10 Things In Return Of The Jedi That Have Aged Poorly

Return of the Jedi is a classic film and an epic finale to the original Star Wars trilogy, but some elements haven’t aged well after 40 years.

Return of the Jedi occupies a special place in Star Wars story, but several elements of the film have aged poorly. Every movie in the original. Star Wars The trilogy is a timeless classic that changed filmmaking and created a new myth for modern times. However, Return of the Jedi It is often considered the weakest of the original films, meaning that it has not aged as well as A new hope and The Empire Strikes Back.

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Several reasons contribute to the public seeing Return of the Jedi thus. Some aspects are repetitive, the filmmaking is a step below The Empire Strikes Back, and there is a greater attempt to attract children. It’s also reasonable that a 40-year-old movie might not hold up perfectly by modern standards, but whatever the reason, 10 specific elements in Return of the Jedi They have aged poorly.

Related: Star Wars in Order: All the Movies and Shows

10 The Second Death Star

The Millennium Falcon and the Death Star II during the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi

Star Wars: The Force Awakens He may have been criticized for creating another superweapon, but this trend started with Return of the Jedi. The initial text states that the Empire is being built. “a new armored space station even more powerful than the first and feared Death Star”, only to reveal that it is nothing more than an incomplete copy. This space station could have had at least a new design or a different type of weapon to distinguish itself, raising the stakes of A new hope. Unfortunately, the second Death Star represents a lack of imagination and it seems strange that the Empire would invest more resources in repeating its worst mistake.

Related: How the second Death Star was built so quickly

9 Images and special effects

Han Lando Millennium Falcon

most of Return of the JediThe visuals and special effects are innovative, but certain scenes have not aged well. The backgrounds tend to be the most notable issue, from the Tatooine landscape when Luke Skywalker tells Han Solo the plan to the Millenium Falcon matte paint while Lando Calrissian promises to take care of the ship. The speeder chase on Endor is a fun action sequence, but it’s clear the actors are in front of a blue screen. Return of the Jedi It’s still a technically impressive film, but it’s a clear step back from The Empire Strikes Backwhich was exceptionally crafted with refined visual effects.

8 scenes from Jabba’s palace

Jabba's Palace Star Wars

The scenes in Jabba’s Palace and the sarlacc pit contain some of the most entertaining moments of Star Warsbut they also last too long. Return of the Jedi It had to resolve suspense and close out the trilogy’s Jabba the Hutt subplot, but the writers could have done it more efficiently. Luke Return of the Jedi The plan makes no sense, as it is unnecessarily complicated and only worked because the script needed it to. Thirty-five minutes have passed when the heroes leave Tatooine, and Luke still has to talk to Yoda and Obi-Wan before the main plot can continue.

7 The changes of the special edition

Jedi Rocks in Return of the Jedi

The first two Star Wars The movies had bad changes in the special edition, but George Lucas’ changes hurt Return of the Jedi the most. The “Jedi Rocks” musical number in Jabba’s Palace is a horrible new song that clashes with the tone of the scene, and the CGI characters are out of place in a 1980s film. The distracting CGI plagues other moments in the film. movie, like the new sarlacc pit and the blinking Ewoks. Some changes ruin crucial moments, particularly Darth Vader’s screams. “No!” when he saves Luke. Not all of the Special Edition’s changes are bad, but none of them were necessary and several of them hurt. Return of the Jedi.

6 Slave Leia’s Costume

Leia Organa with her metallic bikini in Jabba's Palace in Return of the Jedi

Carrie Fisher may have looked beautiful in the Slave Leia costume, but this would never work if a Star Wars The director asked an actress to do this today. Audiences expect more about how female characters are treated on screen, so Star Wars It would probably face controversy if a movie or TV show had someone like Rey, Ahsoka Tano, or Hera Syndulla wearing such a revealing outfit. This was especially problematic when Leia, the only prominent female character in the original trilogy, was forced to wear a skimpy outfit when none of her male counterparts did. Slave Leia’s costume is certainly iconic, but it hasn’t aged well by modern standards.

5 Obi-Wan’s explanation for lying to Luke

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker as seen in Return of the Jedi

Obi-Wan Kenobi had a good reason for lying to Luke, and “From a certain point of view” has become an icon Star Wars line, but that doesn’t change the fact that Obi-Wan’s explanation is missing. Instead of apologizing or trying to make Luke understand his reasons, Obi-Wan frames his lie as the truth from a different perspective, even though he deliberately deceived Luke. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith It allowed the audience to empathize with Obi-Wan’s situation but made his explanation more confusing. Obi-Wan was right that one person’s point of view was important, but it wasn’t the explanation Luke needed.

4 The action sequences on Endor

Han Solo leads a group of rebels in a ground assault on the Death Star's shield generators on Endor.

The Battle of Endor contains some of the best moments of Star Wars, but some action scenes don’t hold up very well. This is especially true when the Ewoks join the fight, as it doesn’t look convincing when small teddy bear-like creatures take down the armor-wearing stormtroopers. Other dated moments include a guard falling for Han’s obvious trick, Leia knocking out a stormtrooper with a club, and not enough focus on the rebel soldiers in the third act.

3 The Ewoks

Han Solo and Luke Skywalker surrounded by Ewoks in Star Wars

The Ewoks have always been one of the most divisive aspects of Return of the Jedi, And for good reason. Aside from her action scenes seeming unconvincing, there’s too much focus on how cute and silly they are, which was probably meant to appeal to kids. Lucas considered having Wookiees instead, which would have worked better and given Chewbacca a more significant role in the film.

2 Han’s jealousy of Luke and Leia

They face Luke and Leia in Return of the Jedi

Even though Leia expressed her love for Han as soon as she freed him from the carbonite, Return of the Jedi creates a love triangle about halfway through. Not only was this unnecessary, but it felt strange when the audience already knew that Luke and Leia were siblings. It seems like this was shoehorned in because Han didn’t have as much of a character arc this time, but it’s a subplot that ultimately adds nothing to the movie.

1 Leia remembering her mother

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Luke and Leia

While not Return of the JediBecause of her, the scene in which Leia remembers her mother no longer holds up. This is thanks to Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, which revealed that Padmé Amidala died immediately after giving birth to Luke and Leia. It doesn’t make sense for Leia to remember her mother, so while the scene is well written and beautifully shot, it no longer works as part of the story. Star Wars Canyon. Return of the Jedi is a satisfying conclusion to the original trilogy, but after 40 years of new Star Wars stories and changes in filmmaking, it makes sense that some elements have aged poorly.

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