directing actors. To me Jedi succeeds because its a morality tale about choosing good over evil, embodied by the drama with Palaptine and Vader, and because of the fantastic confrontation with Jabba, where Luke basically flops his huge penis out and swings it around. The three level climax is outstanding as well, with Lando leading the fleet, and Han and Leia leading the ground assault, while Luke deals with the enemy leaders. The ship battles are the fastest and best ever, and the lightsaber battles are beautifully choreographed. Han and Leias romance is tested as well, where Han is tempted to retreat into his old persona of being rude and obnoxious, but he puts aside his petty anger to take care of Leias emotional needs. The showdown with the Emperor is truly awesome, Palpatine cackling with smug satisfaction as he hammers Luke emotionally, until he reveals his true godlike power and only Vader can stop him. The ewoks are a little childish and goofy, but I also think their adorable and funny, so I give them a pass. Awesome conclusion to the saga, and a solid 8/10 for me.