Darth Wagner said:
Cap, this was one of the best explanations of ROTJ failures, thank you for that. "This is not Han Solo" was Kershner's sentence as well, after Ford said "I love you too" in the Bespin carbon chamber. So it was changed to "I know".
Obviously Marquand was not that kind of director. I've seen "The eye of the Needle" and it had too much overblown drama in details so every idiot could understand it as well.
Reading your post I just tried to think, well how can anybody fix this big issues? They are not cosmetics any more. And Ady said that "Jedi is going to be a mess". It really is, but I hope...still...
I saw Jedi first when I was 14. Then I was annoyed with Ewoks. Later I noticed that actors are talking to each other like they are in the middle of a big american city having ordinary day there, exept they wear strange wardrobe.
Why did this happen on Jedi and didn't on Empire? Was Marquand taking it all too lightly?
Why is the movie looking like "OK, everybody! I know the last one was seriously dramatic but now let's have some great fun! Hahaha! War can be really fun! Everybody shoots, but nobody dies because it's ... the fun show and y'know, it's only a movie! Hahaha"
And I would really like to read any kind of statement of Ady regarding this problems, if a great man is not too busy...
Greets to everyone here
As I've said before, ROTJ is my favorite movie, I never really liked ESB that much, its much too serious for a Star Wars movie. :P
Actually I'd say that shows the softer side of Han, and how much he's changed. The novel went to great length on this: he's not the go-it-alone type of guy anymore, after Luke and co. went to rescue him from Jabba he finally changed and did something for the greater good, becoming a formal member of the Rebellion, and since he already done so much for them they gave him a high rank although I suspect Leia has something to do with that.
A big part of why I love ROTJ so much is the maturing of the major characters: Luke is a Jedi (obviously), and is even willing to take a chance on his dad and offer him safety from the Empire despite what Obi-wan and Yoda think!
Han probably has the greatest growth in maturity, he is willing to risk his life for the Rebellion in the crazy sabotage on the shield generator, which culminates in his giving his beloved ship to Lando to use, even though he's not too sure about Lando coming back. That's no small thing for Han, and although it contains false foreshadowing that scene aboard the shuttle before they take off shows that pretty clearly. He may love Leia but he really loves his ship.
And Lando is so impressed by Han, Leia and Luke's dedication to each other and the cause that he does the selfless thing and joins the Rebellion too. Of course that may end in his sacrifice in the Death Star in this or any other edit, but can we at least save the Falcon for Han? :p
Vader/Anakin of course is ultimately willing to do something unselfish, and dies for it.
The casualness of the dialog is to me like the so-called corniness of the dialog in the P: these guys are in some respect so used to doing what they do that this is just an ordinary thing for them. They watch out for each other and the mission, but everything else during the battle is no big deal. Like my friend put it in my sig :)
Ewoks: You got me there. :) I saw the Ewok movies first, when I was 7. I cheered when I first saw Wicket and friends in ROTJ. I saw ROTJ when I was 11, and BTW its the only OT film I've ever seen in theaters (the SE in May 1997 after seeing the OUT in March). Since I was already familiar with the way the Ewoks did things, it was so much fun seeing them take on stormtroopers and help the Rebellion too. If Ady could incorporate elements from the Ewok movies to create new shots I'd love it.