"Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi" (SPOILER ALERT)

⭐⭐⭐⭐💖

Now that the prequel trilogy is done, I went back and finished watching the original trilogy with "Return of the Jedi". This movie seems to grow on me every time I watch it and this round was no different. I think it helped that I watched it in machete order (updated to include all live action movies) this year. 

One of the benefits of watching the movies in this order is that we get to see the relationship between Anakin and Palpatine build before the climactic ending. This makes the emotional impact that much greater when Anakin kills Palpatine to save Luke. We know how much Anakin looked up to Palpatine, even ultimately above his fellow Jedi, so when Anakin kills Palpatine we realize just how much he valued his son. We also realize that Padmé was right and Luke realized this on his own - that there was still good in Anakin.

For first-time viewers, watching in machete order brings up the question, "Is Darth Vader Luke's father?" Obi Wan Kenobi tells Luke his father is dead, but then Darth Vader claims to be Luke's father. Obi Wan wouldn't lie, would he? But why would Darth Vader make such a claim if it wasn't true? By watching the trilogy next, we get to the bottom of it, which makes Vader's and Luke's scenes in "Return of the Jedi" all the more meaningful. It also ties everything together. Obi Wan was correct, but so was Vader.

Another benefit of watching the movies in machete order is that we get to see a lot more of Yoda's place among the Jedi before he dies in the conclusion of the original trilogy. It seemed premature to me to have such a wise and noble character emerge in one movie, then die in the very next one. This happened with Obi Wan Kenobi, except he vacated the premises in the first movie he appeared in.

I liked meeting Yoda for the first time in "The Empire Strikes Back" because the surprise of who he was, was impactful. We find out he's the Yoda Luke was looking for the same time Luke finds out. Then, by watching the prequel trilogy next, we can fully understand Yoda's historical impact. Watching Yoda's death scene is always sad for me, but after seeing that he did indeed live a full and fulfilling life makes the burden easier to bear.

In machete order, the secret about Luke and Leia being siblings is preserved longer. I liked seeing how Luke and Leia came to be in the prequel trilogy before listening to Luke break the news to his sister in "Return of the Jedi".

There are other aspects that I like about the movie itself. It ends in both redemption (Darth Vader emerging from the dark side) and jubilation. I felt like getting up and dancing when they were celebrating at the end. I was also happy that Lando got to fly the Millenium Falcon again since L3 had became a part of it. Also, I'll never ever get tired of that speeder scene. It makes me laugh every single time.

Despite all this, in my opinion, "Return of the Jedi" doesn't measure up to the other movies in the prequel nor the original trilogy. From the beginning of "Jedi",  it was different. I would have loved for it to begin with a space action scene. Some of the scenery looked so fake that it was distracting. And those Ewoks, I'm just not a fan of them. Jabba the Hutt made me especially ill in this movie. The whole scene where Leia is captured really bothers me. It think it's my least favorite scene in all of Star Wars (though on a positive note, I was pleased to see Jabba ultimately meet his demise because of her).

The end of "Return of the Jedi" shows the spirits of Yoda, Obi Wan Kenobi, and Anakin as he looked before he turned to the dark side. Since "Jedi" was released in 1983, he had to to have been added in later. I read that George Lucas originally had the actor that played unmasked Vader in this spirit scene, but later changed it to the younger Anakin. Without first watching the prequel trilogy, one could probably guess that is Anakin, but I think it makes it more meaningful to watch the prequels first. Then there's no question about who he is and you understand the meaning behind it. Yet another reason why machete order (updated to include all live action movies) is the way to go. 

I paid close attention to Boba Fett's scenes since I'm eventually planning to watch the series. It certainly does look like there's no way he could have survived, so I'm interested in seeing if there's an explanation for that. I also want to see what his "book" is all about.

But before "The Book of Boba Fett", I'll be re-watching both seasons of "The Mandalorian" next. I will watch one entire season (eight episodes), then review the season as a whole. Then I'll watch the second season (another eight episodes), then review that season. I won't be reviewing each episode individually! Since I'm watching eight episodes before I post my next Star Wars review, it may be several days before you see me here again. I'll be in a galaxy far, far away, but I assure you, I will return.