Return of the Jedi Movie Review

The third volume in George Lucas’ trilogy does everything right. Two memorable villains – Jabba the Hut and the Emperor – are introduced, and the almost-too-cute Ewoks join our heroes as they fight against the forces of the Empire on three fronts. The effects somehow manage to outdo the first two, and the whole story builds to a completely satisfying conclusion. But the scene that sums up the whole trilogy comes near the middle. That's when C-3Po, standing by a campfire, tells what has happened up until then to a crowd of rapt Ewoks in their language. They're every audience that's ever been spellbound by a story. They're us.

1983 (PG) 132m/C Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Alec Guinness, Kenny Baker, Denis Lawson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Ian McDiarmid; D: Richard Marquand; W: George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan; C: Alan Hume; M: John Williams; V: Frank Oz. Hugos ‘84: Dramatic Presentation; Academy Awards ‘83: Best Visual Effects; People's Choice Awards ‘84: Best Film; Nominations: Academy Awards ‘83: Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Sound, Best Original Score. VHS, Beta, LV FOX, RDG, HMV