Actor John Boyega has starred in three of the 16 existing “Star Wars” films*, playing rogue Stormtrooper-turned-good-guy Finn in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015), “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (2017) and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (2019). Boyega liked playing Finn, but it was taped (most notably in a 2020 GQ interview) on his disappointment with the way the series treated his character; Finn was created to be a protagonist and was sidelined for what seemed like racially based reasons. Boyega was also disheartened by Disney’s habit of micromanaging “Star Wars”, believing that each of the franchise’s actors were at risk of being involved exclusively in “Star Wars” projects. “You’re not going to Disney+ me,” he once said laughing to Variety.
There hasn’t been a “Star Wars” movie since 2019, as Disney+ almost killed their goose that laid the golden egg. The film market was saturated, audiences didn’t respond very well to many of the new films, and the franchise proved unwieldy. The studio turned to TV, instead releasing more “Star Wars”-adjacent streaming shows. Since 2014, there have been six animated shows, seven live-action shows (including some still on the way), and seven shows classified as “micro-series.” John Boyega had to navigate all this “content” just to breathe.
In 2016, Boyega was doing a lot of press interviews for various “Star Wars” films and was asked, perhaps naturally, about his relationship with the series and what his favorite films might be. in an issue of Star Wars Insider magazine. In what could be considered a controversial choice, Boyega said that Richard Marquand’s 1983 film “Return of the Jedi” is the best “Star Wars” film.
John Boyega likes “Return of the Jedi”
Conventional fan wisdom typically dictates that George Lucas’ 1977 “Star Wars” or “The Empire Strikes Back” by Irvin Kershner, 1980 they are the best “Star Wars” movies. “Return of the Jedi” is typically praised for its creature effects — the extended sequence in Jabba the Hutt’s palace is chock-full of aliens and monsters — but just as often criticized for the toy Ewoks and repeated plot points; the film culminates with the destruction of another Black Death.
Boyega, however, believes that the film is also strong from the point of view of the characters:
“‘Return of the Jedi’ is my favorite movie, because you find Luke Skywalker at a very vulnerable time. In the first movie, he was learning who he is and learning about this special world that’s out there that he never knew about. ‘ Return of the Jedi is a great mix of drama and comedy and kind of expands the universe in terms of the Ewoks and other creatures that you find in the film. It’s my favorite because it’s the introduction of each character at a different point in the His lives. You see the whole story from a different point of view.”
Which is right. The Empire had yet to be defeated, but the characters now felt more comfortable as a fighting force; they were no longer wartime neophytes as they were in the 1977 film. Luke (Mark Hamill) is now wounded and grown up, having learned that the evil Darth Vader (David Prowse) fathered him. Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is now a general, and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) organizes rescue missions in disguise. Now they are all people of action.
The move away from droids in Star Wars
Boyega also liked the change in perspective. George Lucas famously took some structural cues from Akira Kurosawa’s “The Hidden Fortress” to make “Star Wars”, in particular the story was told from the point of view of two bumbling secondary characters. In “Star Wars,” those characters were the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. “Jedi,” Boyega said, abandoned that presumption and, in his opinion, was stronger for it:
“I always saw the first two films from the point of view of R2-D2 and C-3PO. I was only interested in these droids. These droids are simply switched and passed around, and the story is told from their point of view. But “The Return of the Jedi” is about the story of Luke Skywalker and he’s becoming the best Jedi on the streets right now and that’s been really cool for me.”
Which is right.
It should be recognized that, for years, “Jedi” was considered by fans to be the best “Star Wars” film concept seen in Kevin Smith’s 1994 film “Clerks”. When one character says he prefers “Empire”, another character declares that opinion “blasphemy”. Popular opinions, it seems, have changed.
*The 16th month of “Star Wars”.they are: “Star Wars” (1977), “Star Wars Holiday Special” (1978), “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980), “Return of the Jedi” (1983), “Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure” . ” (1984), “Ewok: The Battle for Endor” (1985), “The Big Cow” (1986), “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” (1999), “Star Wars: Episode II – The Phantom Menace” Attack of the Clones” (2002), “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” (2005), “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (2008), “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015), “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016), “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (2017), “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (2018) and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (2019) .
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