Movie Review: Star Wars: Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi
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The finale is a three-stage battle: Luke duels with Darth under the gloating gaze of the Emperor; meanwhile the Rebel Alliance throws every ship they have against the fleet of the Empire; mean-meanwhile, on the forest moon of Endor, Han and friends strive to blow up a power plant generating a force field that protects the Death Star. (Wouldn't a ship the size of a moon have room to carry its own force-field generator on board itself? Just asking.) While each individual stage is thrilling, cutting back and forth among them disrupts the overall flow. Then there are the Ewoks, cute little alien primitives who look like teddy-bear monkeys, and who come to our heroes' aid. Before Jar Jar Binks came along, Ewoks were things more mature Star Wars fans didn't like to talk about.
Still, making the fight for the souls of the two Skywalkers as important as the Rebels vs. the Empire is a nice bit of dramatics, as is the idea of Luke struggling to avoid feelings of anger and revenge that might lure him to the dark side. Ironically, though, the original title of this film was "Revenge of the Jedi" (you can still find collectible posters with this tag), which was changed at the last minute, reportedly out of commercial worries a concurrent Star Trek sequel was using "Vengeance" in the title. Someone wasn't looking hard at themes here.
After Return of the Jedi, LucasFilm created spin-offs for even younger viewers, Ewoks and Droids cartoon series (available on home video) and two network TV-movie spin-offs, The Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, both Robinson Crusoe-type tales centered around those adorable furry aliens, no real connection to the Skywalker chronicles. Parents should know that The Battle for Endor begins with the (non-explicit) massacre of almost the whole human cast of The Ewok Adventure, a real "what were they thinking?" moment.
For some real discussion-worthy material for parents and kids, Ewok lovers and haters alike, there exist a trio of documentaries made around 2000 that examine the Star Wars craze and the fans who find meaning in the characters and even in the Force. They're called Star Woids, The Fandom Menace, and -- probably the best and easiest to locate on video -- A Galaxy Far, Far Away.
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