Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

⭐ 7.5/10

I think this is the original that feels the most similar to the prequels. I feel like this one is really targeting that 10-15 year old boy audience, for better or for worse (mostly worse). It's a little campier, a little silly, a little Saturday-morning-cartoony. Still, it has a few moments I liked a lot. 

So first off, this movie starts off by introducing us to this universe's best character, and that is Hutt's insane rat croney that is always laughing. I need a guy like that to laugh approvingly at all my evil deeds. Seriously though, that thing is so ridiculous and it got funnier and funnier every time they put him on the screen. Am I the target audience? 

But soon after that, Luke arrives in all his Jedi glory. This is him at his fullest potential, super badass in his black robe. Except no! Then he fumbles around fighting the monster for twenty minutes. Pretty bizarre sequence. It's set up like he has this master plan, but it makes him look pretty incompetent and also makes no sense. I actually really like Luke in this movie - I think it's by far Hamill's best. By the end he has this very subtle, very even performance that I liked. Didn't love his entrance though (no fault of Mark's). 

 This is also the part where we get sexy Leia, but that whole thing makes me feel a little yucky... 

Anyways, the first two acts are pretty weak in my opinion. Lots of cheesy action sequences, too much Ewok stuff, and I'll never love the setup being identical to the first movie. Another Death Star? Surely this is the last time we'll get a movie of the bad guys making a Death Star... I also didn't love Han once again, and I simply refuse to believe Leia would fall for him. He's insufferable. 

But the final sequence is pretty good in my opinion. A pretty good fight, some great Palpatine moments (I think Palpatine is always phenomenal in all of these). The Vader helmet moment will always be touching. It's not a bad movie. I think it's only slightly worse than the other two. 

As a whole, I'm still not totally sure how I feel about these movies. I consider myself a Star Wars fan, despite not loving these ones completely, and certainly not having a ton of love between the prequels and sequels, or any of the TV shows. Still, I almost think that's the point. These movies have something special, something that tickles the imagination and lives in the back of your mind. They are bigger than the movies themselves. Of course these movies have spurred just a massive media empire, and it's weird to think that this was once an original movie IP. When was the last time we've had a completely original IP in movie form that exploded like this? Avatar? Maybe Pirates of the Carribean? I just think that it's cool that we have this world 50 years later, even if the movies are imperfect.