Return of the Jedi (1983)

As the target demographic for Star Wars, it was a foregone conclusion that we would see the final installment of the original trilogy (especially after such an unexpected ending to "The Empire Strikes Back").

Movie poster for "Return of the Jedi" (1983)

 

I think we saw "Return" at the original Square One Cinemas, in Mississauga.  My younger sister spent the summer in Ottawa, Illinois, and ended up seeing the movie 3 or 4 times (there wasn't much else to do in Ottawa, Illinois).

Carrie Fisher looked uncomfortable in that metal bikini - a deliberate homage to Dejah Thoris in "A Princess of Mars" and the influence of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars Series on the Star Wars universe.

While the special effects were cutting edge, I appreciate the playfulness in using a tennis shoe in the climactic battle scene in the skies above the moon of Endor, as told in "The Making of Return of the Jedi".

I thought ewoks were dumb, but understood the rationale behind them.  (We purchased the soundtrack to "Return of the Jedi" which concludes with a song in which the ewoks sound "like drunken halflings" according to a friend of mine).

With the conclusion of the original trilogy, I didn't think much about Star Wars until the prequels came out.  There's certainly a lot to like, but I was more into reading, listening to Rush, and playing Dungeons & Dragons.