the finale to the star wars saga, if you were alive for it and you went to see it back then, flaws and all, was it the single greatest cinematic event to have been alive for?
shareYes it was, definitely.
shareDefinitely. Live went downward since 1983.
shareNah. I’m sure I saw it in the theatre.
I think there was more hype for the phantom menace. It had been 20ish years.
Not really. Star Wars was a big, fun thing, but it hadn't become the larger-than-life nostalgic phenomenon that it is now. There was definitely excitement, don't get me wrong. We all wanted to find out what happened to Han Solo, and just see another Star Wars movie, but as for the greatest cinematic event? I don't think so.
I don't know that I can pinpoint one film that *is* the definitive event, but I certainly believe there was far, far more anticipation for The Phantom Menace, and of course the subsequent deep, deep disappointment, and I also think both Infinity War and Endgame had a much larger audience-can't-wait feeling going for them. Back to the Future 3 is another that comes to mind, because the second film ended on a classic cliffhanger, straight from the days of Flash Gordon.
The Force Awakens felt like a much greater movie event than Return of the Jedi as well, as it promised to correct the blunders of the prequels, and set the franchise back on the right track. It also felt like a bit of a miracle. Before it was announced, we all knew that there would never be another Star Wars film. Until there was about to be...
I imagine if I think a bit more, I can come up with others, and maybe even The One, but no, I don't recall Return of the Jedi as being a particularly grand cinematic event.
No, I was somewhat disappointed with ROTJ even back in 1983. The Empire Strikes Back just raised the bar too high. The space action and Luke's final confrontation with Vader was great, though.
shareYes. As a 10 year old, seeing Star Wars was the greatest thing ever! Not kidding!
shareI'm sure it was. Though I was born after it came out so I mostly watched them on a TV with a VCR in the 90s. Until DVDs came out.
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