Return of the Jedi1983

Verdict: 🥇 MUST SEE  The 3rd installment in the original Star Wars trilogy holds up extraordinarily well, in every detail. I was able to re-watch it this time with a live symphony orchestra playing the music, who did a commendable job recreating John Williams iconic and powerful themes. Maybe because of this, what stood out most to me this time was every individual contribution in its own right: • Incredibly visionary designs by Ralph McQuarrie and gorgeous matte paintings from everyone in the art department • Iconic and endearing sounds and foley work from Ben Burtt • Poignant story beats and memorable dialogue from Lawrence Kasdan • Unmatched score from John Williams • Best-in-class creature design and costumes (though some questionable hairstyles) • Jaw-dropping model designs and execution • Even the lighting department was killing it in the throne room • A remarkably believable and sinister performance from Ian McDiarmid. There is no more effective villain in this genre at that time than him. • Uncanny puppetry work With all the pieces working together so well, it makes you wonder what George’s contribution really was. Taking this step back, you see that Lucas brought vision and was able to rally a highly skilled and dedicated team to do groundbreaking work, amongst all the challenges and barriers. And that tracking shot in the throne room battle with the choir roaring to the score… that’s 💵 💵 💵