I did feel that this was the weakest part of the Original trilogy...

Rating: 8/10 (29 June 2013)

It might just have been the fact that I was watching this for the first time in the early hours of the morning, but I did feel that this was the weakest part of the Original trilogy, by a fair way. That's not to say that it's a bad movie, it's far from it. There are so many fantastic pieces to this film, rounding off nearly everything which has been brought up previously. It's okay that it doesn't work as well as the other two parts because it's the last part of a big trilogy. When you're closing off so many plot strands, it's difficult to make everything run smoothly, and I think this film attempts it valiantly.
I love the opening scenes with Jabba the Hutt. He's probably one of the most disgusting-looking creatures in any movie I've seen before. The 'flawless' plan of Luke and Leia is great, and you're convinced that it's worked until it cuts to Jabba and his minions watching Leia and Han. The plan that they do successfully execute before Han and Luke are given to the Sarlacc (the addition to which I hated in the 'Special Edition') is exciting and has one of the better fight scenes of the trilogy. Yoda's death is another great scene, as he became so beloved in the previous films. However, it does lead onto the most ludicrous plot twist of the trilogy. Luke and Leia are siblings. It's a stupid twist which I disliked thoroughly, since it felt very contrived and like it had been made up gratuitously between Episodes V and VI. What makes it obviously worse is that the pair share a kiss earlier on in the trilogy, which George Lucas certainly wouldn't have done if he'd decided beforehand that they were related.
I also thought that most of the second half was slightly drawn out, and occasionally it dragged too much. Also, the Ewoks are ridiculously creepy, but their chase scene is well paced. My favourite part of the film was the ending, because of the final twist which for me was completely unexpected. The fact that Vader, who is seen beforehand as the epitome of evil, manages to change his ways so that he can save his son is touching and does feel very surprising. Their final scene together, and the appearance of 'Prequel Trilogy' Anakin at the very end, does confirm that he does have some good in him, and that no character is pure evil. It manages to add depth to Vader, which helps this film out greatly.
As a trilogy closer, this is one of the better ones out there, but as a standalone, I do think that it is slightly too long and dragged out. But maybe that's just because I started watching it for the first time at midnight. Who knows.