Ok, so this post was started by watching the most recent episode of Lost, "Some Like it Hoth". A mild spoiler: in the episode Hurley disses the ewoks in Return of the Jedi. I had the gall to agree with the idea that the ewoks were lame on Facebook. Banter ensued. And now I must resurrect my blog to state my case.
When Return of the Jedi came out, I was 9. Of course I loved it at the time. What kid didn't? My own sons like it the best of the movies as well. But for me, it hasn't held up well over time. The original Star Wars was ground-breaking, entertaining, and enjoyable. The Empire Strikes Back still remains a pinnacle of the genre, a well-done character driven story set in a rich universe.
But Return of the Jedi? It is a so-so film with poor dialog, wooden acting, and ewoks. Let's detail some of these faults of the film and its divergences from its predecessors.
1) The neutering of Han Solo. Han Solo in the original Star Wars was a smuggler, a borderline guy who had his back up against the wall, shot first (originally), trusted only Chewie, and was only in it for the money, until the end. In Empire, he's still relatively consistent in character, and his growing care and love for Leia is one of the main storylines. In Jedi, literally he does nothing to progress the story, and is essentially a cardboard cut-out of a character that shoots a few one-liners. Granted, part of this may be Harrison Ford's fault for not wanting to really be the character anymore, but who could blame him with this awful script? He might as well be wearing a t-shirt saying "I'd rather be filming Indiana Jones".
2) All those who hate Jar-Jar, raise your hands. Now, blame the ewoks. They were the first shot fired in the "Dang! I can print my own money selling toys!" war against the movie patron. Seriously, the ewoks are probably the first-ever mass introduction of a commercial product into what was supposed to be a feature film. Legend has it that the original concept was to have a planet of Wookies- Chewbacca's home planet (much later introduced in Episode 3). But Wookies weren't new, cuddly, and loved by children under the age of 8 that had parents with decent disposable incomes. No, instead we got ewoks. And the Ewok Special. And cartoons, toys, plush ewoks, lunch boxes, playsets, Underoos, and "comic relief". (And the awful, awful "Yub-nub!" song.)
Consider this tidbit of information: the word "ewok" is not in the movie. Anywhere.
3) Carrie Fisher was clearly stoned out of her mind during the filming of this movie. Not that it really detracted from her "acting" skills. This isn't really evidence supporting my case, but I'm just feeling bitter.
4) Another reason to hate RotJ: the Death of Boba Fett. Boba Fett was a ruthless bounty hunter, responsible for the capture of Han and the near-capture of Luke, and was the second-most formidable foe next to Darth Vader that the heroes faced. So, what happens to him?
He is killed off in a comical manner to serve up a burp joke.
This travesty is not in keeping with the tone of the movies that had been established. Really, it's a farce. It shows what sort of nonchalance the movie itself was being treated with, and that it was not a creative vehicle, but one motivated by profits alone. Which also serves as a strong condemnation of Episodes 1-3 as well, come to think of it.
Posts
3 comments:
The way I always said it was, "George Lucas got cocky making the last one, and threw in a bunch of crap he thought was funny." This included the Boba Fett belch and the Chewbacca Tarzan yell.
The reason I'm glad for the Ewoks is that I had a soccer coach in high school who was Scottish, and about 5'0". A few of us would say "Yub! Yub!" when we passed him as we were getting off the bus at each game.
Your own words summarize the entire problem with the point you are trying to make:
"When Return of the Jedi came out, I was 9. Of course I loved it at the time. What kid didn't? My own sons like it the best of the movies as well."
The genius of George Lucas is the universality of his appeal. This doesn't mean that everyone likes every part of every movie (though I do). Rather it means, there is something in it for everyone of all ages. If the entire series was as high-brow as Empire, there would not be the fanbase there is now. Similarly, if the whole series were as campy as Jedi, it would be a joke.
But, you loved Jedi as a kid and, if you were anything like me, thought Empire was boring. Now, as an adult you see the juvenile weaknesses of Jedi and the strengths of Empire. As an old man, we may all even appreciate Jar Jar if the pattern continues.
Star Wars is cross-generational. You don't outgrow it, like happens with Disney, but neither do you have to mature into it like, say, The Godfather. How many movies (or series of movies) do you enjoy just as much now as you did when you were 9? How many films do you enjoy just as much as your sons?
The Ewoks may be lame, but they are a necessary piece of the greatest story ever told (besides the obivous..)
While you do mention a lot of the lame parts of RotJ, I still believe that the Death Star space battle is the best space battle out of all the Star Wars movies. Capital ships everywhere, tons of fighters, and the Falcon flying through the innards of the Death Star make for a lot of excitement. Not many movies have had a space battle that epic since.
It is my firm belief that, with the exception of Ep IV, that George Lucas should never ever be allowed to direct. Let him be the idea guy, but keep him the hell away from the directors chair. Empire is the best of the series because it wasn't directed by Lucas. Jedi is quite watchable compared to I-III.
Post a Comment