Ewoks: The Battle for Endor - Film Review
Plot
Marauders raid the Ewok village and steal a power supply they believe to be magical. Wicket helps Cindel escape the evil witch Charal (Siân Phillips), and they befriend a hermit (Wilford Brimley) who may help them save the village.
Review
Well this film is definitely an improvement over Caravan of Courage. This film doesn't take forever to get the plot going and it's not as slow or dull as the first movie. It's still not good though.
This film starts off very dark compared to Caravan of Courage, this movie starts with the Marauders attacking the Ewok village and killing Cindel's family. At least we only get Mace's bad acting for about a minute though. Also, Cindel's father has a different actor in here than in the first movie. In Caravan of Courage he was played by Guy Boyd, but in this one he's played by Paul Gleason, the police chief in Die Hard and the principal in The Breakfast Club.
I'm having trouble writing this, I really can't think of much to say. I can definitely say that this movie brought me something I never knew I wanted: Wilford Brimley sword fighting with an alien. Everyone needs to see that.
This film also has a lot more magic than the first movie, like one of the villains, Charal, is a Nightsister from Dathomir in the Expanded Universe. The villains are trying to get this thing that powers the Towani family's starcruiser, but they think it's some magic thing that will give them "the power".
Terak, the main villain, kidnaps Cindel, Wicket, and several other Ewoks, but Cindel and Wicket escape (well the other Ewoks escape too) and they meet Teek, one of the most terrifying and annoying characters in Star Wars, who takes them to a hut owned by Noa (Wilford Brimley) who doesn't like Wicket and Cindel at first, but he warms up to them.
Next morning, Cindel hears a woman singing out in the woods, but it turns out to be Charal who kidnaps Cindel and takes her to Terak who tells her to use magic on the crystal oscillator (the power) but she is unable to, so then Terak imprisons both Cindel and Charal so she doesn't betray him.
Diabeetus, Wicket, and Teek break into Terak's castle and rescue Cindel and the other Ewoks. They escape, but get into a battle with the Marauders. But Wicket throws a rock at the ring that Terak stole from Charal and it burns him to death.
After the day is saved, Noa and Cindel leave Endor after fixing Noa's old ship with the crystal oscillator.
Let's talk about the characters. Wilford Brimley is the last person you would ever expect to be in a Star Wars movie, but he's in Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. He's actually one of the better parts of a rather mediocre TV movie. He doesn't like Wicket and Cindel at first, but he does warm up to them and becomes sort of a grandfatherly figure to Cindel after her parents and brother die. There's a scene where he's fighting one of the Marauders and he gets in a sword fight with one. It's a lot better if you view it as Wilford Brimley fighting diabeetus.
Aubrey Miller is back as Cindel and she's pretty much the same in here as she is in the first. Also, how is these movies a Captain Phasma origin story? Cindel seems like one of the kindest characters in the Star Wars saga, it doesn't really make sense that she would serve the First Order.
I couldn't think of much to say about Charal, as she's pretty much an evil witch, and Terak is the main bad guy.
I think they included elements from these movies into the MMO Star Wars: Galaxies. Like Terak and Charal appear, and the Gorax from Caravan of Courage is in it.
Overall, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor is a mediocre sequel but I do prefer it to Caravan of Courage because it's not as boring, doesn't drag as much, and just more entertaining.
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor gets a 5/10. Same rating I gave The Phantom Menace. I'd say that in my Star Wars ranking I would put the Ewok movies higher than Attack of the Clones but lower than The Phantom Menace.
Come back in a few days for a review of Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Previous review - Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure
Next review - Star Wars: The Last Jedi Re-Review
If you want to go by chronology of the movies, here's my Return of the Jedi review.
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