Our ongoing series looking at movies that took the blockbuster genre to the extreme and perhaps to excess. Note that these reviews may contain spoilers.
What Is It?
This third and final movie in the original Star Wars trilogy picks up where The Empire Strikes Back left off, following its cliffhanger ending. We find Luke Skywalker confronting Jabba the Hutt, who has Han Solo in captivity (delivered to him frozen in carbonite by the Empire at the end of the previous movie). Luke, with the help of the droids, Lando, Chewbacca, and Leia (posing in her infamous gold bikini as a slave in Jabba’s service), succeeds in freeing Han. They then head to the forest moon of Endor, where they learn that the Empire is constructing a second Death Star. On the moon, they encounter the small, furry, teddy-bear-like creatures known as Ewoks, who at first appear menacing but ultimately help them in their assault on the Imperial forces.
Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Frank Oz
Crew: Richard Marquand (Director), George Lucas (Screenplay), Lawrence Kasdan (Screenplay), John Williams (Music)
Original Release: May 25, 1983
What Were Its Excesses?
While Return of the Jedi carried on directly from The Empire Strikes Back and wrapped up the story of the original Star Wars trilogy, its creative direction was influenced more heavily by merchandising decisions as Hollywood greed started to creep into the franchise.
A Closer Look:
Return of the Jedi (aka Star Wars – Episode VI: Return of the Jedi) is, for the most part, well regarded among fans, but it has become infamous because of George Lucas’ decision to include the cuddly-cute Ewoks. And while I do like the movie and feel that it still carried on the tradition of the first two films in the series, I also recognize that it represents a turning point for the franchise, and perhaps movie-making in general.
The first Star Wars film helped kick off the Blockbuster era (along with Jaws two years earlier), when moviegoers raised their expectations and began to demand spectacles of a similar caliber. More blockbusters followed in the late ’70s and into the ’80s, even if they did not always deliver the same ingenuity and sense of awe seen in the early entries of that era.
By the beginning of the ’80s, science fiction and fantasy films had proven themselves to be strong box-office draws, and Hollywood took notice. But they increasingly became more about big profits than any sort of artistic expression—or, for that matter, even just trying to tell a good story. And in many ways, Return of the Jedi represents a pivotal point in this shift in the Hollywood machine.
With the first Star Wars film, George Lucas succeeded in capturing the magic of old serials like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, as well as pulp space operas like E. E. “Doc” Smith’s Lensman series. He brought this fantasy fully realized to the big screen with special effects along lines audiences had never before seen. Then, with The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas delved deeper into the characters and the Star Wars universe and began to truly build on his epic tale. Both of these movies were driven by a palpable inspiration and ingenuity that translated to the screen and drew audiences into the story and the fantastic worlds he had created. However, the inspiration—and perhaps sincerity—began to wane with Return of the Jedi.
Star Wars had become a major industry by this point, not just through revenue from the films but also through merchandising with toys, books, comics, and more. Business demands began to dictate the course of the franchise, superseding the needs of the story arc it had previously established. Many fans know that the original plan had Return of the Jedi heading to the Wookie home planet for the final battle against the Empire. Lucas changed his mind, however, and delivered the instantly marketable Ewoks instead.
This was a dubious choice for many reasons, which perhaps ultimately backfired, as the Ewoks did not have sustained marketability, while fans would likely have continued snapping up Wookiee products had that path been taken. In any case, it represented Lucas making a decision for one of the major films in his beloved franchise that elevated merchandising over story and further development of the universe. Where inspiration had driven the films previously, calculated maneuvers now took over.
By this point, longtime partner and co-producer Gary Kurtz had already exited the Star Wars films because he felt that Lucas had shifted away from the epic tale he had begun and more toward treating the franchise as a product, something Jedi seemed to confirm. This also had broader implications for the movie industry. A franchise that had once seemed like a savior and guiding light for science fiction and fantasy on the big screen—delivering a breath of fresh air and a new direction—had now succumbed to the money-first attitude of the Hollywood machine.
From this point forward, too often the marketable product took precedence over artistic or aesthetic value. And even if you accept the presence of the Ewoks (who did not bother me quite as much as they did others), Return of the Jedi still fell short story-wise when compared to the previous two movies.
The Star Wars franchise has always been derivative, but the first two films excelled at taking something old and making it feel fresh and new, and this came largely from the sincerity that fueled George Lucas’ ambitions up to that point. The dialogue may have been trite, but it was not copy-and-paste. The scenes may have felt familiar, but they weren’t retreads. With Jedi, however, Lucas’ muse lagged, and the film began to feel stale in places. He even had the audacity to redo the first movie’s attack on the Death Star, only amped up to the nth degree, sequel-style.
By that time, Lucas had more than enough money to produce whatever special effects he wanted, and the inventiveness that had triumphed over technical shortcomings in the earlier films disappeared. Jedi was certainly the most technically superior of the first three films, but it fell short of delivering a fully satisfying story. Still, the movie has its charms, and it managed to rise above the absolute corporate cynicism of the two trilogies that would later follow. But it also marks a shift in the direction of the Blockbuster era that Star Wars had helped kick off just a few years earlier. From this point on, pomp, spectacle, and marketability took the lead. And while films of merit certainly continued to be made, artistically vapid entries became far more common as the Blockbuster era shifted into high gear.
Interesting Facts:
In an infamous example of “Hollywood accounting,” for many years Lucasfilm claimed that Return of the Jedi did not turn a profit, even though it brought in $475 million in global receipts (unadjusted) against a budget of $32.5 million. This allowed the company to avoid paying bonuses that were contingent on the film making money (for example, David Prowse never received residuals from the movie).
George Lucas did not want Princess Leia to be an “eye-candy damsel in distress” in the Star Wars story, so the scripts called for outfits that made her look like a strong leader. While Carrie Fisher appreciated this, she noted that it often seemed like no one could tell she was a woman. This ultimately led to her being dressed in the infamous gold bikini in Return of the Jedi.
Where Can You Watch It?
The film is widely available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD, and you can also purchase it VOD. It is currently available for streaming on Disney+ and AMC+.
