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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

CT 30th Anniversary of ROTJ

Discussion in 'Classic Trilogy' started by Feelicks, Jan 27, 2013.

  1. Feelicks

    Feelicks Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Dec 7, 2012
    [​IMG]

    On May 25 of this year, Return Of The Jedi will be turning 30 years old, along with it being the 36th anniversary of the entire Star Wars saga! ROTJ and I have had quite a history, with it originally being my least favorite Sar Wars film (well, probably due to me being a kid at the time, and not properly criticize or judge things), and ever since rewatching the entire saga, It's grown more on me, being my personal favorite in the Saga, tied with The Empire Strikes Back & Revenge Of The Sith. ROTJ had almost everything Empire had that made it awesome, and amped it up to 11. Better special effects, the Luke v.s. Vader duel on the Death Star, the moody feel of Jabba's palace, seeing Luke become a full-blown Jedi Knight, the amazing John Williams score (same can go for any Star Wars film), and Anakin seeing Luke with his own eyes for the first and only time gets me every time. For the 30th anniversary, what are your memories of Jedi, and what do you think of it as a whole film?
     
  2. CloneTrooperFox

    CloneTrooperFox Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2013
    It incredible to believe that Return Of The Jedi is 30 years ago! I am turning 30 this year as well!

    It is crazy to believe how developed everything is for Return Of The Jedi! A film made back in the 80's and how beautiful it looks. To me this movie is a classic and it will go down as one of the greatest films ever made.

    Congats to Return Of The Jedi!

    30 Years!
     
    Order66Survivor likes this.
  3. Deputy Rick Grimes

    Deputy Rick Grimes Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2012
    Awesome
     
    Andy Wylde likes this.
  4. DRush76

    DRush76 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 25, 2008
    That's nice. It's my least favorite SW movie, but it had a good number of great moments.
     
  5. CloneTrooperFox

    CloneTrooperFox Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2013
    Which is your favorite star wars movie drush? In all honesty attack of the clones is really my favorite. :)
     
  6. DarthRelaxus

    DarthRelaxus Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 23, 2007
    I saw it in the theater when I was 12. [face_sigh]Time is a harsh mistress.
     
    thesevegetables likes this.
  7. ObiAlKenobi

    ObiAlKenobi Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Mar 10, 2012
    I saw it when I was 13 (in 1983 haha). The line was down the block. My brother and I watched it, then stayed for TWO more showings. Everyone in the theater was hooting and hollering, cheering and clapping. It was an experience.

    Sure it had its flaws. But, still, a classic.
     
  8. Blur

    Blur Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 11, 1999
    I've grown to really appreciate ROTJ over the years - truly amazing that it's turning 30 years old. I enjoyed it on it's first release & saw it numerous times that summer.

    As I got older, I didn't like it as much, primarily because of the Ewoks (which I felt dragged the film down), but liked the other aspects, i.e. the aliens in Jabba's Palace & the Jabba scenes in general, the Speeder Bike chase, the great space battle, DV's redemption, the final scenes with Luke seeing the Force ghosts, etc.

    IIRC, this Fall there is supposed to be an oversized "Making of ROTJ" book coming out - this would be in line with the "Making of ANH" and "Making of ESB", that came out in 2007 & 2010, respectively. Hopefully this will be as good & detailed as the previous two books.
     
  9. BoromirsFan

    BoromirsFan Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 16, 2010
    Hoping that this film gets some celebration this year! I will look at it again, hopefully I will find new things to enjoy!

    I can't say that I have strong memories of the OT because I feel that the story of the OT was so embedded in American culture that it robbed viewings of surprise. Or I was too little to understand. Or maybe I actually never saw the films and spoiled myself by buying the scholastic storybooks of the OT. I might have read that before I saw them. I have no idea!
     
  10. EHT

    EHT Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 13, 2007
    Saw ROTJ in the theater when I was 9. [face_dancing]
     
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  11. anakinfansince1983

    anakinfansince1983 Skywalker Saga/LFL/YJCC Manager star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2011
    Happy anniversary to my favorite Star Wars film.

    My appreciation for this one has only grown over the years. I was 11 when it premiered and was interested mainly in making sure that the good-looking Han Solo survived. Of course that was a relief. The guys in my class were all going on about how great Jabba the Hutt was, and how awesome it was to see Darth Vader without his mask. I thought the former was highly overrated, and the latter I didn't appreciate until I saw exactly why his mask came off.

    I've been a fan since Star Wars first premiered but this movie, with Anakin Skywalker's redemption and my wanting to know more about who he had been, turned me from a casual Star Wars fan to a Star Wars fan who posts on message boards and seeks the company of other Star Wars fans.
     
  12. VadersLaMent

    VadersLaMent Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 3, 2002
    I am so old now!

    Before the film hit theatres my family took me down south to visit relatives. Shopping in a store revealed to me the novelization of ROTJ. Of course I bought it. I told myself I'd wait to read it until after the film. Well, down sotuh there was not much to do. I told myself I'd read the first page and stop. ONE OF THE BEST 1ST PAGES EVER. Ok, ok, I'll read the first chapter then stop. Which lead to chapter 2 and so on. I read it all, was fully spoiled, and happy beyond reason. It was one of the better moments in my life to have those answers. It made me wish to see the film even more.
     
    Ord-Mantell70 likes this.
  13. Allana_Rey

    Allana_Rey Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    I'll be sure to watch it on it's anniversary. The whole month of May is Star Wars related!
     
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  14. HanSolo29

    HanSolo29 RPF/SWC/Fan Art Manager & Bill Pullman Connoisseur star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2001
    Growing up, ROTJ has always been my favorite. Unfortunately, I wasn't born early enough to experience it on the big screen, but it had quite a life on VHS for me. It was the first Star Wars film I owned on home video and I ran that thing constantly. For that reason alone, it will always hold a special place in my heart. Despite its flaws and goofy puppetry (that's what makes the film what it is, IMO), I will always love ROTJ. It's hard to believe its anniversary is rolling around so soon. I know what I will be doing come May! ;)
     
    Hitchhiking-Ghost likes this.
  15. anakinfansince1983

    anakinfansince1983 Skywalker Saga/LFL/YJCC Manager star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2011
    Oh, adding this...

    I love the Ewoks. "Cute teddy bears," my ass. They tried to eat Han and Luke for dinner. They fought a "legion of the Emperor's best men," and won.

    And their worshiping 3PO had to be one of the most hilarious scenes in the saga.

    "Well, why don't you use your divine influence and get us out of this?"
     
  16. VadersLaMent

    VadersLaMent Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 3, 2002
    See how it says "since 1983" in her username folks?
     
    anakinfansince1983 likes this.
  17. QsAssistant

    QsAssistant Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2011
    I'm sad to say I can't remember the first time I saw ROTJ; I know it was the special edition that was released in the late 90's. Never the less, I love the film and it ranks in third or fourth place (competing with ROTS). Anytime I hear the title "Return of the Jedi" I always think of two things, Ewoks/Endor and the speeder bike chase.
     
  18. Ice1605

    Ice1605 Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Aug 10, 2006
    RotJ will always be special to me; I watched it over and over again when I was a child. It isn't my favorite Star Wars movie, but it has my favorite lightsaber duel in the whole saga.
     
  19. Darth_Nub

    Darth_Nub Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2009
    Looking forward to JW Rinzler's The Making of The Return of the Jedi - but sadly, I think it'll be in the latter half of the year.

    Won't be ordering it online this time, that's for @#$%ing sure - The Making of ESB turned up soaking wet & falling away from its binding. Readable enough, plus Book Depository refunded me completely & didn't even need it sent back, but I'd rather have paid the cash two weeks earlier for a decent copy that wasn't sent halfway across the world wrapped in a flimsy piece of cardboard with all four corners exposed to the elements.
    Free shipping, my butt. Thanks for nothing, idiots.
    Plus, Australia Post can go f-

    /rant over
     
    TOSCHESTATION likes this.
  20. TrandoJedi

    TrandoJedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 4, 2011
    I sure hope ROTJ's anniversary is celebrated as much as TESB's anniversary. The duel between Luke vs. Vader is probably my favorite moment of the entire saga.
     
  21. Rawne

    Rawne Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Jan 2, 2008
    Bib Fortuna used to scare me more than anything else in cinema.


    Ah Jedi. It might be the first Star Wars film I saw, my earliest memories of SW are the rancor and Yoda squabbling with R2 so it's a toss up between Jedi and Empire.
     
  22. Vthuil

    Vthuil Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 3, 2013
    I know I'm looking forward to The Making of The Return of the Jedi more than either of the Making Of... books. Of all the OT, it's the one with the most shrouded-in-mystery production.
     
  23. Darth_Nub

    Darth_Nub Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2009
    From JW Rinzler's Twitter feed, February 2:

    His book on ROTS tends to be a bit forgotten, just about as comprehensive as his books about the OT, well worth a read.
    Even has the excerpts from an early draft & drawings of the abandoned concept of a young Han Solo, plus a couple of stills & details of the unused footage shot for Episode III during the Ep II shoot in Tunisia.

    I was reading the book while I was actually working at Fox Studios in Sydney, where Episode III was shot - I was mere metres away from where what was being told originally happened, and I could pinpoint just which scenes were shot where. The studio we were using was largely used for the scenes on Utapau, Alderaan and various fighter cockpit stuff.
     
  24. Blur

    Blur Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 11, 1999
    Thanks for the confirmation - though we knew this book was planned, it's good to get clarification. I'm sure it will be as good as the previous two books.

    Other ROTJ memories:

    - I was in school back in '83, and I distinctly remember that several months before the film came out, at recess one day a kid told a group of us the "rumor" that Luke & Leia were brother and sister, and that this would be revealed in the film. I didn't really believe it at the time, though in looking back this was interesting since it was pre-Internet, and turned out to be true. Note that this was before the novelization, comic book, and photo storybook came out in late April/early May 1983.

    - I still remember the figures that came out (before the film release), especially the card-backs with the pictures of Chief Chirpa & Logray darkened so we couldn't see the pics. Interesting, since I'm guessing the Ewoks were supposed to be "secret" before the film, but,as mentioned above, the comic, novel (with pictures from the film) and photo storybook came out several weeks before the film's release, so everyone knew what the Ewoks looked like beforehand anyway ;)

    - Really enjoyed Jabba the Hutt & the aliens in the palace. Even 30 years later, I'm still amazed at how real JTH looks (and this was without CGI). Bib Fortuna, Gammorean Guards, Ree-yees, and Squid Head were some of my other favorite aliens from the palace.

    - The battle at the Sarlaac pit was amazing - really well planned by Luke, and I especially liked the tense music leading up to the scene when Artoo threw Luke the lightsaber ;)

    - Great Speeder-Bike chase - very thrilling & well-done.

    - IMHO ROTJ has the best space battle in the saga, and I liked all of the new (at the time) vehicles, including A-wing Fighters & B-wing fighters, Tie Interceptors, Admiral Ackbar's ship, etc. Extremely well-done - though all of the scenes are great, especially memorable was the sequence with the Falcon flying through all of the enemy fighters - very cool. (Even though ROTS had a great opening space battle sequence, IMHO this still wasn't as memorable or iconic as the one in ROTJ).

    - When I first saw the film, I didn't mind the Ewoks, though as I got older I felt they were childish. However, in more recent years I'm able to appreciate their important role in the film.

    -The ending celebration scene w/Luke on Endor burning the body of his father, then later seeing the force ghosts of Anakin, Obi-wan, and Yoda looking at him with pride/approval (which was partially ruined by the ridiculous addition of Hayden C. in the 2004 DVD ) is not only a perfect, fitting ending to the Saga, but one of the best movie endings, ever.
     
    whostheBossk likes this.
  25. Ord-Mantell70

    Ord-Mantell70 Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Mar 9, 2009
    I'm not a big fan of the teddy bears in ROTJ, as cute and courageous they can be, apart from their funny primitive language.

    But each time I see that black one smiling and combing Chewie's hair in the AT-ST, along with the other stealing and awkwardly riding the speederbike, I must confess it makes me laugh a great deal !!! [face_laugh][face_laugh][face_laugh]

    He's quite disgusting yeah...And really mean too !

    I was more impressed and a little frightened by the Sarlaac beek though, when the movie came out. Really chilly to me...
     
    Rawne likes this.