I need to make one thing very clear from the beginning…

…I am a HUGE Star Wars fan. I can remember the toys I had as a child (before mother binned them!) My C-3PO had an arm held on by blue tac. And my AT-AT used to scare me to death, but still I loved it. My passion for Star Wars has only grown as I have got older. My limited collection that I have now is comfortable at home on each of my book shelves ( I have quite a few book cases).

But for the huge fan that I am, I am painfully aware that George Lucas is both creator and destroyer of the series. We will look at the films in total and another time, but for now this post is focused on one thing; Return of the Jedi.

I’ve titled this post claiming ROTJ to be the best and worst star wars film. Pfft! Phantom Menace was the worst star wars film I hear you cry? Yes Ja Ja Binks was loathsome, the pod racing scene was ridiculously long and pointless and Jake Lloyd couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag. But ROTJ has something far worse and more sinister. Ewoks. Oh you say Empire Strikes back is the best Star Wars film? Its good, very good I grant you. But a close second is all it can achieve. It may be dark and brooding and have the immortal line; “No Luke, I am your father!…” But it doesn’t have what ROTJ has… The redemption of Anakin Skywalker.

Lets start with the worst. One of the biggest criticisms of the Star Wars franchise has been the aggressive commercialisation and marketing of it as a product. Most of the new trilogy was delivered for the sole purpose of toy and product sales. And to that end it has done very very well, creating billions over its decades of production. The Phantom Menace was one of the worst for characters that could be turned into toys. But people view it unfairly. It was a new and long awaited installment in the saga, that promised to tell the story of the fall of Anakin Skywalker. People had high hopes for it, perhaps too high. But by the time Attack of the Clones came around, the new installments had found their feet (barring the continuous onslaught of toy opportunities.) And lets not forget Darth Maul… The Phantom Menace is worth watching just for him. I still get shivers thinking about the first time the double ended light saber is revealed!

But oh Return of the Jedi…your failings are far more insidious. You started the mass commercialisation and marketing of the franchise, and you did it with Ewoks. These cute fluffy bears even had their own cartoon series in the 80’s. But all of that could be forgiven, if it were not for your role itself in the film. Lets look at what you are. A primitive species of 3-4ft bears, whose weapons of choice are bows and arrows and sticks. You face the greatest army in the galaxy. Technologically, strategical and in pure numbers the Ewoks a far out classed. It would be like a mouse trying to fight a lion. Maybe if they were squashed it would be ok. But no, we have a long drawn out fight scene where the Ewoks actually win. Ok they had a little help from a Wookie, a Princess/Rebel leader, 2 droids that have no place in that kind of terrain and one ‘scruffy looking nerff herder.’ But still.. we are talking about the greatest force there is, and the Ewoks beat them with sticks. Ewoks, I loathe you, and you are the worst part of the Star Wars universe.

And so we come paradoxically to why Return of the Jedi is the best Star Wars film. We have 2 reasons here. Firstly, what is Star Wars about? Is it about Obi-Wan Kenobi? No. Is it about Yoda? No. Surely its about Luke Skywalker? No I say again! Star Wars is about Anakin Skywalker. His birth as the chosen one to bring balance to the force. His training and growing arrogance manipulated by Palpatine. His fall from the Jedi order and succumbing to the dark side of the force. And finally his redemption and rejection of Sidious’ teachings and ultimately his fulfilling of his destiny and the prophecy of the  chosen on – returning balance to the Force. It is in this final installment of the saga that we witness the man that was Anakin Skywalker, return from the dark side to save his child. Return of the Jedi has some of the best dialogue in all the films but my personal favorite is;

Luke: “Search your feelings, Father, you can’t do this. I feel the conflict within you. Let go of your hate.”

Darth Vader: “It is too late for me, son.”

In that one powerful line we feel the sadness, regret and conflict that is within the slither of Anakin Skywalker that still lives inside Darth Vader.

There is of course a second reason why Return of the Jedi is the best Star Wars film. Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious. The most powerful Sith lord to ever live and a hidden gem in the series. Ian Mcdiarmid who plays Palpatine / Sidious is easily the best actor in any of the films, and lends them a credibility and authenticity that is lost if he were not part of it. All of his dialogue in Return of the Jedi is to torment and play with Luke and even Darth Vader. He has no allegiance other than too himself, and it is in this film that we finally get to see the man who the feared Darth Vader calls master.

Next time you watch return of the Jedi… fast forward through all of the Endor / Ewok rubbish and enjoy the dialogue and interactions between Luke and Darth Vader and the Emperor and both of them. There are some beautifully touching scenes that close the series perfectly. But of course that’s not the end, as we now know that 3 more films are being made. If you are a Star Wars buff like I am, you will already be aware that after Return of the Jedi, Luke turns to the dark side, turns back and establishes a new Jedi order and Sidious comes back from death possessing one of his many cloned bodies. I cant wait for the new films (Darth Vader is rumored to appear in flash back), and the clips of the Sith Inquisitor look amazing.

Until then, I shall leave you with the Emperors final words of the film…

“And now, young Skywalker… you will die.” Cue Vader to step in and lay the smack down.