Happy 40th Anniversary Return Of The Jedi

 On this day 40 years ago, fans of the Star Wars Saga got to see how it ended, and get answers to a lot of questions: Is Vader really Luke's father? Who is the "other" Yoda spoke of? And also: what happens to Han Solo? Well, movie audiences found out! Return of the Jedi was the box office champ of 1983, a year in which other franchises like Jaws & Superman had their 3rd films released. There were even 2, yes, 2 James Bond movies released that year as well! Looking back, 1983 comes close to overtaking 1989 as the best movie year of that great decade known as the 1980's. Well, from a movie fan perspective, anyway! But one reason why I love Return of the Jedi, is because this was the 1st Star Wars movie I ever saw! So this post comes from the heart as I share one of my earliest movie theater memory and go back to 1983...

Now before I begin, a couple points to clear up, I will be putting in my opinions into this post. I am not going to bash Disney (it's too easy and I have time for that later) or rip on the 1997, 2004 & 2011 versions (I actually don't mind the changes, but while showing all the celebrations galactic wide I still wanna hear Yub Nub!).

On a June afternoon, my Mom took me, along with a school friend named W (withholding his name because well  privacy reasons) and his mother to to the mall to go see Return of the Jedi. We had 2 malls, the new mall only had 4 screens, which is the one we went to. The other mall had 14 screens. Sadly, both are now closed. Anyway, I was a rambunctious kid, so was W. But when the lights dimmed, we were quiet the entire time! And unlike my viewing of ET (I barely remember seeing it, but I am aware I saw it in a movie theater) I got to not only have popcorn, but a Coke and Reese's Pieces as well! Needless to say, I was blown away. Vader, the Droids, Chewbacca, Leia, Lando  Han and Luke, I was immersed in a galaxy far, far away! Once the move ended, me and W were on a sugar rush, so we re-imagined the Battle of Endor with W as Han, and me as Luke! So Return of the Jedi is one of the first movies I saw that I still remember, although it isn't the 1st movie I ever saw in a theater. Years later I would find out my 1st movie was Fox & The Hound.

In 1984, when CBS broadcast Star Wars for the 1st time, I remember being allowed to stay up and watch it, a family friend recorded it on a Beta tape, and it would get nearly worn out from me watching it, much to the chagrin of any kid related or not related to me until that Beta player broke. But that's how I got hooked on Star Wars. It wasn't the original one, but it was Return of the Jedi.

Why is it such a good movie? Well for one, it completes the story. The 1983 me couldn't appreciate the overall story. But a few years later I understood the story after seeing all three. I had a hard time with ESB since Luke lost his hand in that one. Adult me now loves ESB the most! But as an ending it's perfect: the good guys win, the bad guys lose, and our heroes live to see it! George Lucas emphasized the last point regarding the heroes because he hated it as a kid if the heroes died, although in some instances (like with Ben Kenobi) it would be important to the overall story. And in Ben's case, his death led to the creation of Yoda, one of the most known Star Wars characters to the general public. Heck, even as an adult I hate it when the heroes die (Iron Man in Endgame, and of course Episodes 7-9)! The ending is upbeat, and for me, this is the end of George Lucas's Saga.

As you've read in my Kenner reviews, toys from Return of the Jedi are the best in that era. Vinyl gave way to cloth, you could add 2 more Rebel fighters, the long awaited Y-Wing fighter and the new B-Wing! The A-Wing came in POTF. The main characters look their best (Kenner's Jedi Luke review coming in a little while!), and those ROTJ cards switched images on the repacks of older figures like Vader and Chewbacca to "freshen" the line. Even in the modern Vintage Collection by Hasbro, ROTJ is well represented, and is the movie that has the most figures. I don't have the Black Series numbers handy, but their ROTJ figures are increasing, thanks in part to Hasbro using Kenner style cards to repack, or in some cases like the upcoming R2-D2, make new figures available. I haven't even mentioned the Ewoks yet, as they have a presence in both lines. They even got stuffed toys in the 1980's and a couple made for TV movies in the US (but played in movie theaters internationally)!

Now yes, I do find ROTJ as the weakest film in the OT. But that doesn't diminish it in any way. Yes, another Death Star is boring. Luke's "plan" to rescue Han isn't immediately obvious: did he plan on everything going the way it did or was he making it up as he went along? But, it also answered the important question: Darth Vader was indeed Luke's father, and we finally got his name: Anakin Skywalker. The other, a twin sister! If you read some materials, Leia originally wasn't going to be Luke's sister. The original sequel idea was Luke searching for his sister. But Lucas was battling exhaustion, among other things at the time and just wanted to end the trilogy and not work on sequels, so Leia became the answer to Yoda's last line in ESB: "No, there is another!" Just because it is the weakest in the trilogy, it doesn't diminish the overall story. The bad guys lose, the good guys win.

It really is hard to believe it's been 40 years! One of the reasons I enjoy the Original Trilogy so much, is that when I watch it, I can still be amazed as a fully grown adult in all the shots and special effects. I am fortunate enough to own physical copies of the Despecialized Editions, and it's amazing that all of those shots are done with physical models. Sure, matte paintings fleshed out things like the Death Star, but the sections that blew up were real sections, and those fighters really blew up! Some don't like the Special Edition, 2004 DVD and 2011 Blu Ray changes, and I understand the reasons, but I see it as having extra icing on birthday cake. It just adds to the story! No doubt that stuff was something George Lucas wanted to add, but the technology of the time wouldn't allow it, and likely the bank and 20th Century Fox didn't think it would be wise to put more money into the movie. It's perfectly alright to love the additional material, or not. Hopefully one day the OT original theatrical releases come back. You can find the DVD's on the secondary market for a hefty price (OT 6 Pack DVD) or at a Comic Con or secondary market for the Despecialized Blu Ray's. Regardless of the version, I feel like a kid every time I see them, and that monentary escape from reality clears my head, enabling me to continue dealing with whatever is going on at the moment.

This is my 300th post on this blog, and while I originally planned it to be Kenner's Jedi Luke, and my blog has become more collector oriented, I wanted to make my 300th post about one of the reasons why I love Star Wars, and Return of the Jedi is what started me on this journey. The movies led to the toys, the toys led to the comics, the comics led to the books, and the books led to the new movies (Prequels). Then the movies led to toys, which led to the comics, then led to the books. I want to thank you for reading this, and all my other posts! And if you wondered what my picture is on the banner, the shot is below. Thanks for reading, and I hope you make the time tonight, or sometime soon to see (any version of) Return of the Jedi! May The Force Be With You!