The Film Emotion Blogathon

The Film Emotion Blogathon BannerWell would you look at that, I’m late to the party. I know, big surprise coming from me, the blogger who is cursed with giving late submissions and forgetting deadlines. I don’t know how you guys put up with me! Anyway, Conman has put together an excellent blogathon that I just had to participate in, and he is more than generous to allow my late submission. Look here for the rules. Thanks Conman for hosting such a wonderful blogathon! Let’s jump right into my picks, shall we?

StarWars06-ReturnOfTheJediJoy: Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

I know I’m in the minority here, but Return of the Jedi is my favorite of the Star Wars films.  It was the most action packed of the original trilogy, having not one, not two, but THREE battles occurring simultaneously. During the course of the movie, the Rebel Alliance gets their final victory over the evil Empire, destroying the Death Star II.  And Luke redeems his father, Anakin, destroying Darth Vader, who turns on his former master and killing Emperor Palpatine.  And Han and Leia finally express their love for each other. There is so much Joy to go around, the Ewoks celebration at the end perfectly expresses up my feelings. Or at least Yub Nub did. George Lucas, y u no like Yub Nub!?

Toy Story 3 movie posterSadness: Toy Story 3

Let me first say that Toy Story 3 is a great movie. It is a nice evolution of the characters and messages of the previous two films and a great conclusion to their story.  The reason I included it as my Sadness pick is because it makes me cry harder than any other movie. I have only seen it twice, once in the theater and a few weeks ago as part of my Anniversary Week celebration, but the ending gets me every time.  Now, I don’t consider myself a crier. I get teary eyed for sure, but I don’t cry. Last time I watched Toy Story 3 cried. Hard. For like 10 minutes straight, before, during, and after the scene with Andy and Bonnie.  I’m so glad I was watching it alone…

Insidious movie posterFear: Insidious

This emotion was a little difficult for me to think about because I don’t particularly care for horror films.  I probably could have though out of the box a little but I’m not that creative.  So when choosing one of the few I’ve actually seen, I decided to choose one that I actually liked.  I enjoyed Insidious because I have discovered that I don’t dislike supernatural horror films, like this or Mama, as much as other horror sub-genres. There are plenty of jump scares and the cinematography is pretty good with its use of lighting and shadows.

Rage movie posterAnger: Rage

Rage somehow slipped by my radar. I didn’t even hear about it until about two weeks ago. The title “Rage” pretty much sums up my feelings about the movie.  The movie itself isn’t good but throughout the movie I was willing to go along with it. It never really built up to anything. Then the reveal happened and it hit a wall. This film didn’t slowly go down hill, it got their quickly and abruptly.  After the movie was done, I began ranting about how bad it was. Take this paragraph times, like, five for an example. I don’t rant often, so it felt good to let it all out.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance movie posterDisgust: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Originally, this was going to be my pick for Anger. But the more I thought about it, it fit more under Disgust. For some reason, I really wanted to see this when it came out in the theater. I can’t remember what else was out around that time, but I convinced the rest of the group to go see this over whatever else they wanted to see. I immediately regretted my decision.  After the film was done, I apologized to my friends for making them go see this. It was a mess of a film and I can’t believe it actually got made. At first I was angry about how bad it was, then I realized my disappointment outweighed my anger. Hopefully Marvel will take a stab at the character because he is actually kind of cool.

Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Review

Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi movie posterSynopsis
The Rebel Alliance learns about the construction of a second Death Star. Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) lead a strike force to destroy the Death Star’s shield generator. Meanwhile, Darth Vader (David Prowse / James Earl Jones (voice)) takes Luke to confront the Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) and attempt to turn him to the Dark Side.

Review
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi concludes everything the original Star Wars trilogy (and really the entire saga) has been building towards. I think this is a fairly unpopular opinion, but this is my favorite film of the franchise. It has everything that makes the previous Star Wars films great: lightsaber duels, space battles, character growth, and of course Darth Vader, but better. Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back were both great, but Return of the Jedi steps it up a notch and concludes the saga on its strongest note.

I commonly find my self losing track of time while I’m watching this movie. It has a very quick pace, so it’s never sitting still for too long. I can’t help but get pulled into the story, mainly I think because I followed Luke throughout his journey from moisture farmer to a full fledged Jedi Knight and I am invested in finishing his quest along side him. Although it moves quick, every character gets their fair share of screen time. Other than some minor characters, like the Rebel leaders, I didn’t think, “I wish I saw more of them.” It was a good balance.

There isn’t as much character development as The Empire Strikes Back, but it is easy to see how the characters have changed since A New Hope. Han is no longer the “scruffy looking nerf herder” Luke met on Tatooine, Leia is a much more capable leader than when she was rescued on the Death Star, and Luke is fully inducted into the ways of the Force. After being with these characters for three movies, it is very satisfying to have watched them grow and develop.

Every Star Wars movie has its own lightsaber duel, but the duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader is the best one yet (until the Obi-Wan / Anakin duel in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, but more on that when the time comes). It was much more energetic than the previous duels, keeping me on the edge of my seat. Towards the end of the fight, Luke fights with such a ferocity that it appears he may turn towards the Dark Side and become the Emperor’s new apprentice. Like the evolution of the characters, I like that the lightsaber duels grew and became better and better, too.

What makes this the best in the series for me, though, is the three simultaneous battles that occur at the end: one in space above the moon, one ground battle on the moon, and one lightsaber duel on the Death Star II. The movie bounces between these different fights perfectly and seamlessly. As soon as one begins to slow down, another picks up, so the viewer is always in the middle of some action or another. Kudos to the editing team.

I can’t say enough how much I enjoy Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. The action is the best of the series, and even during the non-action scenes the movie is always moving, never becoming dull or slow. Three different battle that define the Star Wars Saga (space fights, lightsaber duels, and large-scale ground battles) occur simultaneously , blending together smoothly. The character development may not be as strong as the previous film but it is gratifying to see how the characters have grown across three movies. Return of the Jedi may not have been as influential as Star Wars: A New Hope, but it proves that with the right care, a franchise can get better with each entry.

Rating
5/5

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Richard Marquand – Director
George Lucas – Story / Screenplay
Lawrence Kasdan – Screenplay
John Williams – Composer

Mark Hamill – Luke Skywalker
Harrison Ford – Han Solo
Carrie Fisher – Princess Leia
Billy Dee Williams – Lando Calrissian
Peter Mayhew – Chewbacca
Anthony Daniels – C-3PO
Kenny Baker – R2-D2
David Prowse – Darth Vader
James Earl Jones – Darth Vader (voice)
Alec Guinness – Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi
Ian McDiarmid – The Emperor
Frank Oz – Yoda
Denis Lawson – Wedge
Warwick Davis – Wicket