Return of the Jedi

I was 14 years old when Return of the Jedi was first released in theaters.  As a huge fan (understatement) of the first two movies in the trilogy, I had been anticipating this one for what seems like forever (it was the first movie for which I remember feeling great anticipation) and I have a very distinct memory of seeing it opening weekend with my family because I loved it so much!  It is now back in theaters for a limited engagement in honor of its 40th Anniversary (what?) and I had so much fun seeing it last night with a boisterous late night crowd (I may or may not have started the cheering when the opening crawl, accompanied by the instantly recognizable fanfare by John Williams, appeared on the screen).  In this final installment of the original trilogy, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 rescue Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hut before joining once again with the Rebel Alliance to stop the Emperor from rebuilding the Death Star.  There is an epic battle on Endor and a thrilling final confrontation between Luke and Darth Vader!  I eagerly awaited all of my favorite moments, including when Princess Leia defeats Jabba the Hut, when Luke reunites with Yoda on Dagobah, when the Ewoks use guerrilla warfare to defeat the stormtroopers, when Han Solo tells Leia that he loves her, when Darth Vader rescues Luke from the Emperor, and when Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Yoda appear as force ghosts at the celebration, and I had to stop myself from saying all of my favorite lines out loud ("I'm a Jedi, like my father before me.").  I freely admit that I have a lot of nostalgia for the original trilogy and this is definitely not without flaws but I think I loved it as much last night as I did when I saw it for the first time!  I highly recommend seeing it while it is in theaters again, especially if you are a Star Wars fan!

Note:  I own a Blu-ray copy of every Star Wars movie and I also subscribe to Disney+ so I can watch them any time I want.  However, there is just something about seeing them on the big screen!