Return of the Jedi (1983) Retrospective / Review
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Return of the Jedi (1983) Retrospective / Review
Get the Star Wars series on Blu-ray here goo.gl/59j2CH
Get the soundtrack to Return of the Jedi here goo.gl/AyofAM
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Years later after episode 9 has come out, we’re still waiting for the unaltered original trilogy to be re-released
Just get the De-specialised edition, it’s the goods! All the good stuff without the rubbish
Years after your comment, still waiting
@@GerryMcGarry2 weeks after your comment I'm still waiting
watch it be in 2027 for the 50th anniversary
@@markjackson6431 with about 70 degrees of DNR added to it of course because Disney’s remastering process is… well it’s interesting to say the least
The choral score with the strings that kicks in when Luke loses his temper at Vader gives me painful goosebumps every single time I hear it.
Utterly breathtaking.
The added 'Noooooo!!!!' dubbed over Vader at the end really pisses me off. What was great about that scene was Vader looking from Luke to Emperor, Luke to Emperor, Luke to Emperor, then wordlessly hoiking up and throwing the mad old fuck down the shaft. It annoys me more than it should.
Totally agree. It was actually a brilliant moment untouched which I would have thought the director was keen to get right and did get right. It was so powerful without that crap ‘nooooooo’
yeah, also they had absolutely nothing to gain from this, it doesnt improve the scene at all and it didnt need any improvements anyway, so best case people wouldnt mind it, worst case people would hate it, they could only lose out by adding it in and they did it anyway, because they weren´t thinking ... so stupid really.
as seen in the prequels also and the strange additions in new hope, george really is the master of throwing lots of useless bullshit your way, in hopes that you are dazzled enough to love it.
"its so dense, every single image has so much going on"
jasrust you’re correct to be annoyed. Don’t feel the need to justify it
Agreed! It's always bothered me more than the FX bullshit they threw in. This was a poignant scene, emotionally powerful and those silent looks back and forth, the music etc. perfection which anyone would find powerful, not just for sci fi but any genre.....and they ruined it by chucking that stupid "nooooooo" in all just so that it matches up with the prequels.....we all get it, they are linked but they were desperate to connect the two trilogies, like we wouldn't understand if they didn't do this... it's the same thing with the Anakin swap out at the end...I prefer the reasoning of him being the age he was when he died in the suit, and this is the "pure" him now, as he would be now he's let go of the dark side... another powerful moment shafted, because someone let George into the Computer room.
Charlie Burrows matches up with a scene in the prequels that everyone ridiculed anyway
I'm not ashamed to admit Return of the Jedi has and always will be my favorite of the Star Wars saga.
my personal favorite also
It used to be mine as well, when I was a kid.
As a grown-up, I recognize its flaws, not the Ewoks as much as those mentioned in the video: Han and Leia having basically nothing to do (blowing up a shield generator somewhere? it sounds like a forgettable level from a Rogue Squadron game), no new location except an unremarkable "forest planet", the derivativeness of a second Death Star.
The Luke vs Vader duel in front of the Emperor, and in a way the Luke vs Emperor duel for the soul of Anakin-Vader, used to be the part I skipped as a kid, as the battle of Endor was much more exciting, but it's actually the emotional core of the movie and the moral core of the franchise.
Also, I never really understood what was Luke's (and Leia's, the droids', Lando's...) plan to rescue Han. Other than the final duel, the Tatooine sequence is probably the best part of the movie, but the more one thinks about it the less sense it makes. There are even articles on the internet with theories about what the plan was, if any.
Overall, it's a well-made movie technically, but the plot is just uninspired and ungainly.
I like all of them equally.
As long as your top three are all OT films, I personally have no problem with you. Star Wars (not "A New Hope") will always be my favorite because I was 13 and still remember how amazing it all was.
@@johnjamele Revenge of the Sith is the best Star Wars film, then Return of the Jedi, I just love Anakin and I love watching his downfall and his redemption
Ian mcdiarmid is an absolute boss. Arguably the best cast character in the entire star wars trilogy.
Best in the trilogy of trilogys
I remember going to the theater with a friend to see this, in 1983. We were not disappointed in any way. When the Emperor was frying Luke, and Vader kept looking back and forth, it seemed like an eternity. When he saved Luke, and also when the Falcon burst out of the flames of the Death Star with Lando's yee-haw cry ... great moments. I think when I see those moments I am still recalling how I felt seeing it for the first time. Thanks for the retrospective.
This video brought a heartwarming smile to my face all over again. You did such beautiful justice to this film. It's strength is truly the emotion. Many seem content to criticize Mark Hamill for some reason, but his work in this trilogy, especially when taken as a whole arc, truly impresses me. I'll sing his praises and defend his work as Luke Skywalker to the ends of the Earth. If I had one, my hat would be off to you, Oliver. I live for the day some studio hires you to produce a full-on documentary or featurette for a movie.
If they had replaced Ewoks with Wookies I think people wouldn't have minded them taking down all of the Imperials.
The original plan was wookies but Lucas didn't think they were primitive enough.
derek swartzl Lucas should have added some Ewoks jumping out of trees with spears and running around with speed and dexterity to the "Special" Editions. The main problem with the ewoks was that they looked cheap (some didn't even have eyes, but just holes in their costumes). They look like midgets waddling around wearing rugs, which is exactly what they are.
+Derke73 good call
thejusticeavengers1 he wanted to sell more toys
That would have been incredible, nicely done.
Jedi had the least interesting story, but had the best action, I thought the last battle in space on the Death Star made it all worthwhile. I was in shock how awesome that was.
I thought it had a great story, i love the escape scene in the beginning but i think there's too much of a leap from Tatooine to Endor
Can't hate the forest speeder chase either
Watching this movie is actually one of my earliest childhood memories. I remember a number of my first nightmares involved running from the Rancor and I can't think I'm alone in that. The whole finale on the Death Star is burned into my brain as one of the most intense moments I've ever seen. From Luke defeating Vader, to the Emperor zapping the bejeezus out of Luke, to Vader just up and chucking the Emperor down the shaft, holy cow was all that awesome.
But the real moment that stuck in my head and evoked the most intense emotions was that moment when Vader finally dies and all we hear is that soft, somber reprise of the Imperial March on a harp. That remains my all time favorite piece of music from the franchise. The difference in tone from the usual pompous menace of the song to being utterly tragic is amazing and it accented Vader's passing perfectly.
"But the real moment that stuck in my head and evoked the most intense emotions was that moment when Vader finally dies and all we hear is that soft, somber reprise of the Imperial March on a harp. That remains my all time favorite piece of music from the franchise."
You and me both - I'll probably have that played at my funeral.
0:12 Harper's Trailer
2:18 Retrospective/History
9:32 Synopsis
12:11 Visual Effects
13:35 Soundtrack
15:16 Video Games
17:32 Review
22:25 Ending Trailer
But why does Anakin get to be a young ghost? Wwwhhhyyyyyyyyyy?
I'm surprised you never mentioned much about Kurtz in the movie though. He was originally supposed to be involved again. But the whole Ewoks thing pushed him away.
At least it wasn't Jake Lloyd going: "I get to be ONE with the FORcE?! YIPPIEEE! Eternal Youth, right master Obi-One? Oh. Maybe that's just for the dark side.
Magus Marquillin I actually find Jake Lloyd more annoying in the Phantom Menace than Jar-jar Binks. We just didn't need to see Anakin as a kid, teenage years - young adult - brink of turning to the darkside is allwe needed, his childhood could've been breezed over with some well placed dialog for all I care lol.
It would have been a lot darker and far less of a muppet movie.
shockz16 They were both horribly annoying.
LinkMarioSamus Yeah no doubt but in a scenario where I have to pick the lesser of two annoyances I'd take Jar Jar over Jake Lloyds Anakin lol.
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Your videos are pure quality! keep up the good work, would love for you to do a review on my favorite film Alien 3, that poor thing gets an awful doing!
TheY2JMc Way to stand apart from the crowd. That's usually my favorite Alien movie, but I thought I was the only one who accepts it for what it is.
TheY2JMc
Alien 3 Sucks. It's broken right before the movie starts with the Eggs on the Sulaco. There has 2 be 2 Eggs to start with as Ripley gets infected and then the dog/ox (depending on which cut of the film you watch) gets infected.
But the problem is that there is ZERO way for those eggs to be on the Sulaco after the ending of Aliens. The Queens Egg sack is GONE and she didn't have any eggs with her when she came from the dropship. Also the Queen never leaves the shuttle/cargo bay thus there is no way for those eggs to be upside down near the cryopods.
So Alien 3 is completely broken and that is why I despise that movie.
snake2006
Awww, poor Alien 3, gets a bad doing so it does! still my favourite movie, even if you hate it you must admit its stunningly shot, and has a fantastic soundtrack, i dont claim it to be a great movie, just my favourite. I never took issue with the eggs on the Sulaco, as far as im concerned they are there because they needed to be for a movie to be made.
TheY2JMc
Well I am about the story. If they had a plausible way for those eggs to be there I would accept it since it's not bad outside of that. But since there isn't it breaks the entire film so I can't be bothered to watch it.
The eggs are there just because excuse doesn't work for me.
THX = The audience is now deaf.
Also this is my favorite film in the SW trilogy.
As a fellow filmmaker/youtuber I am in awe of your videos Oliver and they are my favourite film reviews on RUclips. You include a mixture of things I know and things I don't know. Especially about the games and music etc. Please keep going!
Regards
You should check out SF Debris on BlipTV. He is probably the best online movie reviewer.
Thats great to hear Lawrence!. Really appreciate your feedback and its fantastic you've learnt new things from my reviews. There is loads more to look forward to this year.
Oliver Harper
A great review as always. Do you plan on doing the other five films in time for Force Awakens?
George Lucas' last try at "fixing" Star Wars reminds me of Father Ted when he was trying to fix that slightly dented car with a tiny hammer (and then smashing it up completely).
I think it would be a great idea to get the Original Cut Trilogy or even the 1997 Special Edition Trilogy out on Blu Ray. I can remember liking most of the Special Edition when it was released in cinemas when I was very young, so I didn't get the controversy until many years later when I went on the interwebs.
TedShatner10 you shouldda just stayed off the interweb. It ruined all of us humans. Ruined us good.
@Analyzing Male Slavery The Special Editions led to the first fan backlash against George Lucas, The Fandom Menace I.
Met Baker and Mayhew I did.
Grumpy they were.
Amazing
Yeah I mean most of the choices when you go back and see what they are were definitely good choices. I downloaded an original version of A New Hope and it was very jank looking compared to the version out now
ROTJ is actually my fav of the OT, although I can understand why people think it's the weakest.
It's actually my second favorite after 'Empire' - no shame man, ROTJ has its fans, I'm with ya!
ROTJ is damn good, my favorite!
I saw ROTJ in 1983 when I was 15 years old, and I was really disappointed in it, mainly because I had discovered GL wasn’t planning on making any more Star Wars movies in the near future. After seeing Revenge Of The Sith, it made perfect sense why Vader turned on the Emperor in ROTJ. He didn’t do it on a whim. This was his son the Emperor was killing and he couldn’t let that happen, not after the Emperor lied to him about being able to save Padme. The Emperor was able to see into the future, but he completely missed how Anakin felt about his family.
@@collegeman1988 That's why I love Revenge of the Sith and Return of the Jedi, Anakin Skywalker is a great tragedy of a character and I like that they put Hayden Christensen in Jedi, it nicely ties everything together, especially for those who watch the series I through VI which was as intended by George Lucas
9:00 episode 9 is about to come and Disney hasn't done this or re-release them in 4K
I KNOW, its so stupid, why promise this to us, if your not even going to bother?
Return of the Jedi was my first Star Wars theater experience. As a 9 year old, I LOVED the Ewoks, and took to drawing and painting them all the time afterwards. :D Wonderfully informative review, thanks!!!
Ollie, I recently watched the unaltered trilogy for the first time since they were on VHS in the early 90s, and it felt like I was a kid again. Somehow, when you strip away all the extra goo on the effects and add-ins, it becomes Star Wars again - that great adventure story full of wonder and imagination.
"And you can see an Ewok smoking Endor weed!"
5/25 BLAZE IT
It's tobacco. Why does everyone just assume it's weed?
"You can see an Ewok smoking Endor weed" Oh my god hilarious!!
Thats how ewoks party bro
That was before their devastating crack epidemic.
Long bottom leaf
I can safely say as a child of the late 70s/80s that Jedi was the one film of the trilogy I saw the most in the theater and had the most merchandise from. As a kid, it was easily my favorite. Like you, Ollie, age and wisdom allows us to see Empire as the definitive film of the series. But, I will say this - if someone were to tell me today that Jedi is their favorite, I'd totally understand and not even question it. Jedi does have the amazing sequence with Jabba's palace/Skiff Barge, the touching send-off for Yoda, the JAW-DROPPING final assault on the Death Star II and, of course, the epic standoff between Luke, Vader and the Emperor. People tend to give a lot of grief to the Ewoks but, you know, after Jar-Jar they are practically as cool as John Shaft (Shut your mouth! I'm just talkin' about Wicket). Jedi isn't perfect, but what it is is a perfectly entertaining film that truly gives a proper send-off to the Star Wars saga. As a kid, I didn't cry at movies (not even E.T.), but I bawled at the end of Jedi because I knew it was the end of my favorite series of films. As a child of that era, the films had a profound impact on me. As an adult, they still do. Thank God I never truly grew up. ;) And yes, I still have my Jedi bedsheets and sleeping bag. :)
Great review - it never made sense to me that Marquand was passed over in discussion. The fact his dialogue scenes are great rings true. RotJ's emotional moments are the best in the trilogy.
I remember watching that dance number when I was 9 in the theaters and being so confused. Upon growing up I must say that having a catching dance number before Jabba kills a woman really sets the tone.
I was in third grade when Jedi came out, and my family and I spent the night in front of the local theater to see the first showing. It was an unforgettable night capped off with what would become my favorite of all the Star wars movies. In fact, it is of my opinion, that while it's become quite trendy to say that Empire is your favorite, most people of my age range thought empire was kind of boring and preferred Jedi. I know as a kid I loved the Ewoks.
Great review. You totally nailed it with the emotionel ending. I've never been shy to admit that Jedi is my favorite Star Wars movie. :)
This was the perfect thing to watch on the run-up to Star Wars Day. It's got me well in the mood to watch the original trilogy this weekend. Cheers, Olly.
The thing that really impresses me is the edit you do at the end of all these Retrospectives. They are truly phenomenal. It's like the best you will ever see for the movie.
Can we all agree, that it is AMAZING how much emotion they make Vader show throughout this movie under a mask covering any expression! Still to this day, the characters are so well written, and the actors do such a good performance. Every time I sit down to watch this, I forget I'm watching a movie, cause I'm so invested in the heroes, that I'm glued to the screen.
But having a character completely covered in a very dark suit and helmet, show the emotion so well to us, that is one of the things I love about this movie.
The spacebattle in the last part of the movie was superb, and I love Wedge playing such a bit role despite him not having much screentime at all, we know who he is, we know he's an amazing pilot, and we trust him as Luke does. The rebels show how much they're willing to sacrifice and that everyone know this is it. They have to make it, or the empire will crush them. The switch between the spacebattle and the emperor forcing Luke to watch his friends die out there is so well done and written. And ofc Vader throwing the emperor to his death (yes death screw Disney), must have made everyone go crazy with happiness in the cinema back then.
I hate how Lucas swapped out old Vader at the end of Jedi with Hayden from the prequels, as Olivier pointed out it makes absolutely no sense. I get George wanted (for whatever reason) to tie the original films with the prequels, but switching old Vader for Anikan is just plain dumb.
+deraj nitram I agree with you and with Oliver, but I suppose what Lucas would say is that is how Anakin looked when he died, when he 'became' Darth Vader in spirit. It's a weak argument, as I say they should have left it alone.
I think Luke was just delighted his father was saved.
Luke was like; cool, Obi-wan, Yoda, and who’s that other douchebag?
deraj nitram no. The original version makes no sense. He NEVER looked like that.
Luke has no idea what young Vader looked like lol I was expecting Luke to be like "Who the fuck is that guy!?" Lol
You tell the movies so good! Your retrospectives are so entertaining to watch, they make me go back and make me wanna see the movie again. I love this Star Wars trilogy so much.
"It's hard to imagine Star Wars not being popular" Oh boy... welcome to 2020 :D
AkaiAkumu (sigh)right?? What an utter catastrophe!!
@@desertmav8632 It's funny in the perspective of time though. I think everyone had this mindset before the sequel trilogy.
It’s still massively popular. I don’t like Star Wars that much. I liked the first 3 movies fine enough, but I was never really into it like a lot of fans.
I’d disagree sure the movies aren’t popular now but other aspects are. The Mandalorion proves to be a massive success and Clone Wars finished on an okay run with an amazing final 4 episodes. Jedi Fallen Order was a fun and engaging story with fun mechanics. Plus Battlefront 2 had the biggest comeback in gaming history. I think there is a future for Star Wars is outside of movies for now.
@@501ststudiolegion6
I agree that the other content besides the main moviesis still striving still. However i feel that it is nowhere the level of the hype surrounding the movies in the 90s and early 2000s.
Indeed the love for the franchise did not die entirely. But i feel it's going through some hard times.
I'm trying to gage though if the prequels or sequels were more hated. However in my personal opinions the sequels created a new low for the main franchise movies.
This was truly the Return of this classic series. Thank you
This is my favorite Star Wars movie and my second favorite movie of all time!
Best Star Wars trivia fact: this is the only film in the saga to NOT feature a blue lightsaber!
Great review Oliver. And may the force be with you.
I enjoyed the great reviews and retrospectives of my favorite movies and appreciate you sharing your personal experiences.
Thanks, Rob!
This is, BY FAR, my favorite of the OT Star Wars films. I have always, and will always, pick this as my favorite Star Wars film. Luke has always been my favorite character in this series, and he finally shines in this film, becoming a Jedi. Great film, and a great review. Keep up the awesome work sir.
I have the Return of the Jedi soundtrack myself on my Ipod and I love listening to it.
As a kid this was also my favourite of the trilogy but as I got older I too began to favor empire for the same reasons as you. As a kid I found empire to be quite slow in the middle while jedi for me was more action packed. I refuse to get the blu rays as I hate the added changes, I felt the scene with vader throwing the emperor was much more dramatic in the original version.
I hope you found out about the despecialised editions since, they are really worth it. I hate the special editions, i completely stopped watching them as soon as George force the shitty special editions down our throats. I couldnt watch them, i really hate the changes. And tbh, its literally an insult to prevent us from watching the original versions, thats us who have made George a billionaire, and we cant even watch the movies we love and grew up with!? George is such an asshole now, so believe me, i was extremely happy when i found out about the despecialised editions, they are absolutely amazing, 100% like they were in 1977, 1980 and 1983
Just subscribed.
Your videos are fantastic and very educational!
Keep up the good work!
+Skywalking Thank you very much!
Oliver Harper
Return of the Jedi is my favorite of the Star Wars trilogy
Mine is "Empire strikes back".
That’s awesome and that’s my second favorite Star Wars film.
Messing with that Endor weeeeeed!
first movie I ever saw in the theater... Return will always have a special place in my heart despite some of its aging effects (speeders fight doesn't look as good now, it looked better in my memory).
This was confirmed the second best Star Wars film out of the original series. My favorite of all time.
RotJ was always my favourite... but tbh, I love them all (Original Trilogy) equally. I also remember the Star Wars Arcade game with green lines, but I played it on some Commadore Amiga (with the big Function buttons)... you flew the the X-Wing with the mouse - flying through the asteroids, all you had to do was go to the extreme bottom right and only one asteroid would hit you, lol. But I could never succeed on the isometric scroller, I just really sucked at it.
Awesome review and a brilliant presentation, good work xD
My all-time favorite film.
The changes are unforgivable. The version of ROTJ available on bluray is not the film that won the Oscar for special effects. The original theatrical versions of the original trilogy must be restored and released on bluray. It's the right thing to do and hopefully Disney will realize they can make a boatload of cash if they make it available.
Do like me and many other fans did, and download the despecialised editions..problem solved! I have never been able to watch the special editions, they are not the movies i know and that i grew up with, i hate them with passion. So as soon as i discovered the despecialised editions a few years ago, i threw the special editions to garbages, where they belong! Do yourself a favor and get them, they are really worth it. Dont count on Disney and George to release them, because they wont. George is an asshole now, he doesnt care about the people who have made him a billionaire, he doesnt care about anyone but himself. He just want to force his shitty special editions down our throats instead of doing the right thing and make both versions available for everyone, like Steven Spielberg did with E.T.
Edit: i just realised that its a very old message, so i hope you found out about the despcialised editions since :)
Why does no one acknowledge the existence of the special box set from 2006 that has the original films in hd on the second disc??? I have it sitting 3 feet away from me...
GlitteringToothpaste No one talks about it because that set is pure shit! And by the way its not in HD at all, not even close...the 3 movies are not even anamorphic on this set ffs! No one talks about the GOUT because the quality is so incredibly bad that its not worth mentioning it. That set is an insult to the fans (like me) who were asking for the unaltered versions of the movies back in the days! I highly doubt that you ever watched it if you believe its in HD...
Trey Stephens Im telling you, go get the despecialized editions, they are by far the best versions you can get, the only versions that could match the despecialized editions would be the original release by Disney, but we all know it wont happen, so get it...and by the way, they are free
Jeff Carlin thats really funny that you're asking me this while im watching it as we speak! Lol And yes they are available on bluray, they are in high definition (720p) so they would not fit on a dvd. I think theres also a version for dvd, but i never got them on dvd so im not 100% sure. And by the way, they are currently working on the 4k version of the trilogy if you're interested, i personally cant wait to get my hands on the 4k trilogy, the 720p version is absolutely amazing, so i can only imagine how insane the 4k version will be! And im not joking at all when i say that the 3 movies are the exact same versions as they were when they came out in theatres in 1977, 1980 and 1983. This unaltered trilogy is not some cheap fan made project that we often see, its a very high quality product, it has the same level of quality that you would get in an officially released by Disney. Go get them, i can guarantee that you wont watch the shitty special editions ever again after that!
I love the montages that you do at the beginings and ends of your reviews! You even make crappy movies like Superman 4 look good. You are very talented and if I were a filmmaker, I would definately hire you to make trailers for every one of my films.
Fantastic work! I really enjoyed the editing and the depth that you take into the backstory of the film. I definitely agree with you that as a kid ROTJ was my favorite film. Empire is most certainly the superior film and in my opinion one of the top 10 films ever made. Anyway keep up the great work, if I ever get into producing RUclips videos i could learn a heat deal from your work.
Beautiful closing words, Mr. Harper... for some reason they opened up a box of onions that started being peeled by The Force here in my room... Kudos to you, sir, again.
Wow Oliver....I had 'goosebumps' and wonderful shivers at this presentation...so much detail, hard work and sheer excellence...yes I love Return of the Jedi so biased perhaps you may think but I just LOVE your style...never experienced a review the way you do it PLEASE keep going....LOVE it...Dan.
Another great review. So many memories brought back. I for one would love to see a Conan The Barbarian review done by you Oliver.
Very well done again. This particular movie has a very special place in my heart. I was actually able to talk my mother into going to see past all wars movie. She was never into the sci-fi genre and thought all sci-fi movies were pointless and second rate. So imagine my surprise as we walked out of the theater and she said, I actually really enjoyed that.
Empire strikes back will always be the best of the three. My favorite line from that movie was when Darth Vader says, we would be honored if you would join us.
If I had to pick one flaw above all others in return of the Jedi I hate to say it but it would be the Ewoks. I never cared for the ferry teddy bear looking creatures. I will have to disagree with something you said in your retrospective of Empire strikes back. You said that you thought the light saber battle between Luke and Vader was the best in the trilogy. I believe the light saber battle between Luke and Vader in return of the Jedi is the best. There's so much emotion in this scene and it's also part of the scene when they do returns to the light side of the force. I know Empire strikes back's battle scene had the reveal of the heater being Luke's father. What do you see that heater finally come back to the light was the best pay off the entire trilogy. I would be interested to see a retrospective I'll rogue one a Star Wars story. I believe in that movie when Vader lights is red light saber in the dark at the end of the hallway, that is one of the most terrifying things out later. You truly get a sense of just how powerful he truly is.
Keep up the good work. I look forward to seeing more Star Wars retrospectives from you.
Great series of videos man, I completely relate to your take on all the positive and negative aspects of the trilogy. ROTJ was my favourite as well as a kid, possibly because it was the only one I got to see at the cinema (as a 4 year old). I agree that Empire holds up as the strongest instalment in retrospect, although Jedi has the edge in terms of visual and effects quality. Great work!
Such a Flawless review Oliver. You really are a damn genius!
My Star Wars favorite film of all time! Thank you for doing this! This was a very emotional experience 💯😭💖
As a kid, I had no problem with the Ewoks or anything else in this movie. I was mesmerized by it. Somehow I managed to memorize most of the script just from theater viewings (this was before we had a VCR). The magic of the Kenner toys was undeniable. I once bought the Rancor monster at the local walmart in Cleburne, TX. My mom gagged (literally gagged) when she saw it and said it looked like a big piece of poop. She confiscated it and returned it to the store.
Another great review, Oliver! Being a fan of the Ewoks, I appreciate you not bashing them like so many people do.
Thank you for the review Oliver. I waited in line with my elder Sister for 45 mins in the rain to see Jedi the day it opened. Your review brings it all back, a huge moment in my childhood...Your right about the toys too. I remember the last line of Kenner figures had Han and Luke in Stormtrooper outfits with removable helmets. I was the only kid in my year to have them, as most had moved on to other toys. Within 3-6 months of that line coming out, there were no Star Wars figures in the toy shop.
I have Super Return of the Jedi and I loved it when I beaten the emporor.
I grew up with these movies, played with the toys etc and really, in retrospect, they are more a microcosm of a history of technical innovation and marketing than anything else.
It seems we both had the same experience of Star Wars: I got into it in the early 90’s when none of my school friends had even heard about it, Jedi was my favorite one back then, and it’s turned to Empire as I grew older, the ending to ROTJ makes me cry with joy and sadness at the same time... Damn I can relate to every single thing you’re saying dude!!!
I have been reading the huge 'Making of Return of the Jedi' book and it shows George Lucas just beginning to lose his shit. He still had a lot of creative mojo. He wrote or polished some of the best dialogue in the film, such as Yoda's death and the Emperor's Throne Room. He shot Vader's funeral pyre himself. But then he fixated on the idea of "my Ewoks", as he called them. Lawrence Kasdan wanted to get rid of them. Lucas insisted the second half of the film be written around them instead of vice-versa. The concept artists protested, and the FX guys hated them. But Lucas wouldn't budge.
Yet this being 1981-82 George Lucas, he had not yet gone insane and still produced a great movie. Sixteen years later, however...
Fabulous editing on this one. Thanks for making my day.
I have to say, I love this movie, and I have no problems with the Ewok sections. I think peoples aversion to them is more of a "cute things can't be in my action film" knee jerk reaction.
Ok, in this review you say that you find that section boring. That's fine, but all the excuses I've hard people come up with feel like flimsy justifications to me.
I think Jedi is a masterpiece.
The film is still pretty good, but it's the third best of the trilogy for a couple of reasons. As soon as they hit Endor and the Ewoks are introduced, the pace of the film screeches to a halt and little happens for a good while. More importantly, these little bears with their stone tools can't possibly realistically take on trained military personnel. The entire problem could've been avoided by using the Wookiees as originally intended. I also don't think they thought very hard about Solo's character in this film, as once he's rescued he essentially has very little to do. It possibly would've been better if his role was expanded in the battle (such as taking and holding a control room, battling through a structure like in VII), or if he were piloting the Falcon instead of Lando. It does jar slightly that Han lets someone fly his ship into what is for the rebels a final desperate battle while he goes to help sabotage the shield. I think those flaws take it down enough notches to make it worse than the original. Neither however are as good as Empire.
KRSsven shield generator had to be blown up or they lose hence they all go in as a final all or nothing crack assault squad
I don't have a problem with the Ewoks as much as I have a problem with the lack of satisfying explanation for why Obi Wan LIED to Luke in New Hope that Vader betrayed and murdered his father when in fact they were the same person.
You deserve far more than just 5,000 views. Keep up the excellent work!
Fantastic review Oliver, you made me realize that I liked Jedi more than I thought I did. Though I do prefer the "Yub-Yub" end song over the newer John Williams track. Also that excuse for not using Wookies due to them being good with technology I feel is a crap argument from Lucas. We only see one Wookie being good with tech, and that's Chewie. That's like saying everyone one can repair a car from the ground up because I saw one person do it. Ewoks are there to appeal to children. Lame ones at that.
I saw this back when it came out and saw all three of them together in London in the mid 80s. I saw Jedi before I saw Empire, so when I finally got to see Empire it felt like a sort of prequel film..which it is, but you know what I mean. It answered how things that happened in Jedi came about, which was quite cool. They never showed Empire on TV, it was a New Hope every damn xmas. Watching Jedi now, I get extremely emotional towards the end, as you say, amazing space battles and the extreme narcissistic control and manipulation from the Emperor. You can feel the evil throbbing in that throne room, and when it finally comes to a head and Luke loses his shit, I have to stop myself from sobbing. It is an amazing and emotional piece of film.
Great review mate. well done.
Your review videos are amazing sir. Well done!! I'm glad I found your channel.
Excellent video and review!
That incredible piece of music during the last lightsaber battle wow
Thank you Mr. Harper! Love the review. I love the completion story-line. Epic ending! I attribute this to all the behind the scenes creativity of great people that George Lucas put faith in to make scene better than he could produce on his own. I have a special place in my heart for Lawrence Kasdan, screenplay writer for Jedi. I request an Oliver Harper review of Silverado. If you have not seen this film, check it out. It has great visuals, set design, soundtrack, characters, and story. I hope you like it!
Dude you do such good, caring meaningful reviews. Even when I don't agree, you do a great job.
Nice review. Thanks.
ollie, a new hope is the first movie I ever saw..( 78 re re release)... and let me tell you.. nothing compared or the anticipation for the sequels as a young lad. truly magical. I completely agree with your commentary on the special additions.. uneeded
*unneeded
Another Superb review, i am a huge fan of the star wars movies and Jedi still holds up as a classic, i hope that we get Blu ray releases soon of the original unedited and messed with versions, I put my Laserdisc versions on last month and unfortunately Lasers just don't look good now..
_Return of the King_ is still my favourite end to a trilogy personally, but _Return of the Jedi_, (the unaltered original version) ends on an incredible note as well, despite sagging in the middle with the Ewoks, the pacing coming to an almost dead halt (and a bit in the Jabba rescue as well).
There is sadly nothing much for Han and Leia to do as characters in this film, and I think it's greatest missed opportunities was not in any exploring the drama surrounding Leia, a Rebel Alliance Leader, going off to rescue Han somewhat in violation of her duties to the rebellion, and having Darth Vader revealed as her father.
Han, too, becoming a General (or at least a commissioned officer in the alliance, that high of a rank always bugged me about him and Lando, but that's a nitpick) offered an opportunity for some interesting character development, if only we were shown how he came to accept the Rebels ideals after essentially suffering a period of 'living death'. I'd have loved a scene of him either discussing with Leia or some other Alliance commanders committing to their cause, but still flippantly shooting down all their ideals with his trademark cynicism (like an organized democracy actually functioning).
One other thought would be of course to have Boba Fett live, and perhaps have even been hired by Leia to help in their rescue of Han, but Han is motivated heavily to get revenge on him. And of course for there to be some unease between him and Lando in the wake of Bespin, before Lando does him a good turn and they make amends.
_RotJ_ is all about redemption after all, and I think as a sub plot juxtaposing Lando's redemption against Boba Fett being a bad-ass but grade-A asshole would have added a lot of depth to Han's role in the film. He then has a choice between fighting with the Rebels (giving the Falcon to Lando) and going chasing after Boba and taking him down.
Have Fett and Lando be the thematic bridge between the film's first act and second, which I felt was somewhat missing. Which then allows for the Luke and Yoda sequence on Dagobah to open the film (which makes more logical sense following up from _ESB_, Luke then redeems his failed attempt to rescue his friends on Bespin by doing so, fully trained, from Jabba).
The Ewoks are entirely superfluous to the main theme of the film (we don't need to dedicate 40 minutes to primitives over coming the Empire, that is an over arching theme represented in the Rebllion's struggle itself across the trilogy) which is about redemption, and they really don't add anything except some cute and fuzzy spectacle. You could have cut them from the film entirely, and it wouldn't have made a difference.
But those are just my thoughts, to reiterate what I said at the start: _Return of the Jedi_ is still an incredibly fun and heart-filled film on its own merits; Hamill, McDiarmid and Prowse/Jones/Shaw truly elevate it with their performances; the effects and score are top notch. It just wants for story I feel in the middle (where the Ewoks come in), and the pacing is a bit overburdened by plot.
The ending still moves me every time.
P.S. FUCK THE SPECIAL EDITIONS AND JAJA BINKS IN THAT NABOO SCENE. FUCK HIM.
Another great vid Oliver!
One thing (for me) about Jedi, is the final battle. There has never, ever been a space battle put to screen that comes close to it; the way it is edited, the way it looks, the scale of it... It's absolutely perfect (apart from the star destroying exploding on the Death Star surface).
None of the prequel cartoon type battles come close. There is so much going on and with it all being CGI it's just so 'flat' - but here the battle is explosive and epic.
I give kudos to Star Trek: First Contact for their battle with the Borg Cube, but Jedi still reigns supreme.
The Ewoks were crap though. :-)
That battle scene was epic for its time...until The Return Of The King and Babylon 5.
After watching your Empire and now Jedi retrospectives it's very refreshing to find someone else shares my opinion on how the movies line up in the trilogy. Jedi works for me because of Jabba's palace and the duel between Luke and Vader. I respect Empire but New Hope and Jedi captured my interest more as I grew up. Empire was the acquired taste that I now love.
great experience in the cinema in 1983, good job oliver
I just wanted you to know, I REALLY love your opinion/review on 'Return of the Jedi'; it is so honest and clear. I also love how you praise its emotional tones; the sad moments are just too depressing for me. ;( I have to show this review to my Pops, cause I'd love to see what his reaction would be to this review; probably honest with enthusiasm.
But again, I am a big fan of your reviews; I'm glad to have "Subscribed" you. ;)
George Bean Hi George!. thanks for your great feedback. Its nice to hear you agreed with my opinions on the film.
I think the Ewok hate is overblown in the extreme. Honestly, I don't remember much dissent from fans with this film until fans started turning on Lucas due to the Special Editions and Prequels. I think fans have done a lot of revisionist critiquing post SE's and Prequels just because they hate Lucas so much now.
Am I the only one who doesn't even think the Ewoks aren't even that cute? People always bitch about the cute factor. Aside from the babies, I don't think they're that cute at all. They're kind of creepy looking imo...and really violent. They're essentially barbaric pygmy's and the comic relief from them is kept to a minimum. And I'm sorry, but the Endor battle is freakin' awesome. Hell, the entire last act of Jedi is amazing and easily the best out of any of the 6 films so far.
To me, Jedi is the mostly "escapist" feeling of the three, the most visually accomplished, the most emotionally fulfilling and the most impressive on an action front. The narrative does feel a little small in comparison to the other two, but the story and it's nuance makes up for the little qualms that could be found in it.
Mr Maws yes there’s a cracked review about how evil the Ewoks are, which is brilliant
I agree. The whole point of the ewoks was to say a primitive society could stand up and beat the empire. This was my favorite star wars movie growing up and still is too this day.
Twisted "teddy bears" that eat people. Completely cute and harmless of course! ;-)
this was my favourite star wars film when I was a kid. I remember seeing it at the cinema. watching it now, it looks 'cheap' in places compared to the others, despite also having awesome scenes. the emperor is amazing and scared the crap out of me
Thank you I love to sit home Sundays and watch all your videos
Me, too. I love his style of reviewing-no useless humor and snark, no childish skits, no annoying cynicism. Just good quality analysis and commentary-even when I disagree with him (which is rare).
the bootleg "De-specialized" editions are super awesome
8:59
2019 and still hasn't happened
archive.org/search.php?query=star%20wars%20despecialized
I found the despecialized editions on Archive.org If you want to download them, click on MP4 under download options on the right side of the video.
A new window will appear, playing the movie, move your mouse over to the right of the screen and click on the 3 dots next to fullscreen and volume control and click download, select the location you want them downloaded to.
This is the safest and easiest way if you don't know where to find a safe torrent client.
Another excellent and expert (and I hate using that word) review of a piece of history.
Compliments to the whole team, the editing, writing, and talent is Quality™️
Get the Star Wars series on Blu-ray here goo.gl/59j2CH
Get the soundtrack to Return of the Jedi here goo.gl/AyofAM
Very well done sir. I like that you manage to dislike the Prequels (as I dislike them) professionally, too.
Another great one Oliver. I love this film.I remember the first small clip they showed of it was in summer of 82 and it was Chewy throwing the guy from the Imperial Walker and taking it over with the Ewoks.
Being born in 1981 by the time i was 7-8 yrs old while I knew Star Wars existed but didnt have any friends who were fans and didnt see these movies till I was a adult but am a huge fan now.
Unfortunately, Fox owns the distribution rights to the original trilogy until 2020 and Disney seems content to wait them out. So we probably won't get the unaltered originals in HD quality until then. Lucas really showed his true colors with the prequels and "special" editions -- his ego far surpasses his talent.
At first I was like "we have to wait that long?!"
Then I realized it was 2017 and it's only 3 years away....
But here we are 1 year later: Disney bought Fox, so it may come sooner than expected. :)
Problem is, which theatrical cut? The original Star Wars didn't even have that Episode IV stuff, and micro, or major, changes have been made over the years. I think it has to be a blending of new and old. The Special Edition movies did fix a lot of the technical issues, but added a bunch of stupidity. I wouldn't mind Disney taking the SE stuff and getting rid of all the that extra CGI crap, restore the original song in Jabba's Palace, remove that idiotic NOOOOO in Jedi, etc. I don't mind all the 1997 film changes, but I mind the dumb ones. I am not sure we are ever going to see original theatrical stuff, as it was seen in 1977, 1980 and 1983. But we could get much better than the atrocious 2011 Blu Ray release.
Gosh you really are a fabulous editor too Oliver :-)
My four-year-old daughter hasn't watched any of the Star Wars movies, yet. She doesn't have the attention span. But she loves the characters and reading the Golden Books based on the first six. She knows all the main characters' names. I'm looking forward to her watching them all one day.
Like you I prefered the 3rd one better as a kid but now I prefer Strikes Back. Heck I even prefer A new hope to Return. (Oh and the prequels don't exist)
I sat in the audience in 1977 and watched "Star Wars" as it washed over me. It was the best of the trilogy, my favorite and will always be. Empire is the greatest sequel ever, but Star Wars (before it was tampered with) will always be the champ. I wish young people could go back to a time before Star Wars was known by anybody and experience it the way I did. When it was fresh and original. It made all other Sci-Fi look like tinker toys by comparison. It changed forever, the way films are made.
As a kid, I loved all three Of the original Star Wars trilogy. We lost our Return of the Jedi tape in a flood so I always wanted to watch it but never could. I never fully understood all of the movies when I was younger but the action and characters were interesting and fun to watch. The different environments and ships flying through space, it was great fun.
This is my opinion and everyone will probably disagree with me. Star Wars < The Empire Strikes Back < Return Of The Jedi