Favorite Fights: Luke Vs. Vader in "Return of the Jedi"

As strange as this may sound, I’m not a fan of the fight sequences from the Star Wars Prequel trilogy. For many people the fight scenes are the one redeemable element of these newer films that can be used as some sort of refutation to any negative criticism. “Sure the acting and story were bad, but at least the light saber fights were awesome!” They are elaborate, well choreographed, and extensive but are also undeniably fake.

Sure, when I was a kid growing up and I saw these films I was ecstatic with joy and giddy adolescent stupidity. To see true Jedi warriors do battle on the big screen was a thing I had been anticipating for years. However, now that I’ve grown older a little wiser I can’t help but see the newer fights as artificial and bland. There is no emotion that exists between the characters of these duels; people are simply swinging glow sticks at one another due to shallow political affairs. There is no connection between the Jedi and the various Sith Lords other than the very thin dichotomy of good vs evil. Since the characters have no bond with one another I end up bored. The fights, while very beautiful, are so immaculate that they end up removing what little humanity there may have been by reducing it to a martial arts exposition.

With the original trilogy we had fight sequences which were more than just spectacles; there was purpose to each fight. If a person like Obi-wan or Darth Vader drew their light saber it meant they had exhausted all their other options and were now reaching for their ace.

After carefully examining all the fights, to me it’s fairly obvious which duel was the most significant. The duel that truly stands above the rest has to be the final confrontation between Luke and Darth Vader aboard the Death Star from "Return of the Jedi".

What’s fascinating about this feud is that most of it is psychological. The majority of the time is spent with Luke in hiding, trying to tame his emotions while Vader eggs him on. Luke realizes that he is now at his defining moment but also senses that he has been played directly into the emperor’s hands. Vader strikes deeper and deeper with words that twist Luke’s psyche until he finally breaks. What follows is a fight which lacks the grace of anything seen from The Phantom Menace or Revenge of the Sith, and instead we are treated to an outburst of pure rage. As Luke lashes out at Vader you see his humanity expose itself. Eventually he overpowers Vader and with animal like ferocity manages to make him yield.

The greatest aspect of this whole sequence happens at the very end. After the subtle build-up which culminates with an overwhelming display of anger, the film has Luke reflect upon what he has done and what he is in danger of becoming. He rejects the notion of the Emperor’s destiny that has been built for him and abandons his sword. Luke throws his very life on the line in a go for broke gambit to save his father and provide him with salvation.

The emotional pay off that follows this duel is one of the most rewarding experiences I can remember from any movie and the reason it works so well is because the conflict itself had so many emotional levels built upon itself. Outside the kick ass beat down that was administered, we recognize that the battle had more to do with revealing the true nature of these characters and less to do with marveling at the spectacle of two men beating each other up.

Strange that all the time and money spent on making the fight scenes from the prequels could not satisfy me more than the simple action sequences of the original trilogy. Without careful consideration of the characters’ feelings it’s easy to forget that fighting needs to have emotional weight tied to the hardships and trials that each of the heroes and villains must overcome. That is why the fight between Luke and Vader in "Return of the Jedi" is the best fight scene in Star Wars history.