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Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi is the 225th episode of Screen Junkies comedy series Honest Trailers. It was written by Spencer GilbertJoe Starr, Dan Murrell and Lon Harris. It was narrated by Jon Bailey as Epic Voice Guy. It parodies the 1983 science-fiction film Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. It was published on December 12, 2017 to coincide with the theatrical release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The video is 5 minutes 2 seconds long. It has been viewed over 2.2 million times.

Watch Honest Trailers - Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi on YouTube

“A finale that’s almost silly enough to make you question why your identity is so tied to a soap opera about space wizards.” ~ Honest Trailers - Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi 

Script[]

A New Hope blew people's minds. The Empire Strikes Back challenged what you thought a sequel could be. Now, the last chapter of the original trilogy takes its place in history as...the third one.

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

From creative visionary George Lucas and, once Spielberg, Lynch, and Cronenberg passed, the cheapest director he could find (Richard Marquand) comes a film that had to live up to impossibly high expectations and said: "Screw it. We're making a kid's movie." Full of burp gags, slapstick comedy, and Boba Fett going out like Wile E. Coyote (shows Boba Fett flying out of control), in a finale that's almost silly enough to make you question why your identity is so tied to a soap opera about space wizards. (shows the Max Rebo Band performing "Jedi Rocks") That's it; I'm a Trekkie now.

James Kirk (in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier): What does God need with a starship?

(a god-like entity shoots energy beams from his eyes, knocking Kirk back)

Ughhhhhhh. Never mind.

All your favorite heroes have returned, like Luke, who's grown from naive farm boy to goth Catholic priest (shows Luke in a black cloak); Han, who was already so over Star Wars, they had him frozen in case he didn't bother to show up; Leia, who's suddenly Luke's sister --

Leia (upon learning she is Luke's sister): I know. Somehow, I've always known.

You have? Well, that makes this extra-weird then (shows Leia kissing Luke in The Empire Strikes Back) -- plus an all new cast of memorable characters, like, uhhhhhh, her (shows Oola in the rancor pit); Salacious Crumb's kinda fun; and, um, Gonk? (shows a gonk droid getting its feet burned with a hot iron) Sure, why not?

Before there was Jar Jar, the object of fans' blind rage was the Ewoks, a race of cuddly creatures inspired by puppy dogs, bear cubs, and toy sales who Lucas loved so much, they got two spin-off movies (Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor) -- two -- but discerning fans hated because there's no way the mighty Empire would struggle against a smaller, poorly armed force. What do you think this is, Vietnam (Vietnam War)? Afghanistan (Soviet-Afghan War)? Little Big Horn (Battle of Little Bighorn)? The American Revolution (American Revolutionary War)? The Maori (New Zealand War)? Ethiopia (Second Italo-Ethiopian War)? Afghanistan (US Army Operation against Al-Qaeda)...again?

Set aside a special place in hell for Jedi's special edition that not only adds the same bad CG as the other two, but tons of crap that's only there to remind you of the prequels, like Gungans, extra "no's" (shows Darth Vader saying "no!" twice before throwing the Emperor down a shaft), Hayden Christensens (shows Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker), and the criminal erasure of the "Yub Nub" song. An entire generation will grow up with that awful "Jedi Rocks" number, but never know the brilliance of John Williams' "Yub Nub" song? For shame.

So return to Star Wars with Return of the Jedi, a movie that joins Godfather III, Terminator 3, and Spider-Man 3 in the tradition of "meh" third installments that turned an epic about the fate of the galaxy into the Skywalker family drama, cemented the kid-friendly tone of the franchise, and set up Star Wars' long-running love affair with the plot of A New Hope.

(shows clips of elements of the first Star Wars film redone in later films)

George Lucas: Yeah, it's like poetry, sorta. They rhyme. Every stanza kinda rhymes with the last one. Hopefully, it'll work.

Yep (sighs as an article shows the Star Wars movies having made $37 billion), it did.

Starring My Midi-Chlorical Romance (Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker), I've Got a Bored Feeling About This (Harrison Ford as Han Solo), Sunny Dee Williams (Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian), Ballsack Forceman (Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine), Captain Fettsma (Jeremy Bulloch as Boba Fett), Sister Sithster (Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa), Ghost Dad (Hayden Christensen (Sebastian Shaw in the original release) as Anakin Skywalker , Harmonica Solo! (shows the unmasked Darth Vader playing the front of his collar like a harmonica), Teddy Suxpin (Warwick Davis as Wicket), Nyieee...Nyeiun...This Little Guy (Kipsang Rotich as Nien Nunb), Parliament Trunkadelic (Simon J. Williamson as Max Rebo), and Slug Life (Larry Ward as Jabba the Hutt).

Honest Trailers - Star Wars Episode VI - Return of the JediOpen Invideo 4-29 screenshot

Honest title for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Star Wars III: Episode VI out of IX (Possible XII). Titles designed by Robert Holtby.

Star Wars III: Episode VI Out of IX (Possibly XII)

Just a word of advice to Daisy Ridley: if you see Lucas talking to the wardrobe department (shows Leia in a metal bikini), run. (shows Rey and Finn running across the desert)

Trivia[]

Honest_Trailer_Commentaries_-_Star_Wars-_Episode_VI_-_Return_of_the_Jedi

Honest Trailer Commentaries - Star Wars- Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Watch the full Honest Trailer Commentary on YouTube

Reception[]

Honest Trailers - Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi has a 95.4% approval rating from YouTube viewers. Comicbook.com found the Honest Trailer notable for acknowledging the impossible level of hype Return of the Jedi had to live up to. Syfy Wire said Screen Junkies "doesn't hold back on Return of the Jedi" and that the Honest Trailer provided "glaring evidence supporting this Star Wars installment might be the most inferior of the crew." SlashFilm appreciated the Honest Trailer for pointing out how George Lucas inserted lots of "goofy, family friendly nonsense" into the Star Wars franchise. The Mary Sue writer Kaila Hale-Stern said she felt called out by the trailer's line: “A finale that’s almost silly enough to make you question why your identity is so tied to a soap opera about space wizards.” Hale-Stern went on to note "I can appreciate the fun that Honest Trailers is poking at The Return of the Jedi, even if it does feel like precious childhood memories are being stripped away from me."

Production credits[]

Honest traielr star wars return of the jedi

Video thumbnail for Honest Trailers - Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Voiceover Narration by Jon Bailey

Title design by Robert Holtby

Producers - Dan Murrell, Spencer Gilbert, Joe Starr, Max Dionne

Written by Spencer Gilbert, Joe Starr, Dan Murrell and Lon Harris

Edited by Kevin Williamsen and TJ Nordaker

External links[]

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