Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Tomorrow night, here in Britain, Sky airs "Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi." This was the first "Star Wars" film to disappoint me, at all. Originally released in 1983, three years after "The Empire Strikes Back," I came out of it thinking that it hadn't lived up to the standard set by "Empire." Admittedly, "Empire" was a tough act to beat, or even match.
When George Lucas revealed he was going to make sequels, there was a time when he said that he planned to make nine films, all together: three trilogies. In an interview I read just prior to the release of "Return of the Jedi," Lucas then said he was stopping after this third film. Lucas was going through rough times in his personal life, getting divorced, for example. He sounded tired of the ordeal of doing three "Star Wars" films over the past decade. To me, the storyline of "Jedi" reflects all this. It seems like the film attempts to wind up all plot lines that were ongoing, and does so in a rushed and unsatisfactory way. I didn't like the building of a second Death Star. The Death Star had been done already, so I wanted something new. Darth Vader, who was built up into one of the strongest, most powerful villains of all time, in "Empire," is suddenly defeated quite easily. Also, there are too many cuddly teddy bear types, with the Ewoks. Their ability to defeat the technologically superior Imperial Stormtroopers stretched credibility.
In almost a complete reversal from what he did for "Empire," Lucas hired a somewhat inexperienced director, Richard Marquand, to direct "Jedi." In an interview, Marquand, a Welshman, criticized the much more senior and experienced director of "Empire," Irvin Kershner, for parts of "Empire" that I thought worked very well. His doing so did not impress me. In fact, it had the opposite effect. Marquand definitely went in a different direction.
After my initial disappointment, I watched "Return of the Jedi" again and found it more enjoyable. This happens a lot to me, with films where I have a big expectation. Once I get over my initial disappointment, I often find I like a film more on a second viewing. There are still some great elements in "Jedi." The speeder bike chase through the forest and the dogfights at the final battle around the Death Star, are two examples. The film maintains the on-screen chemistry amongst Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher. Despite Lucas' claim that he wouldn't make any more "Star Wars" films, we now know that he ultimately does, doing the three prequels, recently. For all it's faults, I think "Jedi" may be better than the prequel trilogy, with the possible exception of "Episode I: the Phantom Menace." I will be comparing these two, over the next two weeks, to see if I can decide. "Return of the Jedi" is still a good film; better than the majority of stuff churned out today. I will be watching it again, tomorrow night...assuming someone doesn't take my Sky viewing card, again