Let's just talk Return of the Jedi

Agreed! Of all the movies, this moment is my favorite. A lot of weight in this moment.

 

You are not alone. I remember waiting for years for the payoff after the big "reveal" in Empire. (No spoilers!). Was not disappointed. Ewoks be damned, I love this movie with a thousand yubnubs.

 

You are not alone. I remember waiting for years for the payoff after the big "reveal" in Empire. (No spoilers!). Was not disappointed. Ewoks be damned, I love this movie with a thousand yubnubs.

 

Top 10 for me!

I love ROTJ! Until I changed my ranking system, this was my #1 favorite Star Wars movie as a kid. It had action, cute and violent animals, Luke's new lightsaber, SCOUT TROOPERS - I cannot overstake how much I loved the speed-bike scene as a kid - sympathy for villains (both the monster tamer dude and Vader), with a slight dash of horror thrown in when Vader's helmet is removed. This was the perfect "for all ages" Star Wars movie for a kid growing up.

 

Return of the Jedi is awesome. The speeder bike chase in Return of the Jedi actually inspired me to make an Android game so anyone can feel like a speeder bike pilot.

This is the scene that inspired me:

This is the Android game:

So far it's just me playing it every day.
It would be great if you would check it out and leave a review. If it catches on, more content and a multiplayer mode would follow.

Available here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=speederbike.racing

Mods: this fits into the discussion but if this needs to be in Fanmade Content, please move it there.

 

That's pretty cool.
One thing, I know that game dev is no simple task (did freelance work in design years back), but one thing that immediately leaps out to me is the sound.
The music could use some work because it doesn't really drive or convey the sense of the motion taking place - it's just kind of there, rather than purpose fit to build the thrill. It would be additionally interesting if it could eventually capture that John Williams feel without actually being William's music - that is, adventurous.

More importantly, and I'm sure this is work-in-progress as the reason, but the sound not existing is definitely causing a break in immersion and engagement.
Part of what really sells the speederbike scene in ROTJ so well is the sound design. The sound of the bikes, and equally important, the sound of objects whooshing past really causes the impression of speed and danger because there's layer's of sound based on distance from the bike. Closer objects whizzing by sound bigger, while trees and rocks in the background are softer - almost just a fluttering white noise. The other thing that ROTJ did that really made the scene click in terms of both visual and sound was that you had a lot of trees and objects in the background that, as a single element treatment, was allowed to just blur and constantly gets the softer fluttering sound of lots of things passing in the background very quickly, but then there's fewer objects near to the bike which have the bigger sounds and stand out as the direct objects the character has to navigate, and that sound of the object coming inbound, being right next to, and then passing behind the bike was a big kick. You really felt the object threatening you as you both visually saw it coming, and heard it coming. If you close your eyes and listen to that scene - it's pretty remarkable in that way.

It out did even regular car chases of its day, which most didn't have this kind of treatment for sound being such an integral part of the character of the motion.
You would typically just have sounds relating to the car or bike, a few screams from pedestrians, some honks and crash noises, but they would all be mostly flat with no directional pattern to the sound's motion.

For example, for the most part, take a listen to The Driver from 1978.

Seriously do go turn that scene on and close your eyes. You'll hear what I mean. If you added that layer of sound design into it, I think you'd really amplify the visceral quality of what you've got going. You could even drop the music entirely if you had this sound design going - heck, ROTJ did!

Cheers,
Jayson

 

Adding a whooshing sound when passing trees was actually on the to-do list. The game trailer just has some mellow music, in-game there's a pretty cool jet engine sound for the speeder bike. But yeah, Star Wars has one of the greatest sound track and sound effects, which won't be in a first release of an indie game.

Just mute the game and play this in the background.

The Android game was designed to be mobile-optimized and provide that sense of high-speed maneuvering through forests by tilting the phone left and right, while also fending off enemies with the front-facing laser.

 

Just for completeness, here's an in-game trailer with the actual sounds, excuse the non-orchestral music:

 

Very nice.

--- Double Post Merged, Feb 23, 2020, Original Post Date: Feb 23, 2020 ---

I am also seeing some Asiatic influences, for example, a Chinese junk ship.

 

After decades of watching ROTJ, something just occurred to me. The plan to rescue Han is even more bonkers than I thought. Lando goes undercover at Jabba's palace as a security guard or something. That's pretty bold considering:

 

Yes but he had that mask thingy that sort of covers his face!

That plan is so ludicrous even Mel Brooks couldn't top it in Spaceballs.

 

You mean the part he pulls down for apparently no reason beyond showing us it’s him?

Lando: Pst - hey audience, it’s me, Lando. I’m in disguise.
Audience: Lando!?
Lando: Shush, keep it down.
Audience: Oh, right. Sorry Mr. Calrissian . . . your secret’s safe with us

Love it

 

That actually made me laugh out loud at work. Thank you, sir!

 

Return of the Jedi! I can always tell if someone is "my type" of Star Wars fan by how much they heap their praise on this terrific film and how much (like me) they see Episode III as a very flawed film.

Not that there is anything wrong with feeling differently of course!

But ROTJ has "all the feels", it was Carrie's favorite of them all for a reason. It's Ian's favorite as well (and Ian has no love for Episode III).

It's a very beautiful film with a very happy ending.

 

Interesting perspective! I love ROTJ but also love ROTS. ROTS may be my favorite SW movie, easily my favorite PT movie. I just like seeing the villains win because it's so incredibly rare.

Every movie I see, when the heroes are in danger, there is a little voice in my head that says, "They're going to be ok". That's because they almost always are. But when the villain actually wins, it's always an unexpected event and makes me like the movie more.

Whenever a main character, vehicle (the Enterprise), or place is killed or destroyed in a TV show or movie, I usually just have to wait for it to come back somehow. On the rare occasion that it doesn't come back, that blows me away.

 

Well, I honestly liked episode III. Because to me it has the level of technology that a true space movie should have.
I find TROS a very great movie, however it is a little overshadowed by TESB. I also appreciated the new scenes added at the end of the movie. And of course the final battle between Luke and Vader.

 

I think you mean ROTJ and not TROS here, but either way, in terms of the cultural zeitgeist...


Cheers,
Jayson

 

Yes sorry I mean ROTJ. Sometimes I mixed the acronysm.

 

I must be your type then, because that's totally me. Blows me away that people let a couple Ewok scenes ruin the arguably greatest Star Wars film for them.

And Ep III... has its moments. But tonally it's just so bizarre, and I'm sure we've discussed this here before.

 

ROTJ definitely isn’t my favorite, but it does have my favorite moments. When I hear those two words ‘star’ and ‘wars’ right together (as they always should be) the visual in my head is certainly the thrown room scene intercut with attacking DS2. That’s just what’s codified in my grey matter, there to stay I reckon.

I love the ‘concept’ of the Ewoks: the truest realization of GL’s preoccupation with ‘organic vs. artificial’ inspired by the conflict in Vietnam. I also respect the juxtaposition of something aesthetically harmless being revealed as brutal and intimidating. Good stuff that.

Buuuuuuut, man, I’ve never been able to see them as anything other than little people in teddy bear costumes. Costumes that are clearly pretty restrictive. Sure, that one guy managed a decent cartwheel, and good on him for it (what a legend), but otherwise I get the impression that if any of these little folk were to fall down, it would be some noticeable effort to get back up again.

It’s a problem with suspension of disbelief for me. I don’t buy them stealthily stalking through the underbrush. Poor Warwick Davis would get his faux fur caught on a branch and that would be the end of him. No more trick-or-treating that year.

Their fighting against Stormtroopers holds all the inherent believability to me of a parent playfighting with their toddler. “Ah, ya got me, Timmy. Wow, you’re soooo strong. I don’t know what I’m gonna do.” I’m a little unconvinced is all.

Otherwise, sure, go ahead and yub all that nub, you little murder bears you . . . . then sing a catchy tune, hump a leg, and dance your hairy hearts out