ST. LOUIS — Can I be honest with you? "Return of The Jedi" is my favorite Star Wars film.
Many will find flaws with it and pick the film apart, but for me, it was everything I wanted in the series: great action, riveting suspense, some heart, humor, and an ending that still punches hard.
Fathers and sons. The undeniable bond that can be to such good usage in a movie because it always creates a relative street for viewers to walk down. The bigger swell of this particular tale was due to the fact that two widely adored films had laid the groundwork for this showdown. Luke Skywalker's nemesis was Darth Vader, someone who had seemingly taken the life of his good friend and mentor, Obi Wan Kenobi. The adversary he dueled with at the end of "The Empire Strikes Back," which is the favorite among "Star Wars" fans as the greatest of all the movies. It was during that battle where Luke, and the audience, found out Vader was indeed his father.
But at the end of what we now know as Episode VI, it was Luke not only getting a rematch with Vader with the fate of the universe hanging in the balance but a chance encounter with someone who is very, very close to him. It was only after Luke had gotten the best of Vader (sorry, spoiler alert 37 years later) that we got to see the villain become the hero and save his son from the evil grips of the real bad guy, the Emperor. Seeing Luke continuously get electrocuted by the old man was sickening, but it was quickly demolished when Vader picked him up and tossed him over the well.
That wasn't all. Once he saved Luke from certain death, Vader sat down, preparing to be subdued by his injuries. It was then that Luke took off the man's mask, the one that had covered his face and disguised his voice, creating a cinematic icon but also stirring up a grand mystery in the process. It was this final emotional moment that sealed the deal for me as a true sequel, arguably the best of all time next to "The Dark Knight" and "Terminator 2: Judgment Day."
This is what the latest "Star Wars" adventure, "Rise of the Skywalker," lacked in heavy amounts. A true emotional coda that few saw coming. You knew Luke was going to face down his father again, but you didn't see the formerly smothered alliance that would rise out of Vader. That was the kicker that tied a sturdy yet far from neat knot on the trilogy. A trilogy that perhaps was best left alone.
Sure, one could say that "Force Awakens" had the grand scope (maybe too much the same) as "A New Hope" and "The Last Jedi" took bold risks like "Empire Strikes Back," but most Star Wars films were duplicates of earlier films. There's a fine argument for most addicts of the movies having zero problem with that. Many just wanted more time with these characters.
"Return of The Jedi" also featured one of the greatest rescue mission scenes of all time: The Sarlacc Pit battle. To me, this was Mark Hamill's finest moment in the entire series, where he hopped off that vehicle seemingly to his death only to spring up and help free Han (the indispensable Harrison Ford) and Chewbecca. You'll watch it and notice all of the cheesy special effects that will quickly melt down to plain old nostalgia for what action in the '80s could create.
Here's the thing. In all honesty, I am not a "Star Wars" fanatic. I don't have the desire for them like I do other film series. They are usually far away from poor movies, but rarely these days do they arouse the excitement that the first three films did.
This is my official second batch of the Millennial cinema revisiting. Stay tuned for my personal favorite 1984 film next week.
