From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Mar 25 15:44:54 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!solace!nntp.uio.no!news.radio.cz!CESspool!news.radio.cz!newsbastard.radio.cz!hub.org!news.IAEhv.nl!usenet.logical.net!dciteleport.com!europa.clark.net!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!worldnet.att.net!cbgw2.lucent.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: null@filmcritic.com (Christopher Null) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI (SPECIAL EDITION) (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 18 Mar 1997 17:00:50 GMT Organization: Null Publishing Co. Lines: 49 Sender: eleeper@lucent.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: eleeper@lucent.com Message-ID: <5gmho2$523@nntpa.cb.lucent.com> Reply-To: null@filmcritic.com (Christopher Null) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtvoyager.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #07130 Keywords: author=Null Originator: ecl@mtvoyager Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:6536 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1236 STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI (SPECIAL EDITION) A film review by Christopher Null Copyright 1997 Christopher Null I'll skip the cute introduction. Let me cut to the chase and tell you what you want to know. Yes, the reissue is as good as the original. Yes, it lives up to the greatness of the rest of the series. Yes, the enhancements are top-notch and they really add to the enjoyment of the film. What's new? Basically three things: A new, surprisingly funny, song-and-dance sequence in Jabba the Hutt's palace, preceding the Jedi knight Luke Skywalker's arrival to save his friends. Enhanced footage of the creature inside the sand pit, where the heroes are forced to walk the plank at Jabba's whim. And a new, much more satisfying ending sequence -- showing the celebrations of victory over the Empire on different planets throughout the galaxy, instead of the little Ewok party on Endor. What's the same? Well, the guts of this epic finale from this terrific trilogy. The thrill of good finally conquering evil, seeing the upright son converting his once-lost father -- the first feel-good sci-fi movie series ever produced. (Never mind the still-horrendous blue-screen footage of Luke fighting the Rancor monster in Jabba's palace.) People ask me what they should go see in the theaters right now, and I always point them to the STAR WARS trilogy. These films absolutely deserve another viewing on the big screen, and I just can't push you in that direction hard enough. Go see them all. And may the force be with you. RATING: ****1/2 |------------------------------| \ ***** Perfection \ \ **** Good, memorable film \ \ *** Average, hits and misses \ \ ** Sub-par on many levels \ \ * Unquestionably awful \ |------------------------------| -Christopher Null / null@filmcritic.com / Writer-Producer -Visit the Movie Emporium at http://www.filmcritic.com -and Null Set Productions at http://www.filmcritic.com/nullset.htm From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Mar 25 15:45:14 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!solace!mn6.swip.net!weld.news.pipex.net!pipex!hole.news.pipex.net!pipex!bowl.news.pipex.net!pipex!rill.news.pipex.net!pipex!howland.erols.net!worldnet.att.net!cbgw2.lucent.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: ram@iris3.carb.nist.gov (Ram Samudrala) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI (SPECIAL EDITION) (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 18 Mar 1997 17:03:40 GMT Organization: The Centre for Advanced Research in Biotechnology Lines: 63 Sender: eleeper@lucent.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: eleeper@lucent.com Message-ID: <5gmhtc$52h@nntpa.cb.lucent.com> Reply-To: ram@iris3.carb.nist.gov (Ram Samudrala) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtvoyager.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #07138 Keywords: author=Samudrala Originator: ecl@mtvoyager Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:6523 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1234 STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI (SPECIAL EDITION) A film review by Ram Samudrala Copyright 1997 Ram Samudrala After /Star Wars: A New Hope/ and /Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back/, it was clear that George Lucas had something hot in his hands. At this point, Lucas was under some pressure, and it would've been easy to produce a followup that was a disaster and everyone down. /Star Wars: Return of the Jedi/ shows Lucas' ingenuity: he combines the best elements of the previous two episodes and produces a movie that is not only technologically advanced, in terms of special effects, but ties the loose ends together in a consistent whole. The plot is similar to /Star Wars: A New Hope/. The Evil Empire has built a new killing machine, much more powerful than the Death Star (even though it has the same weak points as far as blowing it up is concerned). The Rebel Alliance must destroy it before it destroys them. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), along with Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), C3PO (Anthony Daniels), and R2D2 (Kenny Baker) tie up the first loose thread by the rescuing Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from the clutches of the evil Jabba the Hutt (Toby Philpott). Then Luke returns to the Dagobah system to finish his training (thread number two) with Yoda (Frank Oz) and makes it there just in time. The nine-hundred-year-old Jedi Master dies and joins Obi-Wan Kenobi in the great beyond. Luke learns from Yoda that he has a twin sister and must confront Darth Vader before he can become a proper Jedi Knight (and that's two more threads tied up for you). Meanwhile, the Rebel Alliance begins planning their attack on the Empire's weapon. Luke and his friends are responsible for destroying the shield protecting the new weapon so Lando and the Alliance crew can destroy the revamped Death Star. As they approach Endor, the moon containing the shield controls, Darth Vader (David Proust, voice of James Earl Jones) and Luke sense each other's presence. Luke then confronts Darth Vader and tries to convert him to the good side. Up till now, the most fearsome villain in /Star Wars/ was Darth Vader. But Lucas manages to create an even more impressive one, just as he begins to change Darth Vader into a good guy. The new villain is Darth Vader's master, the evil Emperor (Ian McDiarmid), who looks feeble and old but possess extraordinary Jedi powers (presumably from his alliance with the dark side). When the Emperor realises he cannot convert Luke to the dark side, he begins to slowly and painfully kill Luke. Darth Vader, seeing Luke lying helplessly on the floor while the Emperor exhibits pure evil, feels a spark of compassion and kills the Emperor (a little too easily, but it's better than having a sustained fight). In doing so, he finally redeems himself and joins Obi-Wan and Yoda. Burning questions remain: how did the evil Emperor rise to power? How did Darth Vader convert to the dark side and become his slave? How were the Jedi Knights wiped out? It is good that we see the middle three episodes first, before the prequels, as a lot of suspense about Darth Vader's and Luke Skywalker's origins would've been removed. George Lucas timed the release of special editions well. After seeing /Return of the Jedi/, I can't wait to see the prequels. me@ram.org || http://www.ram.org || http://www.twisted-helices.com/th Movie ram-blings: http://www.ram.org/ramblings/movies.html From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Apr 1 21:44:37 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!solace!mn6.swip.net!weld.news.pipex.net!pipex!burn.news.pipex.net!pipex!hose.news.pipex.net!pipex!rill.news.pipex.net!pipex!btnet!netcom.net.uk!ix.netcom.com!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!su-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!news.pbi.net!cbgw2.lucent.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: legeros@pagesz.net (Michael J. Legeros) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI (SPECIAL EDITION) (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 28 Mar 1997 18:17:06 GMT Organization: none Lines: 52 Sender: eleeper@lucent.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: eleeper@lucent.com Message-ID: <5hh1v2$h21@nntpa.cb.lucent.com> Reply-To: legeros@pagesz.net (Michael J. Legeros) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtvoyager.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #07214 Keywords: author=Legeros Originator: ecl@mtvoyager Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:6609 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1246 STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI (SPECIAL EDITION) A film review by Michael John Legeros Copyright 1997 Michael John Legeros (Fox) Directed by Richard Marquand Written by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas, based on a story by Lucas Cast Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Alec Guinness, Frank Oz, Sebastian Shaw, voice of James Earl Jones MPAA Rating "PG" Running Time 133 minutes Reviewed at Mann's Chinese Theater, Los Angeles, CA (14MAR97) == This is the dopiest of the three movies and, thus, the easiest to pick on. The tone is insufferably broad. The cross-cutting is hideous. Even wise old Yoda is a bore, hacking his way through an embarrassing death scene. (Eh heh, eh heh, eh heh, throat lozenge please pass.) And, and, and, so what? To quote someone else's .signature, "The ability to criticize STAR WARS is insignificant next to the power of The Fans." For all the stuff that sucks-- two words: Ewok babies-- there's something else that sends even the casual fan soaring. My favorite moment is watching Vader watching his son getting creamed by the Emperor. Those hollow, plastic eyes chill me to the bone. (That is, once I accept the fact that no amount of purple electricity is going to make Mark Hamill's hair stand on end.) And don't miss the added footage, at the very end, showing celebrations on a couple of other planets. These are the first glimpses into what we'll likely see in two years, when George Lucas unveils the first of his STAR WARS prequels. Grade: B- Notes ===== RETURN OF THE JEDI was screened at Mann's Chinese Theater, in Los Angeles. Lines had formed for both the afternoon and evening shows. I had my picture taken with three costumed characters, an Imperial pilot, a Stormtrooper, and an Imperial guard. -- Mike Legeros - Raleigh, NC, USA, Earth legeros@pagesz.net (h) - legeros@unx.sas.com (w) I'm also on the Web! http://www.pagesz.net/~legeros/ From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Apr 15 13:38:20 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!solace!nntp.uio.no!newsfeeds.sol.net!worldnet.att.net!cbgw2.lucent.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: mredman@bvoice.com (Michael Redman) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI (SPECIAL EDITION) (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 3 Apr 1997 15:43:24 GMT Organization: ... Lines: 41 Sender: eleeper@lucent.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: eleeper@lucent.com Message-ID: <5i0j6s$d62@nntpa.cb.lucent.com> Reply-To: mredman@bvoice.com (Michael Redman) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtvoyager.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #07257 Keywords: author=Redman Originator: ecl@mtvoyager Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:6644 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1247 STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI (SPECIAL EDITION) A film review by Michael Redman Copyright 1997 Michael Redman *** (out of ****) As I have mentioned before, the "Star Wars" trilogy makes much more sense as one work than as three separate films. "Jedi" ends the tale and, taken with the rest, is a part of one of most successful films of all times. By itself, it is something of a weak ending. When I saw this during its original release, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. By that time, the great god "Merchandising" had reared its ugly head and much of the movie seemed to exist to sell toys. The teddy bear Ewoks would have contributed much more to the mythos with their tribal teamwork versus the technology of the Empire if they weren't so damned cute. But then they wouldn't have sold so many t-shirts. Some of the problems exist for no reason. One of the strengths of the project has always been the spectacular special effects, yet someone must have been asleep when some of the "Jedi" scenes were executed. The rubber-masked pig-men guards at Jabba's headquarters look like big kids out trick or treating =97 and are just as convincing. The insipid blue elephant creature appears as real as someone waving a stuffed animal back and forth. In an unfortunate decision, the musical number has been extended for the Special Edition and works even more poorly than it did in the original. The attack on the new Death Star is remarkably similar to the attack on the first one in "Star Wars". I will also have to admit that I enjoyed the film much more this time than during the eighties. Not having such high hopes, I was able to concentrate on its strengths. Luke has his third (or is it fourth?) father killed and must stand on his own. The character of the Emperor is wonderful and the scenes with him, Vader and Luke are filled with tension. "Jedi" may be the weak link, but it is still better than 90% of the other stuff out there. From rec.arts.sf.reviews Wed Jun 4 15:03:14 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!eru.mt.luth.se!www.nntp.primenet.com!nntp.primenet.com!feed1.news.erols.com!worldnet.att.net!cbgw2.lucent.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: david.wilcock@btinternet.com (David Wilcock) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: RETURN OF THE JEDI (SPECIAL EDITION) (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 3 Jun 1997 16:37:43 GMT Organization: - Lines: 34 Sender: evelynleeper@geocities.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: evelynleeper@geocities.com Message-ID: <5n1h8n$4d9@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> Reply-To: david.wilcock@btinternet.com (David Wilcock) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtvoyager.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #07741 Keywords: author=Wilcock Originator: ecl@mtvoyager Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:7126 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1325 RETURN OF THE JEDI (SPECIAL EDITION) A film review by David Wilcock Copyright 1997 David Wilcock STARRING MARK HAMILL, CARRIE FISHER, HARRISON FORD, JAMES EARL JONES, FRANK OZ, BILLY DEE WILLIAMS DIRECTED BY RICHARD MARQUAND A LUCASFILM PICTURE And so we come to the final part of the Star Wars trilogy. Many people consider this to be the least of the trilogy, but I find this one just as entertaining as the other two. The start of the film, in Jabbas palace, is good, and right through to the end, the film is highly enjoyable. The film seems to centre more on action scenes than actual plot and character relationships, but this dosen't affect it one bit. The director handles the action and plot revelations very well, John Williams booming score goes with the film very well, and the special effects are excellent. OK, so Marquand may spend a bit more time than needed than the Ewoks, but he makes up with the storming of the shield generator by the Empire, and the battle that follows in space. So, I find this film to be entertaining, hugely enjoyable fun, and a fitting end to the trilogy. If there was a bit less Ewoks, and maybe some Empire scenes (the bad guys hardly feature in this film except at the end) this would be perfect. However, it is great as it is! Highly recommended. OVERALL=****1/2 =============================== DAVID WILCOCK EMAIL:david.wilcock@btinternet.com WILCOCK MOVIE PAGE: http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/9061 From /home/matoh/tmp/sf-rev Fri Aug 22 16:33:41 1997 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Tue Jul 15 23:07:46 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!eru.mt.luth.se!pumpkin.pangea.ca!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!ais.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uchinews!cbgw2.lucent.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: ChadPolenz@aol.com (Chad Polenz) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI (SPECIAL EDITION) (197) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 30 Jun 1997 23:49:25 GMT Organization: America Online Lines: 86 Sender: evelynleeper@geocities.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: evelynleeper@geocities.com Message-ID: <5p9gm5$2lu@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> ~Reply-To: ChadPolenz@aol.com (Chad Polenz) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtvoyager.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #08019 Keywords: author=Polenz Originator: ecl@mtvoyager Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:7430 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1393 STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI (SPECIAL EDITION) A film review by Chad Polenz Copyright 1997 Chad Polenz Chad'z rating: **** (out of 4 = excellent) 1997, PG, 136 minutes [2 hours, 16 minutes] [fantasy] starring: Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), James Earl Jones (voice of Darth Vader), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), Ian McDiarmid (The Emperor), produced by Howard Kazanjian, written by George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan, directed by Richard Marquand. "Star Wars" fanatics are divided into three camps with each camp believing one of the films in the trilogy is superior to the other two. I'm a "Jedi" fan myself and only recently have I realized I was on the underdog team. Members from the other teams say this film has the least amount of depth, but I strongly disagree. If "Star Wars" defined the basics of this universe through a great adventure, and "The Empire Strikes Back" had a great sense of design and expanded further with the mystical atmosphere of The Force, then "Return Of The Jedi" brings everything together as it has the innocent, thrilling adventure of the first film and brings the supernatural mood of the second film down to a more personal and relatable level. Technically, the first act isn't very important in the long run. Still, it is always exciting to watch our heroes convene at Jabba The Hut's palace in an effort to rescue Han Solo (Ford). One of the reasons the "Star Wars" trilogy is so fun and appealing is probably due to this element of friendship. Jabba and his palace have always been one of the strangest aspects of the trilogy. He's a huge slug that everyone seems to voluntarily worship, and although we never really learn why, it doesn't matter because it's so charming. In this special edition the song and dance routines are even more lighthearted than the original. In fact, it's so cartoony it seems like something from one of the Muppet movies. But it was still fun to watch because it's something familiar and brand new at the same time. I never noticed how slowly the middle act is paced. The chase scene through the forest of Endor has always been exciting, but seeing it on a big screen left me breathless. Although it is just an excuse for action, it certainly is original and fun to watch and I can respect that. The naysayers claim "Jedi" doesn't have the mystery and mysticism the previous films had, but I think it does. The truth of Luke's family is finally confirmed, and the words both Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz), and Ben Kenobi (Alec Guiness) use and the way they say them is moving. We might not be able to relate to The Force but we all can relate to family, and therefore we sympathize with Luke's plight. In order to save the universe he must confront Darth Vader (voiced by Jones), his father, just when he realizes he is capable of redemption. If ever there was a character of pure evil, The Emperor (McDiarmid) is it. Although he is just a character in a movie, he is quite possibly the closest representation of who we know to be Satan. His dialogue might be a bit over the top, but that is the point. The Emperor plays mind games not only with Luke but with each individual viewer as he placates to and encourages hate. We had always thought of Darth Vader as bad, but we suddenly see him in a different manner as he does something that takes more courage and power than the entire Rebel Alliance has to offer. The final act of is a non-stop adrenaline rush. It's a fantastic, adventurous battle that has been built up over the course of three films. When the cute, innocent Ewoks ring out their battle cry against the evil Imperial Empire it's something that would be stupid anywhere else, but because these films are so charming it's inspiring. At the same time, Lando Calrissian (Williams) and the Rebels' attack against the second Death Star and the massive Imperial army is wonderful. The ending to this special edition is basically the same as the original but with a few modifications and additions. Instead of the Ewoks' tribal music, we get a much more glamorous and modern score over several shots of thousands, if not millions of people celebrating the defeat of the Empire. These shots were absolutely marvelous, and I wish more had been added. I still say "Return Of The Jedi" is the best of the trilogy as it has all the surface and metaphysical elements of the two prior films, and an exciting, charming, and detailed story. But, to paraphrase Randal Graves (see "Clerks"), I can't help but wonder if any independent contractors working on the uncompleted Death Star weren't innocent victims when it was destroyed by the Rebels? Please visit Chad'z Movie Page @ http://members.aol.com/ChadPolenz e-mail: ChadPolenz@aol.com From rec.arts.sf.reviews Thu Sep 4 14:27:51 1997 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!eru.mt.luth.se!feed1.news.erols.com!europa.clark.net!204.127.161.1!wnfeed!204.127.130.5!worldnet.att.net!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: Phil Curtolo Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews,rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc Subject: Review: Return of the Jedi - Special Edition (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc Date: 1 Sep 1997 17:01:42 GMT Organization: epix Internet Services Lines: 60 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <5uesdm$ga1@nntp5.u.washington.edu> Reply-To: curt@epix.net NNTP-Posting-Host: homer34.u.washington.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #08837 Keywords: author=curtolo X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer34.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:8263 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1520 rec.arts.sf.starwars.misc:165664 By Phil Curtolo There's an old saying that states something about leaving the best for last. George Lucas certainly followed that adage when crafting the original Star Wars Trilogy. Return of the Jedi, the final installment of the series, is easily the most innovative, action-packed, and entertaining of the three films. The dark, eerie atmosphere that oozed from every frame of The Empire Strikes Back is gone. Instead, for Return of the Jedi, we have good triumphing decisively over evil, a resolution to a love triangle, and walking teddy bears. Even Darth Vader doesn't seem very intimidating this time around. With the arrival of the Emperor (an apparition-like creature played by Ian McDiarmid), Vader has turned into somewhat of a henchman. Return of the Jedi picks up at an unspecified time after the conclusion of The Empire Strikes Back. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Lando Calrissian, (Billy Dee Williams), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), C3P0 (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) are on a rescue mission to Luke's home planet of Tatooine. Their goal: to save Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from the clutches of the intergalactic gangster Jabba the Hutt. It is at Jabba’s home, a creepy-looking stone fortress guarded by hog-nosed beasts, that most of the added special effects come into play. From a hysterical scene involving a music group to the dreaded beast outside Jabba’s sand barge, the effects are top notch. As soon as Han is freed from his cryo-freeze and rescued from the clutches of the evil Jabba the Hutt, it’s back to outer space, where the Rebel alliance is about to face the Empire’s newest threat: a second, more powerful Death Star, that, if activated, could spell doom for anyone who stands against the Emperor. So, while the fleet prepares for the final battle, Luke and company travel to the forest moon of Endor to knock out the shield that defends the Death Star against all attacks. There, they are befriended by the Ewoks, the teddy bear-like native race, and Luke, fearing that his presence is endangering the group, turns himself over to Vader. Return of the Jedi has some interesting elements. The scenes which pitted Luke against the Emperor and Vader are suitably tense and well-acted. From a technical point-of-view, the space battles are amazing, easily hindering anything depicted in the previous films. Not only are there many, many more ships, but their speed and range of movement have been dramatically improved. On one level, Return of the Jedi is almost worth watching for the special effects. In the Special Edition, even more ships are added, making the final space battle incredibly fun to watch. The acting in Return of the Jedi is stronger than in the previous films. By now (or then - 1983), Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher have all matured in their on-screen personas. The chemistry amongst the trio is terrific. As in Empire, Billy Dee Williams gives us another human hero to root for. Newcomer Ian McDiarmid plays the Emperor as a suitably creepy, cunning, and evil creature, although he's not as imposing as Vader was in Star Wars. Although it was great fun watching Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back on the big screen, Return of the Jedi generates a greater sense of enjoyment. With the spectacular, new special effects, the adorable Ewoks, the sinister Jabba the Hutt, the evil Emperor, the same old Millenium Falcon, Darth Vader’s incredible betrayal, the destruction of the new Death Star, and the always lovable Yoda, Return of the Jedi concludes one of the greatest trilogies ever made with a huge bang. Congratulations to George Lucas, whose innovative mind entertains us now and will continue to entertain generations to come. Grade: A+, ***** out of ***** From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri Jan 30 16:32:26 1998 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed1.news.luth.se!luth.se!cam-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!news-xfer.netaxs.com!news-peer.gip.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!news-peer.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!Sprint!worldnet.att.net!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: Steve Kong Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Return of the Jedi Special Edition (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 8 Jan 1998 17:36:37 GMT Organization: The Hard Boiled Movie Page (http://boiled.sbay.org/boiled/) Lines: 65 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <6932r5$5cn$1@nntp5.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: homer15.u.washington.edu X-Trace: nntp5.u.washington.edu 884280997 5527 (None) 140.142.64.1 X-Complaints-To: help@cac.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #10523 Keywords: author=kong X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer15.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:9785 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1722 RETURN OF THE JEDI SPECIAL EDITION (1997) A film review by Steve Kong Copyright 1997 Steve Kong "Die Ewoks! Die!" This is the phrase my Star Wars friends and I chant after every viewing of Return of the Jedi. Return of the Jedi could have been a good, no, great ending for the Star Wars Trilogy but there were those damn Ewoks. After finding out that his father was Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes back, Luke Skywalker and his friends set out to end the reign of The Empire once and for all. What the Rebels find out is that The Empire has been working hard on another Death Star, this time bigger and better than the original. What are the Rebels to do but to destroy the Death Star again and claim victory? But, first Luke and Leia must rescue Han Solo, who was carbon frozen in The Empire Strikes back. Return of the Jedi was the long awaited finale to the Star Wars Trilogy. Given the brilliance of the predecessors, Return of the Jedi should have been the best of the series. There are some great qualities about Return of the Jedi. The movie was made far enough later than the original Star Wars that the special effects were perfected enough to create a huge space battle. The space battle near the end of the movie is well crafted and fun to watch. The story about Darth Vader and his redemption is great. The story about Luke and his quest to stay with the Light Side of the Force is also good. The evil Emperor is cool also. And it was great to see Yoda back again, though so briefly. What stunk about Return of the Jedi are those damn Ewoks. A blatant aim at commercial success in the after-movie market, the Ewoks were introduced. I'm sure most of you know who the Ewoks are already, but for those of you who don't, the Ewoks are a bunch of cuddly looking teddy bear like creatures that live in the forests of Endor. The Ewoks are cute and make for great stuff animals that kids will beg for once they step out of the theatre. But for us Star Wars fans the Ewoks are a plain insult. These snuggly cuddly creatures should have been digitally erased during the Special Edition production. They are plain annoying and ruin the mood for most of Return of the Jedi. For the Special Edition there was not much added to the film. The film itself is so new that most of the special effects still look pretty good. What was added, and is most noticeable is the end sequence. Instead of the plain Rebel celebration with the Ewoks, we now get to see a grant universal scale celebration. This end sequence, with new music from John Williams, changes the overall feel of the Trilogy for the better. Overall, Return of the Jedi is a good film. But I wish that Lucas would have done something with those Ewoks. Don't Miss Return of the Jedi Special Edition, even if you've seen the original Return of the Jedi. The ending is much better in the Special Edition form. I hate Ewoks. --- steve kong reviews@boiled.sbay.org find the latest movie reviews at the hard boiled movie page http://boiled.sbay.org/boiled/