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 | Return of the Jedi Rated as One of the Worst Endings Ever |
 TheForce.net linked to the following article.
To summarize, the author, Sean Nelson, picked out what he believe to be the ten worst endings in movie history. To his credit, he did say the list was subjective (although he wasn't sure about that). However, he does make some stereotypical remarks after that.
Return of the Jedi made his list. His biggest and primary reason: Ewoks. He didn't like them taking out the Storm Troopers on the forest moon of Endor.
He is entitled to his opinion, but I have to disagree. The ending of Return of the Jedi, and the Star Wars saga for that matter, was so much bigger than the Ewoks, no pun intended. The Star Wars saga is about redemption, primarily Anakin Skywalker's redemption. That theme is carried out well in the end of the movie in my opinion.
Not to mention, the end of the movie had a lot of other really cool stuff: the saber duel between Luke and Vader, the Emporer's attempt to roast Luke, the battle between the Rebels and Imperials in space, the Death Star run....
Sure, the Endor scenes could have been cooler if they had been relocated to Kashyyyk and featured Wookiees instead of Ewoks. That was Lucas' original plan, which changed after he decided to make Han's co-pilot a Wookiee.
Still, to rate the end of Return of the Jedi as one of the ten worst of all times just doesn't seem right to me.
Now, the last Matrix film on the other hand...
Side Note: He also included Return of the King from Lord of the Rings in there. I understood his argument, but given that it was an adaptation from a book, I thought Peter Jackson did a great job with it. Not to mention, it did win an Oscar.
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http://blogs.starwars.com/smugglerjediblog/14 |
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tooclonecrazy
You will never find a more wretched hive of nerds and geekery.
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date Posted: Dec 13, 2007 10:15 AM
which changed after he decided to make Han's co-pilot a Wookiee
Would have been kinda odd if Han had an Ewok co-pilot, huh?
I've actually never seen the original Ewok ending (though I do know the song now, from the soundtrack). I grew up with the Special Edition ending. But, my plans this weekend include getting out the old VCR and watching the tapes to compare. I haven't been able to convince Dad to buy the original DVD releases (odd, because he is a real true SW fan). Maybe for Christmas.
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ewanandhaydenfan5
I Have You Now!
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date Posted: Dec 13, 2007 10:55 AM
I saw that article too. I know some people don't like the Ewoks, but come ON! "...sully the memory of your childhood"? "...convince you that nothing you ever believed was true"? Mr. Nelson seems like he has serious issues with the little guys and also with The Maker himself. And that comment he made at the end about the PT - such hostility!
I agree with you, the OT was about much more than the Ewoks. I think Mr. Nelson needs to gain a little perspective.
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Master Deireanach
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date Posted: Dec 13, 2007 10:55 AM
The original ending is the same in regards to the Ewoks involvement. The only change is Anakin force ghost. Tooclonecrazy I fall in to the same category as your dad, I'm a OT generation SW fan who saw the orignal films in theatres.
Who is this guy and where does he get off saying that Return of the Jedi and Return of the King for that matter had bad endings? They fit perfectly with the entire sagas and ended appropriately. What does he call a good ending? Night at the Roxbury or some crap like that.
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FAN4YRS
A Rebel's Ramblings
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date Posted: Dec 13, 2007 11:11 AM
I think that is complete BS. The ORIGINAL "Return of the Jedi" with the ORIGINAL ending is one of the greatest film endings of all time IMO.
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Master Deireanach
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date Posted: Dec 13, 2007 11:19 AM
Smuggler this Sean Nelson fellow is obviously an idiot. He knows nothing about artistry or creativity. And to bash the ending of Schindlers List, are you kidding me. I'm at a loss for words as to how much of a moron this guy was
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Darth Divette
Confusing muses of a teenage Star Wars Fangirl
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date Posted: Dec 13, 2007 3:09 PM
Sean Nelson.
I curse you to be seriously injured by ewoks.
then say that ROTJ eneding is stupid bc of ewoks beating stromtroopers.
I hope this curse works, I better tell the ewoks to bring a video camera so i can post it on YouTube.LOL
Sean Nelson
I curse you to be beaten by Elves and hit on the head by an Ent and thrown against the wall by a wizard.Then say that Return of the King has a stupid ending. LOL I hope the Ents bringa video camera to.
I hope Sean survives all of this. LOLOLOLOLOL
I'm revengful tonight. ![]:)](http://blogs.starwars.com/share/img/emoticons/devil.gif) 
dude what was that guy thinking bring all the ST fans and LOTR fans against him.
he will mysteriously dissapear by next month.
my sister agrees. she not even an ST fan. but she is an LOTR fan.
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Green Am I
Mudhole? Slimy?! My blog this is!
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date Posted: Dec 13, 2007 3:55 PM
C'mon, give the little guys some slack. 
It's hard to believe that the Ewoks could ruin the dramatic ending to (in my opinion) the greatest work of fiction the world has ever seen... RoTJ had one of my favorite SW endings of all the movies.
But RotK's ending did kinda drag on and on.... (though it was still pretty cool all the same)
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Darth_Hiram
A Journey into The Force
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date Posted: Dec 13, 2007 7:00 PM
I love every part of ROTJ! The thing about the Ewoks is that they were creatures that the Emperor never saw as a threat, but were part of his downfall. Shows that even the smallest beings can make a big difference.
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shoppingMaul61
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date Posted: Dec 14, 2007 2:22 AM
I have to admit that when I first saw ROTJ in '83 I was disturbed by the fact that Luke had nothing to do with saving the galaxy. It seemed to me he went on a selfish quest (bestowed upon him by equally selfish Ben & Yoda) to redeem his old man - a war criminal!- while everyone else did the work. If anything Luke was a liability. Ben & Yoda's focus on Luke and Vader came off as rather self-serving and impotent in the end. It was the Ewoks, not the Jedi, who saved the galaxy.
Don't attack me people - these were the mental musings of a 14yr old! I've since made peace! Plus Luke nailed the first Death Star so I guess the galaxy owed him one...
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shoppingMaul61
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date Posted: Dec 14, 2007 2:32 AM
PS plus as I wrote the above it suddenly occurred to me that it was Luke who enlisted the Ewoks as allies in the first place! It's also interesting to now note that Anakin built the golden droid the Ewoks worshipped. Perhaps the Ewoks were more tapped into the prophecy of the 'one to bring balance' than anyone realised.
See, it does help to talk about these things!
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Master Deireanach
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date Posted: Dec 14, 2007 12:43 PM
ShoppingMaul No attack here just a statement lol. While Luke was fighting Vader he kept Sidious distracted about what was going on down on Endor, had Luke not been on the Deathstar the mission would have failed. Luke said it himself, "I'm endangering the mission"
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Master Deireanach
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date Posted: Dec 14, 2007 12:47 PM
Also, along these lines of SW bashing, has anyone seen the new Blockbuster commercial.
It's in a house and people in it are all reciting movie lines. Guess which line they screwed up? It clearly says "LUKE, I'M YOUR FATHER!!" When we all know the line is "NO. I AM YOUR FATHER!" Vader doesn't say Luke at all during that exchange grrr!
I for one am boycotting Blockbuster for such blasphemy!!!
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shoppingMaul61
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date Posted: Dec 14, 2007 1:15 PM
Thanks Master Deireanach. I do recall the ROTJ novel making a similar point. I guess it's all a bit 'chicken & egg' in the sense that Palps set the whole thing up ("it was I who allowed the alliance to know the location of the Shield Generator") so the rebel presence was no secret anyway, Luke or no. The Ewoks were the wild card, and like I said it was Luke who sensed their potential.
But later at the Ewok party as Wedge, Lando and Han swapped battle-tales did Luke pipe in with "well, I saved Darth Vader and um, well, he's actually a nice guy..no really..!"
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Z-score
The Star Wars Uncle
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date Posted: Dec 16, 2007 5:16 AM
I noticed that the movies he selected as the worst endings are some of the most popular movies right now, which leads me to believe that the author of this article is simply trying to draw attention to himself.
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JediCody87
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date Posted: Dec 16, 2007 5:23 PM
The Whole Star Wars Saga Had Great Endings.
Everyone Of Them , I Personally Think Return Of The Jedi Could Not Have Ended Any Greater. And To Be Honest , I Liked The Graphics In The Original Trilogy Alot Better than In The Prequal Trilogy.
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Donajean462
Star Wars Planetary Map
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date Posted: Dec 17, 2007 11:54 PM
I disagreed with also, I think that it was a very good ending, wouldn't want to celebrate with the people that just saved your world from the bad guys. I certainly would have, as you can see that isn't the only planet celebrating the defeat of the Empire, they are celebrating on other planets also. The Ewoks deserve to celebrate, they help the Republic to defeat the Empire. I deffierently want to be in on the celebrate, it show that we can all get along, if we work together.
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kyle228
Truly Wonderful, the Mind of a Child Is...
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date Posted: Dec 18, 2007 3:42 AM
I also have not seen the original ending... I think I've seen it sometime long ago, but I was probably too young to remember. I really only know the Special Edition ending, which I'm sure isn't that different from the original. Although some might call it a little cheesy, (not me mind you, but some others...) I deffinitely don't think it deserves this.
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Darth Fett 3
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date Posted: Dec 18, 2007 1:23 PM
I read that article too. I couldn't believe that two of my favorite movies of all time were on there (Jedi and ROTK)! I had always enjoyed the ending. It made me feel happy for everyone and, although a little cheesy, I thought it brought a nice sense of closure to the movies. There is no more evil Empire and everyone can take it easy and be happy. I would celebrate with little furry creatures too! And about the Ewoks, its not like they singlehandedly beat the Empire! All the pieces had to fall in the right place for things to turn out the way they did. They were just a small piece of the puzzle that is the Star Wars saga.
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Smuggler Jedi
Hokey Religions and A Good Blaster at My Side
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date Posted: Dec 18, 2007 1:59 PM
Thanks for the comments, everyone. I've been busy with work and company, otherwise, I'd have responded earlier.
I think you all made several great points. I think the article was written to incite passionate response. He picked some easy targets with passionate fan bases and then hit on some classics.
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gahmah80
Gahmah's Lair of Trauma (Blog Closed Due to Inability to Renew Hyperspace Account)
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date Posted: Dec 19, 2007 11:12 AM
What? Would Nelson rather have seen something much more probable? It is fantasy after all. Remember what Han said, "Short help is better than no help at all." Don't forget, the Rebellion is a small group, as stated in that intro in 1977, and their recent defeat at Hoth has hurt their cause, so they need all the help they can get for the final assault. After all, wouldn't you be celebrating like that after the defeat of an almost-all-powerful force that has been oppressing you for years?
Nelson is more than likely just dying for attention. Sadly, this is the way of the liberal media.
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Edgeorge23
The Lightsaber Battles
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date Posted: Jun 19, 2008 7:23 AM
Nelson is more than likely just dying for attention. Sadly, this is the way of the liberal media.
Well said. ROTJ ending was awesome, the best a saga could get. But as for Ewoks, hmmmm, I don't really like em either...But I don't hate em.
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