Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi Review

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi

Release Date: 27th October 1983 – Australia

Production Companies

Lucasfilm Ltd.

Distribution

20th Century Fox Australia

Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: PG

Runtime: 132 minutes

                 134 minutes
                 (Special Edition)

                 135 minutes (2004

                 Edition)

Budget: $42,700,000

Box Office Gross: $482,466,382 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary
After venturing to Tatooine to rescue Han Solo from the notorious crime lord Jabba the Hutt, Luke Skywalker, Han, and Princess Leia travel to the forest moon of Endor to help the Rebels mount a full-scale assault on the Imperial base. Along the way, they gain unexpected allies with a primitive race known as the Ewoks.

Luke must confront Darth Vader and the Emperor as they plan to convert him to the dark side. They were also constructing a second Death Star, which the Rebels intended to destroy.


Cast

Mark Hamill – Luke Skywalker

Harrison Ford – Han Solo

Carrie Fisher – Princess

Leia Organa

Billy Dee Williams – Lando
Calrissian

Anthony Daniels – C-3PO

Kenny Baker – R2-D2/Paploo

Peter Mayhew – Chewbacca

David Prowse – Darth Vader

James Earl Jones – Darth Vader (Voice)

Ian McDiarmid – The Emperor

Sebastian Shaw – Anakin Skywalker
Hayden Christensen – Anakin Skywalker (2004 Edition) (Uncredited)

Alec Guinness – Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi

Frank Oz – Yoda (Voice)

Denis Lawson – Wedge Antilles

Kenneth Colley – Admiral Piett

Michael Pennington – Moff

Jerjerrod

Warwick Davis – Wicket

Jeremy Bulloch – Boba Fett
Larry Ward – Jabba the Hutt
(Voice) (Uncredited)
Tim Rose – Admiral Ackbar
Caroline Blakiston – Mon

Mothma
Dermot Crowley – General Madine
Michael Carter – Bib Fortuna
Erik Bauersfeld – Bib

Fortuna/Admiral Ackbar (Voices)
Femi Taylor – Oola

Annie Arbogast – Sy Snootles

Claire Davenport – Fat Dancer
Jack Purvis – Teebo
Mike Edmonds – Logray

Jane Busby – Chief Chirpa

Malcolm Dixon – Ewok Warrior

Mike Cottrell – Ewok Warrior

Debbie Lee Carrington – Romba Ewok

Nicolas Read – Nicki

Adam Bareham – Stardestroyer Controller #1

Jonathan Oliver – Stardestroyer Controller #2

Pip Miller – Stardestroyer Captain #1

Ton Mannion – Stardestroyer Captain #2

Mike Quinn – Nien Nunb/Ree-Yees/

Sy Snootles/Yoda/Wol Cabbashite (Uncredited)

Pat Welsh – Boushh (Voice) (Uncredited)
Kipsang Rotich – Nien Nunb (Voice)

(Uncredited)
Mark Dodson – Salacious Crumb (Voice)

(Uncredited)
Deep Roy – Droopy McCool (Uncredited)

Maurice Bush – Dengar – The Bounty Hunter

(Uncredited)

Paul Brooke – Malakili – The Rancor Keeper

(Uncredited)

Gerald Home – Tessek/Mon Calamari Officer

(Uncredited)

Simon J. Williamson – Max Rebo (Uncredited)

Don Bies – Barquin D'an/Boba Fett

(Special Edition) (Uncredited)

Nelson Hall – Doda Bodonawieedo/

Boba Fett (Special Edition) (Uncredited)

Sean Crawford – Saelt 'Yak Face' Marae –

Member of Jabba's Gang/Mon Calamari

Officer (Uncredited)

Tim Dry – J'Quille – Jabba's Bounty Hunter/

Tanus Spijek – Jabba's Informat (Uncredited)

Dickey Baer – Barada/Stormtrooper/

Biker Scout (Uncredited)

Alisa Berk – Amanaman – Jabba's Bounty

Hunter (Uncredited)

Philip Herbert – Hermi Odle – Jabba's 2nd

Servant (Uncredited)

John Simpkin – Klaatu (Uncredited)

Corey Dee Williams – Klaatu (Uncredited)

Larry Holt – Taym Dren-garen/Biker Scout/

Sergeant Bruckman (Uncredited)

Hugh Spight – Gamorrean Guard (Uncredited)

Trevor Butterfield – Lieutenant Blount –

Rebel Soldier/Trandoshan – Member of

Jabba's Gang/Stormtrooper/Calamari Warrior/

Giran – Malakili's Assistant (Uncredited)

Richard Bonehill – Nien Numb/

Stormtrooper/Mon Calamari/Ree-Yees/

Mosep/Z-Winged Pilot/Tie Pilot (Uncredited)

Hilton McRae – Arvel Crynyd (Uncredited)

Billy J. Mitchell – Keir Santage (Red Seven)

(Uncredited)

Eiji Kusuhara – Lieutenant Telsij – Grey

Squadron (Uncredited)

Poppy Hands – Rebel Pilot Sila Knott

(Uncredited)

Michael Drew – Jake Farrell – Lead Rebel

A-Wing Pilot

Peter Roy – Major Olander Brit – Rebel

Glyn Baker – Lieutenant Endicott –

Imperial Officer (Uncredited)

Jasper Jacob – Captain Yorr – Imperial

Pilot of ST321 (Uncredited)

Mike Havord – Colonel Jendon – Imperial

Co-Pilot of ST321 (Uncredited)

Barrie Holland – Lt. Renz

Ben Burtt – "Freeze" Officer in Endor Bunker/

Tortured Power Droid (Voice) (Cameo)

(Uncredited)

Richard Marquand – Maj. Marquand –

AT-ST Driver/EV-9D9 (Voice) (Cameo)

(Uncredited)

Robert Watts – Lt. Watts – AT-ST Driver

(Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew
Director – Richard Marquand

Story/Screenplay/Executive Producer/

Second Unit Director (Uncredited) –

George Lucas

Screenplay – Lawrence Kazdan

Producers – Howard G. Kazanjian and

Rick McCallum (Special Edition)
Co-Producers – Robert Watts and Jim Bloom

Casting Director – Mary Selway

Choreographer – Gillian Gregory
Production Designer – Norman Reynolds

Conceptual Artist – Ralph McQuarrie

Art Directors – Fred Hole and James L. Schoppe

Assistant Art Directors – Richard Dawking,

John Fenner and Michael Lamont

Set Decorators – Michael Ford and Harry Lange

Costume Designers – Aggie Guerard Rodgers

and Nilo Rodis-Jamero

Makeup and Creature Design – Stuart Freeborn

and Phil Tippett

Chief Makeup Artists – Graham Freeborn

and Tom Smith

Makeup Artists – Nick Dudman, Kay Freeborn,

Richard Mills, Peter Robb-King, Karen Bradley

(Uncredited), Alan Brownie (Uncredited) and

Daniel Parker (Uncredited)

Creature Design & Effects (Uncredited)/

Consultant – Chris Walas

Creature Consultant – Jon Berg

Director of Photography – Alan Hume

Director of Photography (Uncredited)/Operating

Cameraman – Alec Mills

Location Director of Photography – James Glennon

Operating Cameramen – Mike Benson

and Thomas Laughridge

Production Supervisor – Douglas Twiddy

Production Coordinator – Lata Ryan

Production Executive – Robert Latham Brown

Production Assistant – Ian Bryce

Unit Production Manager – Miki Herman

Assistant Production Manager – Patricia Carr

First Assistant Director/Second Unit Director –

David Tomblin

Second Assistant Directors – Roy Button,

Russell Lodge, Christopher Newman,

Michael E. Steele and Eric Jewett (Uncredited)

Second Unit Director – Roger Christian

(Uncredited)

Helicopter Pilot – Marc Wolff
Stunt Arranger – Peter Diamond
Stunt Co-Coordinator – Glenn Randall Jr.

Special Effects Supervisor – Roy Arbogast

Mechanical Effects Supervision – Kit West

Chief Articulation Engineer – Stuart Ziff

Chief Creature Maker (Special Edition) –

Harold Weed

Visual Effects – Dennis Muren, Richard Edlund

and Ken Ralston

Key Sculptor/Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM

(Special Edition) – Dave Carson

Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM (Special Edition) –
John Knoll
Visual Effects Producer: ILM (Special Edition) –
Tom Kennedy

General Manager: ILM – Thomas G. Smith

Art Director: Visual Effects, ILM – Joe Johnston
Visual Effects Art Director: ILM (Special Edition) –
George Hull

Assistant Visual Effects Art Director: ILM

(Special Edition) – Alexander Laurant

Effects Cameramen: ILM – Don Dow, 

Michael J. McAlister, Bill Neil, Scott Farrar,

Selwyn Eddy, Michael Owens, Robert Elswit,

Rick Fichter, Stewart Barbee, Mark Gredell and

David R. Hardberger

Assistant Cameramen: ILM – Pat Sweeney,

Kim Marks, Robert Hill, Ray Gilberti,

Randy Jonsson, Patrick McArdle, Peter Daulton,

Bess Wiley, Maryan Evans, Toby Heindel,

David Fincher and Pete Romano

Production Supervisor: ILM – Patricia Rose Duignan

Chief Model Makers: ILM – Charles Bailey,

Paul Huston, Michael Fulmer and Ease Owyeung

Model Shop Supervisors: ILM – Lorne Peterson

and Steve Gawley

Pyrotechnicians: ILM – Thaine Morris and David Pier

Matte Painting Supervisor: ILM – Michael Pangrazio

Matte Photography: ILM – Craig Barron

and Neil Krepela

Stop Motion Animator: ILM – Tom St. Amand

Optical Photography Supervisor: ILM –

Bruce Nicholson

Supervising Stage Technician: ILM – Ted Moehnke

Stage Technicians: ILM – Lance Brackett,

Dave Childers, Harold Cole, Pat Fitzsimmons,

Joe Fulmer, John McLeod, Merlin Ohnm and

Peter Stolz

Stage Technician/Visual Effects Project

Manager: ILM (Special Edition) – Edward Hirsh

Stage Technician/Visual Effects Gaffer: ILM

(Special Edition) – Bob Finley III

Plate Photographer/Steadicam Operator: ILM –

Garrett Brown

Optical Supervisors (Special Edition) –

Chris Bushman and Philip Feiner

Computer Graphics: ILM – William Reeves

and Tom Duff

Computer Graphics Supervisors (Special

Edition) – Tom L. Hutchinson and James Tooley

Editors – Sean Barton, Duwayne Dunham,

Marcia Lucas and T.M. Christopher (Special Edition)

Assistant Film Editors – Conrad Buff IV,

Clive Hartley, Nicholas Hosker,

Debra McDermott, Phil Sanderson and

Steve Starkey

Sound Designer (1983, 1997 & 2004

Editions)/Re-Recording Mixer/

Lyricist: Ewokese – Ben Burtt

Supervising Sound Editor (2004 Edition) –

Matthew Wood (Uncredited)

Supervising Assistant (2004 Edition) –

David Acord (Uncredited)

Sound Effects Editor/Sound Editor (Special &

2004 Editions) – Teresa Eckton

Dialogue Editors – Bonnie Koehler,

Laurel Ladevich, Victoria Rose Sampson

and Curt Schulkey

Production Sound/Re-Recording Mixer –

Randy Thom

Re-Recording Mixer – Gary Summers

Re-Recording Mixer (2004 Edition) –

Tom Myers (Uncredited)

Digital Mix Technician (Special Edition) –

Gary A. Rizzo

Film Restoration Supervisor (Special Edition) –

Pete Comandini

Film Restoration Consultant (Special Edition) –

Leon Briggs

Lyricist: Huttese – Annie Arbogast

Music Supervisor – Lionel Newman (Uncredited)

Supervising Music Editor – Kenneth Wannberg

Music – John Williams


Awards

1984 Academy Awards
Special Achievement Award for Visual Effects –
Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston
and Phil Tippett (Won)
---------------
Best Art Direction – Norman Reynolds,

Fred Hole, James L. Schoppe and Michael Ford

(Nominated)

Best Sound Editing – Ben Burtt (Nominated)
Best Original Score – John Williams (Nominated)
Best Sound – Ben Burtt, Gary Summers,
Randy Thom and Tony Dawe (Nominated)

Review

As a kid, my favourite Star Wars movie was RETURN OF THE JEDI. That was until recently when I found The Empire Strikes Back was a much better sequel. JEDI was good at closing the original trilogy, but unfortunately, the film was too family-friendly due to the presence of the Ewoks. Some people might say that the film is the weakest of them all. Although I still have great nostalgia for JEDI, I now appreciate the darker and more complex storyline of The Empire Strikes Back. This movie contains some dark scenes, which may frighten and disturb young viewers. My favourite moments in the feature include the Speeder Bike chase, the space battle on the second Death Star and the final lightsaber duel of Luke vs Darth Vader.

Though far from perfect, JEDI remains an impressive conclusion to a trilogy beloved by many fans. It still boasts breathtaking visuals, memorable characters, and an epic storyline that ties up all the loose ends. There was no more Star Wars until The Phantom Menace came out in 1999. Watch the movie and discover that Luke is related to someone other than Vader. Other films in the original trilogy you want to check out include A New Hope and Empire.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

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