Return of the Jedi (1983)

Teddy bears with rocks beat the best-funded army in the galaxy, and Return of the Jedi wants you to be fine with that. The Ewoks are the sticking point, and so is the plan: the Empire builds another Death Star, and the Rebels attack another Death Star, because apparently nobody on either side learned anything from the first one. Still, the opener in Jabba’s palace is a full creature feature, a gloriously gross zoo of puppets, and Luke strolls in dressed in black and calm as a monk, like he finally read the manual. The speeder bike chase still looks fast. And the big showdown between Luke, Vader and the Emperor is the best stuff in the original run, three people in a quiet room with everything riding on one choice. Audiences handed it an A+ CinemaScore while Metacritic sits at 58, which is the whole fight in one sentence. An 8.0 because the throne room carries the forest. $64 says you defend the Ewoks out loud to someone this year, and win.

What works: The Jabba’s palace rescue, the speeder bike chase and a throne room showdown that gives the trilogy a real emotional finish.

What doesn’t: A second Death Star is a lazy rerun of the first movie, and the Ewok battle strains belief even for a space fantasy.

Who it’s for: Anyone finishing the original trilogy, and kids who will absolutely side with the Ewoks.