Star Wars Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker

Time to say good-bye.

 
"Hey!, it's only a movie" ("Notebook: Hey, it's only a movie, says Lucas - but who's listening to him?", 2011)
 

It's funny how Disney spent months saying bitter fanboys trolled The Last Jedi so that audiences would think it was a bad movie, and two years later they themselves make a move that screams fanservice, nostalgia and playing it safe. Had The Last Jedi not being the bummer it was, I'm sure Mickey Mouse would have continued the "subvert expectations" concept boldly defended by Rian Johnson, and yet they didn't. 

With a large budget, one has to wonder who aids Disney into hiring people who can't direct, write or produce something worth remembering beyond toy aisles. Obviously, J.J. Abrams had things going south even before he replaced  Colin Trevorror as the director. Moreover what he envisioned two films earlier had to be retconned with surgeon's hands.

Star Wars Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker is a film that may or may not suffer from the divisiveness caused by the earlier episode. People who loved having their expectations subverted will probably dislike this final entry, as essentially J.J. decided to pay Johnson back the same way he did in the previous episode: by keeping what's substantial & wiping out remaining secrets he (Abrams) proposed in Episode VII The Force Awakens. 

But what does this mean to audiences?

Stunning visuals of bad weather.

Stunning visuals of bad weather warfare.

Well, if you're like me, and didn't love Johnson's take, you will like Abrams' better. Let's face it, the new trilogy didn't have much of a story to tell. New characters and new stories do resemble, or try to resemble the best moments the original trilogy had, and perhaps that's the main problem this new trio of flicks has. Lifelong fans may have been misled by the constant homage Episode VII paid to the original holy trilogy. The sequel tried to bring new ideas to the table, and while I openly bashed the movie in both my review, and when discussing it with friends, I can say my opinion has positively changed a lot thanks to the re-watch effect.

Running two hours and 20 minutes, IX is a fast lane roller-coaster ride where the action, revelations and answers happen with speed. At times I felt there could have been more movies to explain a few things better. However, I think this is the only possible grand finale the new trilogy could have had. So, while it's not a masterpiece (none of the films from this trilogy are), it delivers enough content to play it safe, and satisfy the most fans.

Rey is the ultimate Jedi.

Is it Kylo Ren or Ben Solo?

OK boomer, what is Episode IX about?

After the resistance is defeated by the First Order, the good guys went in hiding, while Rey continues her Jedi training. However, a secret message coming from the outer realms, reveals Darth Sidious is still alive!, while no one calls him THAT on the film, Palpatine is the son of a bitch that helped build the First Order from the dark in order to conquer the galaxy once more. Moreover, he created Snoke and was behind Ben Solo's transformation into Kylo Ren. Now that Ren is the new supreme leader, he decides to track down the Sith lord in order to defeat him and become the ultimate evil in the galaxy.

On the other hand General Leia Organa knows the threat this bastard poses, and sets her own team to find the location of this ultimate evil. Fortunately, the resistance has the extremely talented Rey on their side. Honestly, Rey is the most powerful Jedi ever seen on film. She's so skilled, she can overpower any threat within miles of distance. Unless, it's her dark side equivalent she's fighting against. Kylo Ren gets in the way of the resistance, namely Rey all the time. Unsurprisingly, both resistance and first order will meet once more for a final  battle. Only this time the first order will have the advantage of a powerful Sith ally.

The first hour feels like the direct sequel to Episode VII, as if nothing of relevance took place in Episode VIII, which feeds my theory that J.J. Abrams didn't like how Rian Johnson handled the sequel, and like Kylo Ren's restored helmet, J.J. picked up all the pieces left, and carefully bandaged everything to build a new movie.

This is our movie!

Psst, we're here too!

From here on there will be subtle spoilers, so stop right here if you haven't seen it yet.

The new trilogy lacked a grand story to tell, and it shows throughout every film. The Force Awakens was a remake of Episode IV, and The Last Jedi was the most original out of the bunch, yet it didn't have a story to tell. I for one, see this new trilogy as an opportunity for the Disney company to sell Star Wars toys with their label on it. Throughout the saga we get a lot of action scenes, dogfights, lightsaber duels, new force powers, modern visually stunning scenes but, and this is the big but of this new saga: Not enough story, undeveloped characters, overpowered characters, no balance! no balance whatsoever. 

The previous trilogies were balanced. Main characters, antagonists, and secondary characters were all there for a reason, and the reason or reasons, were clearly explained, allowing the viewer to feel the need for these characters to exist in each film. The new trilogy took the main features of classic characters and poured them into new characters that were nothing, but a weaker, unfinished,  and underdeveloped version of the original characters. The fact that Rey is now the grandniece of Darth Sidious creates a big hole where fans would ask themselves "Wait, so did this bad motherfucker have a family with kids and everything?". In addition, his survival, and time spent in the shadows building The Final Order (his new army of clones) make Darth Vader's redemption  a lot more irrelevant in the canon. He did redeem himself and saved his son from certain death but ultimately, didn't stop the forces of evil from securing their galactic dictatorship. Moreover, The Resistance was completely clueless about their true enemy, although they had Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, the two surviving Jedi knights on their side! What the hell? Not even The First Order knew about Palpatine's survival and plot. 

Dark Rey.

The first order's finest.

Let's set that aside and move on to the other characters. Kylo Ren the "I want to be badder than my granddad" tryhard, finally gets his redemption and returns to the light side as Ben Solo with the aid of Leia's final sacrifice. Obviously, this is a required Mcguffin, in order to allow Rey to even the odds against the powerful Emperor, and speaking of Mcguffins, the way to access the emperor's secret planet is via a wayfinder (they were spoiled long before the movie premiered) a two of a kind Sith artifact that gives the exact location of Sidious hideout. In addition, there's a Sith dagger that was also spoiled long ago. The dagger provides the same info as the Wayfinder.

Now, let's move on to Fanservice. If bringing Palpatine back from the death isn't enough, don't worry! J.J.'s got you covered!. IX features tons and tons of ripped off quotes from the previous trilogies. From "I got a bad feeling about this" to "The dark side of the force is a pathway to many abilities, some consider to be unnatural". In addition, there are the unexpected scenes that will take fanservice to the next level. Particularly one scene where a young Luke is training his young sister Leia. How ironic is that? a CGI scene that is more emotional than real scenes. On the other hand, the whole Reylo garbage some fans have been pushing through memes and fan fiction all over the internet, sadly pays them off with the lamest scene in the film. BECAUSE, in the previous films Kylo Ren & Rey were allegedly attracted to each other. I always saw them as enemies. One wanted the other turning to the dark side, while the other wanted the exact opposite. I guess, under J.J.'s eye that's reason enough for you to fall in love with your sworn enemy.

Leia, our princess.

Lando's back from geriatric care management.

Character wise I'd say this is Rey's movie. She's on the most scenes, and we get to see her do a lot of things, and I really liked that because she's my favorite new character. On IX she (Daisy Ridley) delivers some of her best acting in several emotional scenes. The fight scenes were she's in, are incredibly well staged and visually stunning. She is truly a convincing character, perhaps the most powerful Jedi knight out of the franchise.

Moreover, characters that weren't popular had far less onscreen time than they previously did. Namely, Rose Tico, and the new characters (Zorii Bliss, Jannah Klaud, Commander D'acy) are all forgettable save for Babu Frik due to the role he plays when aiding the resistance. Other characters play minor roles and don't really add much to the story, save for being there in the background doing stuff while the main characters take the lead.

Droid wise, C-3PO & R2D2 return to spend a more crucial role on this film. Especially 3PO who serves as the vessel to unravel Palpatine's location. D-O, the new droid that looks like a hair dryer, is there to sell toys. Which reminds me of The Knights of Ren! Who finally show up in the movie to make you want to buy more toys! As action figures, I'm sure they look great but plot wise, they're as useless as a Stormtrooper playing darts.

C-3PO gets into the action.

Rebel, rebel!

The Rise of Skywalker was clearly a difficult movie to make. Perhaps, the most difficult of the decade. A significant portion of SW fans wasn't shy about sharing their thoughts and views on social media. Times have changed. Today people don't need official media reviewers, they got their opinions, their own sites, and this poses a new threat for film making. Remember when people bashed Sonic The Hedgehog's design? Well, they listened and fixed it. Same with Star Wars. The Last Jedi really turned the tide for Disney, and after all their futile attempts to say Episode VIII was well received, the final episode is all about listening to the fans, which lastly are the reason these movies are made. IX is the best final chapter we could ever ask for despite its ups and downs. 

Music wise, John Williams has always been the secret character hidden in the background of the franchise. Key classic compositions are brought back in the movie in order to foster the hype for nostalgia. Nevertheless, the new compositions aren't as stunning as what he did in the previous episodes, which is by no means implying his new work is bad or mediocre. 

Knights of Lame, ahem! Ren!

The real bad guy.

The third and final act in IX is the expected duel between Rey, Ben Solo & Darth Sidious. It is here where the final revelation takes place. Ben & Rey form a dyad in the force. If the word sounds strange, In sociology, a dyad is a group of two people, the smallest possible social group. As an adjective, "dyadic" describes their interaction. The pair of individuals in a dyad can be linked via romantic interest, family relation, interests, work, partners in crime, or on this case, the force. Palpatine knows this is an opportunity for revitalizing his agonizing body and he sucks out the force energy of Reylo. As soon as he's ready to take matters on his own, he throws Ben Solo into a large fall, just like Vader did 30 years ago with him. Rey is exhausted and her only chance for survival is to summon the spirit of all the previous Jedi before her. "Be with me" takes a whole new meaning. Her first scene in the movie starts with that phrase and we can see why at the climax. 

Overall, a decent finale but not a perfect movie. However,  I do salute J.J. Abrams effort for putting things in perspective. He even took some of the previous episode ideas and respectfully turned them into a fitting finale.

On a lighter note, let's hope this meme is the last one:

No one's ever really gone.

Here's the teaser trailer:

Here's the second trailer:

Here's the final trailer:

Here's a movie clip:

Here's the revealing preview clip:

The red carpet show:

Nighthawks

There is no security.

The other day while browsing in The Six Million Dollar Man & The Bionic Woman Fanpage, someone posted a picture of a film I hadn't seen featuring Lindsay Wagner. To my surprise, the film was starred by Sylvester Stallone & Rutger Hauer, two heavy weight actors from the 70's/80's, so I instantly decided to search for Nighthawks, a 1981 action thriller masterpiece I now officially include in my top 50 of the greatest films I've ever watched, and I mean it. 

Directed by Bruce Malmuth (also director of Hard to Kill, The Karate Kid Part II & Pentathlon) and the uncredited Gary Nelson (director of cult film The Black Hole & legendary series Get Smart from 1966 to 1969) with a marvelous story written by David Shaber (Writer of 1979's cult film The Warriors) Nighthwaks may be the definitive terrorist film from the 1980's and perhaps, from all decades if you're into these kind of films. Stallone delivers a fantastic performance in a character that's far more vulnerable and believable (for that matter) than his immortal Rocky & Rambo.

DaSilva & Fox, two though N.Y. cops.

Heymar 'Wulfgar' Reinhardt.

Conservative street cop DaSilva (Sylvester Stallone) reluctantly agrees to terminate an international terrorist (Rutger Hauer) who has demanded media attention. But DaSilva's "at-home" tactics are very much put to the challenge.

The story was originally intended to be produced as "The French Connection III" by screenwriter David Shaber at Twentieth Century Fox, with Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle teamed up with a wisecracking cop (tentatively Richard Pryor). When Hackman was reluctant to make a third film as Doyle, the idea was scrapped; Universal acquired the rights to the storyline, which Shaber reworked into "Nighthawks", the more you know!

Troubles continued on set, due largely to Stallone having creative control. Stallone, through producer Herb Nanas, picked out his own cinematographer (usually the director's job). When he disagreed with the original director on certain plot points, the director was fired and replaced by Bruce Malmuth. This further caused issues because not only was Malmuth piecing together someone else's work, he was fairly new as a director and actually gave out too much direction, stressing some actors. Stallone even butted heads with Rutger Hauer, who he saw as getting too much screen time. The lesson, of course, is to allow directors rather than stars to have control.

Beautiful Irene.

Lyndsay Wagner, ♥.

Although not among Stallone's best-known films, it may be one of his better films. Perhaps the studio's production problems have lead to it not getting the level of promotion it has deserved? This is now seen as the film that launched Hauer's career, and surely he is as good or better than Stallone. Hauer is now  best known for "Blade Runner", but maybe if more people saw "Nighthawks" they would have a broader appreciation for his work.

Shout! Factory has picked out the film as part of its Shout Selects line to put a spotlight on the film. It has never looked better, and has the original music put back in place (Keith Emerson, Rolling Stones). We also have new interviews that add to the discussion, as previously we had only Stallone on record talking about the stunts (which are respectable).

Now or never!

Not today coppers!

Although the Shout disc is easily the best released to date, and probably the best there ever will be, it does have shortcomings. For one, there is no audio commentary, which would have been a nice touch. But more importantly, it does not include the cut scenes, which have additional violence and plot. Much of the relationship between DaSilva and his wife is left vague, with entire scenes removed. An extended edition would be great, but even just having them separate on the disc would make this more complete.

That caveat aside, this film is amazing despite any on-set troubles and if you haven't seen it before or want to revisit it, the Shout disc is the way to go. The disc is packed -- packed! -- with interviews, including a new interview with producer (and Stallone manager) Herb Nanas, who had his first on-screen credit with this film but had actually been with Stallone for years. Cinematographer James Contner has almost 25 minutes in his interview, and is not shy about discussing on-set conflict. Lindsay Wagner talks of all her scenes that were cut (a deja vu of "The paper Chase"), and we even get a few minutes with Catherine Mary Stewart on her brief but important role. "Nighthawks" is a lost classic well worth some re-evaluation in the Stallone or Hauer canon. (Not to mention Billie Dee Williams!) 

Mean motherfucker.

Bad sister.

Another cool aspect of this film, is the fact that we get to see a lot of urban landscapes from New York. From the subway chase, to the skyscrapers, and high-altitude postcard quality shots the big apple plays indeed its own character in the movie. In addition, Lyndsay Wagner's supporting role as DaSilva's ex-wife brings a nice touch to the climax of the film. However, I really wish her scenes weren't cut as heavily as they were. She's a great actress and the sub plot of her relationship with DaSilva feels incomplete in the final edition of the film.  How ironic it is that the sole reason I wanted to watch this film is because of her presence in it, and how brief her scenes are! 

Overall, Nighthawks is one of the best action packed films from the 80's. It's sole mission to entertain from start to finish, is greatly accomplished, and the terrorist topic could have been easily taken from a 21st century film. Rutger Hauer steals the show as the cold blooded terrorist, while the good guy duo of Stallone and Dee Williams balance the quality in acting as well. Go watch it now!

Here's the movie trailer:

Star Wars, Episode VI Return of the Jedi

The battle to end all the battles.

I thought that Return of  the Jedi was clearly the best out of the three Star Wars movies from the original trilogy. I find it surprising that this film is considered the weakest installment in the Trilogy by many people. To me it seemed like this movie was the best because it had the most profound plot, the most suspense, surprises, most emotional,(especially the ending) and definitely the most episodic movie. I personally like the Empire Strikes Back a lot also but I think it is slightly less good than than ROTJ since it was slower-moving, was not as episodic, and I just did not feel as much suspense or emotion as I did with the third movie. Besides, this is the film that unveils the jedi mystery.

It also seems like to me that after reading these surprising reviews that the reasons people cited for ROTJ being an inferior film to the other two are just plain ludicrous and are insignificant reasons compared to the sheer excellence of the film as a whole. I have heard many strange reasons such as: a) Because Yoda died b) Because Bobba Fett died c) Because small Ewoks defeated a band of stormtroopers d) Because Darth Vader was revealed

Together again.

I would like to debunk each of these reasons because I believe that they miss the point completely. First off, WHO CARES if Bobba Fett died??? If George Lucas wanted him to die then he wanted him to die. Don't get me wrong I am fan of Bobba Fett but he made a few cameo appearances and it was not Lucas' intention to make him a central character in the films that Star Wars fans made him out to be. His name was not even mentioned anywhere in the movie... You had to go to the credits to find out Bobba Fett's name!!! Judging ROTJ because a minor character died is a bit much I think... Secondly, many fans did not like Yoda dying. Sure, it was a momentous period in the movie. I was not happy to see him die either but it makes the movie more realistic. All the good guys can't stay alive in a realistic movie, you know. Otherwise if ALL the good guys lived and ALL the bad guys died this movie would have been tantamount to a cheesy Saturday morning cartoon. Another aspect to this point about people not liking Yoda's death.. Well, nobody complained when Darth Vader struck down Obi Wan Kenobi in A New Hope. (Many consider A New Hope to be the best of the Trilogy) Why was Obi Wan's death okay but Yoda's not... hmmmmmmmmmmmm.... Another reason I just can not believe was even stated was because people found cute Ewoks overpowering stormtroopers to be impossible. That is utterly ridiculous!! I can not believe this one!! First off, the Ewoks are in their native planet Endor so they are cognizant of their home terrain since they live there. If you watch the movie carefully many of the tactics the Ewoks used in defeating the stormtroopers was through excellent use of their home field advantage. (Since you lived in the forest all your life I hope you would have learned to use it to your advantage) They had swinging vines, ropes, logs set up to trip those walkers, and other traps. The stormtroopers were highly disadvantaged because they were outnumbered and not aware of the advantages of the forest. The only thing they had was their blasters. To add, it was not like the Ewoks were battling the stormtroopers themselves, they were heavily assisted by the band of rebels in that conquest. I thought that if the stormtroopers were to have defeated a combination of the Star Wars heros, the band of rebels, as well as the huge clan of Ewoks with great familiarity of their home terrain, that would have been a great upset. Lastly, if this scene was still unbelievable to you.. How about in Empire Strikes Back or in A New Hope where there were SEVERAL scenes of a group consisting of just Han Solo, Chewbacca, and the Princess, being shot at by like ten stormtroopers and all their blasters missed while the heros were in full view!! And not only that, the heroes , of course, always hit the Stormtroopers with their blasters. The troopers must have VERY, VERY bad aim then! At least in Empire Strikes Back, the Battle of Endor was much more believable since you had two armies pitted each other not 3 heroes against a legion of stormtroopers. Don't believe me? Check out the battle at Cloud City when our heroes were escaping Lando's base. Or when our heros were rescuing Princess Leia and being shot at (somehow they missed)as Han Solo and Luke were trying to exit the Death Star.

New troopers.

A race to die for.

The last reason that I care to discuss (others are just too plain ridiculous for me to spend my time here.) is that people did not like Darth Vader being revealed! Well, in many ways that was a major part of the plot in the movie. Luke was trying to find whether or not Darth Vader was his father, Annakin Skywalker. It would have been disappointing if the movie had ended without Luke getting to see his father's face because it made it complete. By Annakin's revelation it symbolized the transition Darth Vader underwent from being possessed by the dark side (in his helmet) and to the good person he was Annakin Skywalker (by removing the helmet). The point is that Annakin died converted to the light side again and that is what the meaning of the helmet removal scene was about. In fact, that's is what I would have done in that scene too if I were Luke's father...Isn't that what you would have done if you wanted to see your son with your own eyes before you died and not in a mechanized helmet?

On another note, I think a subconscious or conscious expectation among most people is that the sequel MUST be worse (even if it is better) that preceding movies is another reason that ROTJ does not get as many accolades as it deserves. I never go into a film with that deception in mind, I always try to go into a film with the attitude that "Well, it might be better or worse that the original .. But I can not know for sure.. Let's see." That way I go with an open mind and do not dupe myself into thinking that a clearly superior film is not as good as it really was.

I am a Jedi.

Jabba's place.

I am not sure who criticizes these movies but, I have asked many college students and adults about which is their favorite Star Wars movie and they all tell me (except for one person that said that A New Hope was their favorite) that it is ROTJ. I believe that the results on these polls are appalling and quite misleading.

Bottom line, the Return of the Jedi was the best of the Trilogy. This movie was the only one of the three that kept me riveted all throughout its 135 minutes. There was not a moment of boredom because each scene was either suspenseful, exciting, surprising, or all of the above. For example, the emotional light saber battle between Luke and his father in ROTJ was better than the one in the Empire Strikes Back any day!!!

There's a new death star.

It's a trap!

Return of the Jedi juicy mind tricks.

Just like I did in the previous reviews I watched hours of documentary footage, researched the most freaky Star Wars fan sites and of course, I took a look at respectful movie websites to gather the most interesting facts related to the production of the film as well as some key elements important to the development of the story. So now deactivate your force field and enjoy this fun facts about the Return of the Jedi.

Wookies gave way to the Ewoks.

The primitive warrior tribe at the end of this film was originally supposed to be a tribe of Wookiees. In pre-production, though, the decision was made to go to short creatures with short fur rather than very tall creatures with longer fur and, hence, the Ewoks were created (Ewok may very well have been created by rearranging the sounds in the word "Wookiee"). In addition, the word Ewok is never spoken in the movie, nor are the individuals (Wicket, Paploo, etc.) referred to by name. 

Enter the friendly Ewoks.

I have a bad feeling about this.

Han & Leia's marriage scene.

It is rumored that a different ending was shot, but discarded later on. It featured the (long awaited) marriage between Leia Organa and Han Solo. In the Star Wars "Expanded Universe" books, they go on to marry and raise a brood.

Ian McDiarmid the most evil Sith.

According to Ian McDiarmid, George Lucas originally casted him simply as the physical performance of the Emperor (similar to David Prowse as Darth Vader). This became evident to him when a producer told him that if he was able to get his voice close enough to Clive Revill's (who portrayed the Emperor's voice in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)) Lucas would let him use his on-camera vocals in the final cut of the film. However, McDiarmid felt he could conduct a stronger, more wicked and demonic voice for the Emperor as opposed to Revill's more aristocratic Emperor. Lucas, and even Steven Spielberg, were so impressed with his take that it ended up becoming a signature trait of the character. 

McDiarmid, based his character's unusual voice on the Japanese method of using your stomach to project yourself. The result was a strange, guttural croak that Lucas decided was perfect for the character of Palpatine.

Luke's new lightsaber was originally blue. 

Originally, the color of Luke's new lightsaber was blue, the same as the one he lost in ESB. Luke can even be seen wielding a blue lightsaber in early ROTJ trailers. However, when a scene of Luke assembling and activating his new saber was cut, Lucas thought the audience might not understand that Luke's ROTJ lightsaber was not the same one he lost on Cloud City. To avoid confusion, Lucas decided to change the color from blue to green, making it clear that Luke was using a new saber. As part of the Expanded Universe, Luke's original lightsaber, used by his father and given to him by Obi-Wan, was recovered (along with his severed hand) from Cloud City and was later wielded by a Luke clone. After the clone's death, Luke presented the saber to Mara Jade, his future wife. 

Jabba the pimp.

Boba Fett.

Anakin Skywalker? now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time.

Before the special editions, this was the only movie of the original trilogy that mentioned the name Anakin. There was a deleted scene in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) where Luke meets Biggs and Red Leader, where the latter mentions that he had once met Anakin. The scene was restored in the Special Edition, minus the line mentioning Anakin, though. 

Coruscant Imperial City's Cameo.

Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas initially wanted to include the "victory over the Empire" shots on the imperial city. However, they were unable to get a satisfactory name for the capital planet of the Empire. In May 1991, author Timothy Zahn wrote a Star Wars spin-off book, Heir to The Empire, and came out with the capital planet's name as Coruscant. Lucas was happy with the name and as the result, CG shots of victory celebration sequences of other cities, including Coruscant (where the statue collapsed) was included in the 1997 Special Edition.  

Spielberg's Betrayal.

According to the documentary "Empire of Dreams", Steven Spielberg was George Lucas's first choice to direct, but Spielberg had to decline because he is a member of the Directors' Guild (Lucas dropped his Guild membership over disagreements about Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). As a result, Lucas hired the relatively unknown (and at the time non-union) Welsh director Richard Marquand. 

Filipino Ewoks.

Several Ewok lines are in the Filipino (Tagalog) language. Most Ewok lines, however, were inspired by the Kalmuck language, spoken by nomadic tribes living in Central China.  

Like father, like son?

So be it, Jedi knight!

Darth Vader's Improvised Funeral.

Darth Vader's funeral pyre was added at the very last minute, long after principle photography and pick-ups had wrapped. The scene was thrown together and shot near the hills of Skywalker Ranch. 

Jabba's Dancer, the original.

When preparing to work on the special edition one of the ILM employees was talking to a friend and mentioned in passing that they were extending the musical number in Jabba's palace. The friend happened to be the brother of Femi Taylor, the dancer that played Oola (the slave girl/dancer who is fed to the Rancor) and suggested that they get in contact with her as she was in even better shape than she was when they originally shot the scene. They ended up using her, and the scene is a combination of footage that they already had and the new footage recorded 15 years later. Femi Taylor also has the distinction of being the only cast member from the original movies to reprise her role for the special edition. 

Dark Side Essence.

The blue energy seen after Palpatine's death is the essence of the Dark Side of the Force.  

Qui-Gon Jinn was right.

When Vader saves Skywalker by killing Palpatine, he fulfills the Jedi prophecy. He destroys the embodiment of the Dark Side and returns to the light. In doing so, he brings balance to the Force, just as the prophecy predicted.

Carrie Fisher, the fashionista.

Carrie Fisher complained about her costumes in the previous two movies. She said they were so long, you could not tell "she was a woman". Those complaints led to the skimpy outfit she wore as Jabba's prisoner. The costume became something of a running joke among the crew, because the metal framework that held the top together meant that the costume didn't move well with her. Since Fisher didn't like the industry standard solution of using double-sided tape, it became necessary before each take to have a wardrobe person check to ensure that her breasts were still snug inside the costume top (and several scenes had to be re-shot when "wardrobe malfunctions" occurred).  

Sexy princess Leia.

Leia's night outfit.

The Four Vaders.

David Prowse only portrayed Darth Vader completely for the first half of the movie. In the second half of the movie, the character was played by Bob Anderson (stuntman) during the fight sequence, and Sebastian Shaw after the character is unmasked. James Earl Jones voiced the character throughout, with the exception of the unmasking scene. 

Children believe in Yoda.

In the DVD 2004 release, George Lucas explained the reason behind why Yoda told Luke that Darth Vader was his father. Lucas had consulted with a child psychologist during the making of the film. The psychologist said that unless it was unequivocally stated that Vader was Luke's father, moviegoers age 12 and under would dismiss Vader's claim to be Luke's father as a lie.  

Return of the Jedi music.

Listen very carefully as Darth Vader picks up the Emperor and throws him down the Death Star shaft. This is the only time the Jedi theme music plays over a shot of Vader, reflecting his return to the light side of the Force. 

The battle we've all been waiting for.

Hey Annie, care for some bitches?

Special Edition upgrades.

A Special Edition was released on 14 March 1997 (USA). It contains a variety of new special effects shots including:

• A new dance number for Jabba's palace, with new band members and dancers/backup singers.
• New shots of Boba Fett flirting with one of the dancers at Jabba's palace.
• The Sarlacc Pit is now more a Sarlacc Beast, with more flailing tentacles and a protruding mouth.
• The lightsabers in all 3 movies are less beam-of-light-like and more sword-like.
• A brand new ending shows celebrations on Endor, Bespin, Tatooine, and Coruscant, the Imperial Homeworld.
• A new shot of a computer generated Bantha herd seen crossing the desert as Jabba's barge sails by in the distance.
• When Han Solo is trying to shoot the Sarlacc to help Lando, he says "I can see a lot better now" instead of "Its all right. Trust me."
• A new Death Star explosion (similar to the one in the Star Wars Special Edition)
• New music in several sections, most noticeable in the end celebration.
• One of the little known Special Edition additions was a digital re-mix of the Emperor's death scene. When Darth Vader / Anakin Skywalker betrays the Emperor, he now lets out a tortured scream as he picks up the Emperor. This was re-mixed with James Earl Jones's scream, Mark Hamill's screams and a sound of a screeching tire.
• A short moment at the end when Luke winks at the Jedi ghosts was removed.

• The audio track for the very last scene of the film, with all of the actors gathered, was corrected to have music continue to play. In the original release, the actors' voices and laughter could be heard in this scene.

• In the 2004 DVD release, an end shot of Naboo features added dialogue: "Wesa free!" And I'm sure you know who uttered such words.

So after all those juicy secrets do you still have a thirst for some more? Well, in that case, I guess it is time to stop the reading and move on to the trailers section.

Return of the Jedi trailers and more.

The first video you're about to enjoy is the teaser trailer. Pay close attention to the scene where Luke is using a blue lightsaber.

  

The second video is the official original trailer from 1983. Notice that Luke is already using his green ligthsaber this time.

The third video is the special edition trailer from 1997 that focuses in the retouched special effects and the added scenes.

 The fourth video is how the movie should have ended according to what we learned in the prequel trilogy hahaha

See you some time soon hopefully,  in a galaxy not so far far away.