“In a galaxy far, far away. . .” critics raved about the release of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. They praised the original trilogy’s ability to keep the exciting momentum of the first two films going strong. However, many fans did not feel it.
1977, Star Wars: A New Hope won over the audience with his quick wit and enthusiastic penchant for crowd-pleasing explosions. Three years later, George Lucas raised the stakes for the trio of heroes with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
The final installment in the original trilogy should have been just as successful. Even critics who are notoriously hard to please, such as Roger Ebert, called the film “a complete amusement.” What went wrong for the fans?
The good
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi was the last installation in the original trilogy and it shows. Writers Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt helped George Lucas screen the final story of the original trilogy.
The film concludes the hero’s journey for Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in his epic battle against Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker (David Prowse). While Emperor Sheev Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) tries to trick Luke into falling to the Dark Side, Luke fights to reconnect Vader with the Light Side.
It provided the public with gems, such as the infamous revelation of a sibling and Vader throwing Palpatine down a reactor shaft. More importantly, the film blessed audiences with a bikini-clad princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) who choked Jabba the Hutt (David Barclay) to death.
The costumes and special effects were recognized at several awards ceremonies, including the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTAS). Luke’s & Vader’s lightsaber fight is a testament to how special those effects really were.
Critics praised the stories of writers like Kasdan & Arndt for bringing Lucas’ vision to life. Members of award academies around the world celebrated the film’s achievements to visually tell a compelling story. But many fans simply remain unimpressed.
The bad
Nerds love Star Wars for many reasons, including Lucas’ world-building abilities and his grittiness. Unfortunately for Lucasfilm, many fans see Star Wars: Return of the Jedi as lack of both.
Fans claim it makes no sense. Star Wars: A New Hope notes that the Deathstar took over twenty years to make; yet ROTJ sees the second Deathstar built in four years. This makes even less when you consider that the second one was bigger!
Fans also claim that parts of the movie feel silly. They point to scenes like Jabba burping as evidence of unnecessary craziness throughout the film. Whatever the complaint, all the fans who hate this movie seem to agree on one thing. . . .
The Ewoks
The Ewoks are the absolute worst! Fans argue that the Ewoks brought an unnecessary amount of silliness into an otherwise bleak film. They further claim that the emotionally upsetting nature makes it difficult to suspend their disbelief.
Fans also claim that the Ewoks are a fur-covered ploy to improve merchandise sales for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. They are convinced that the Ewoks had no real purpose in the film. They therefore assume that it is a money grab.
However, many fans just feel robbed of Wookies. The ‘Battle of Endor’ was originally supposed to be the ‘Battle of Kashyyyk’, the homeworld of the Wookies. To them, it makes much more sense for Wookies to defeat stormtroopers than Ewoks.
Always angry fans
Star Wars is arguably one of the biggest franchises in modern movie history to the point where the original trilogy continues to influence pop culture. Still, not every installment of the series has been well received by fans.
While many argue Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is one of those less good installations, others would say it could be worse. Also, neither the prequel nor the sequel trilogies inspired much more love.
So maybe it’s just the geeks with as much opinion as a genuine love for movies. Perhaps they would have something to say, regardless of their quality. It will stop them from continuing to consume Star Wars contents. They will just keep judging it.
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That Star Wars movie do you think is the worst? Do you love them all? Or are you a fan of “I’m only watching the *insert trilogy*”? Let us know in the comments below!
