Wednesday, May 25, 1983

Return of the Jedi concludes the original Star Wars trilogy

Star Wars – Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Released: May 25, 1983

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Genre: sci-fi

Box Office (numbers in millions):

Domestic: 309.30 Worldwide: 573.00

Adjusted for Inflation:

Domestic: 930.07 Worldwide: 1315.90

Directing: Richard Marquand

Screenwriting: Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas

Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Frank Oz

Review:

The conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy capped the most successful movie juggernaut in history. The world had fallen in love with rebels Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia and their efforts to defeat the villainous Darth Vader and his Empire. Jedi added even more iconic characters to the mix, including “the evil Jabba the Hutt, who is a cross between a toad and the Cheshire Cat,” ^RE and “the lovable, cuddly Ewoks, the furry inhabitants of the forest moon of Endor.” ^RE

The movie is “magnificent fun…complete entertainment, a feast for the eyes and a delight for the fancy.” ^RE There are twice as many visual effects here as there were in the original Star Wars. The movie is populated with “weird creatures, some of them only half-glimpsed…that would provide the centerpiece for lesser movies.” ^RE There are “more of the amazing battles in outer space” ^RE and “a breakneck chase through a forest, aboard airborne motorcycles.” ^RE There’s also that “marvelously edited three-way climactic battle that dexterously flipped us between lightsabers, spaceships and a ferocious (albeit fuzzy) forest conflict.” ^E18

One can’t point to just one thing that made these movies “more than just space operas. Other movies might approach the special effects. Other action pictures might approximate the sense of swashbuckling adventure. But in Return of the Jedi, as in Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back there’s such a wonderful density to the canvas.” ^RE

Sources:

^E18 Empire (3/20/2018). “The 100 Greatest Movies”

Awards/Honors/Lists:

Dave’s Movie Database Lists:

Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists:

Box Office:

Oscars:

Wins: 1 – Special Achievement Academy Award

Nominations: 4 – Best Art Direction, Best Original Score, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Sound

Awards:

Other Lists/Honors:

Critics’ Picks:

Leslie Halliwell/John Walker

First posted 5/29/2023.