"Return of the Jedi" (1983)

Today, I have concluded my re-visitation of the original Star Wars trilogy with "Return of the Jedi" (1983).

Review:
Like it's predecessors, Return of the Jedi, is compelling, well acted, fun, funny, action packed, and features likable characters and an interesting world. It keeps the heart, tone and charm of its predecessors. The only problems are that the version I watched features added stuff like CGI, unnecessary additional voiceover, a musical number replacement, and a cast replacement at the end. Overall, Return of the Jedi is a satisfying conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy.

Max Scale:
Special Edition-8/10
Blu-Ray Edition-5/10
Theatrical cut-10/10
Overall-9/10

"The Empire Strikes Back" (1980)

This past afternoon, I continued my re-visitation of the original Star Wars trilogy with the second installment: "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980)

Review:
This is a great sequel, as well as a great Science fiction Classic on its own. Irvin Kershet did a great job directing, as well as keeping the heart and charm that made Star Wars great. It features a very interesting story, an expansion of the Star Wars universe, new characters, great special effects for the time, intense action scenes, funny moments, interesting and quotable dialogue, and a darker approach. I'm not going to spoil it (although the movie has been around forever), but that twist at the end (and yes, there IS a twist) gets me every time. The only problem is that the version I watched was the special edition with added CGI background effects which are a bit distracting. Overall, The Empire Strikes Back is a great successor/continuation that surpasses its predecessor, and I would highly recommend it to science fiction fans.

Max Scale:
Special Edition-9/10
Original Cut-10/10

"Star Wars" (1977)

I have always had a fascination with Star Wars as a child, and the original Star Wars trilogy were some of my favorite films growing up. So with "The Force Awakens" approaching, I have decided to revisit "Star Wars" the original trilogy. Starting today with the one that started it all. So without further ado, here's my short review.

Review:
This is an excellent science fiction/space adventure flick and quite impressive for the late 70's.
George Lucas did a very good directing and told a great story using this interesting world he built.
 It features likable characters, intense action scenes, neat production design, great costumes, unique sound effects, and creative Science fiction elements (light sabers, protocol droids etc.). It also features a killer music score composed by John Williams. The only problem is that this is the special edition with added CGI effects, and the original theatrical cut is kind of hard to find. Overall, this is a great flick and a great franchise starter, and I would highly recommend it to anyone

Max Scale:
Special edition-8/10
Original cut-10/10
Overall-9/10

"Poltergeist" (2015)

Synopsis:
In this remake of the 1982 horror classic, a family moves into the suburbs. However, their new home is haunted by evil forces, and they must come together to rescue their youngest daughter who was captured.

Review:
In a way, this film exceeded my expectations...I expected it to be bad, and it was.

While it's not as awful as I thought it would be, it's still quite bad.

Not only does it fail as a remake, but also as a stand alone horror movie. It features cheap scares, bad acting, forgettable characters, and plot points borrowed from other horror movies from this decade ("Insidious" (2011), "The Conjuring" (2013) etc.).

Also, it's so different from the original that it's not even a remake. It's just an average PG-13 supernatural fear fest with the same title. Not to mention that the girl isn't even Carol Anne from the original, but "Maddy," which was quite a stupid move on their part. The only parts that were like the original are the static TV, the clown, and another thing at the end, in which saying it would spoil it.

Almost nothing happens, and a lot of the scares are pointless. The clown did absolutely nothing, and was just an obvious attempt at giving the film a similar feel to the original. There is a tree in one scene, which did something, but was of no significance to the story. It doesn't really get good until about the last 30 minutes or so.

On a positive note, it features nice looking visuals, and a few cool scenes. But those things alone can't promise a good movie. It's better than the "Nightmare on Elm Street" 2010 remake, but that's not saying much.

Overall, this was a pretty mediocre horror film/remake. I can't recommend this movie.

If you're considering watching this, that's your business. But be advised that if you go into it expecting it to be as good or memorable as the original, you're going to be disappointed. In other words, you are probably better off seeking out the 1982 classic instead.

Max Scale:
4/10