My personal favourite of the original trilogy

Rating: 8/10 (10 May 2014)

Newcomers and Fans alike often misjudge or overlook Return of the Jedi as being the weaker film of the original trilogy. And usually for very trivial reasons. However, I have reason to believe that this film has become criminally underrated.
By far the biggest and most major improvement that keeps Jedi separate from A New Hope and Empire is the rapid character development of Luke Skywalker. It cannot be denied that his skill with the force has doubled, if not tripled since the last film. For lack of a better term, he is a bad-ass in every sense. The fight on the Sail Barge in the first act is intense right until the end. Luke continues to grow and test his power as the film goes on. But that's just his development for his physical abilities. Internally, Luke has become far more mature and wiser than he was in the previous two films. He makes smarter decisions, doesn't act so rash and is considerably less "whiny" than he was thought to be in episode's IV and V.
The visual effects have improved vastly since the last film. It was only a three year difference, but you can really see it. There are more stunts, more spectacles and more work put into the light saber effects. It's overall, a step ahead from it's predecessors. Not a very large step, but a step towards improvement nonetheless.
Han Solo and Leia's relationship comes full circle. And it's a beautiful thing. The writers managed to execute a romantic sub-plot without it being campy or unnecessary. It's really satisfying to see them being reunited, after all of the childish feuding they went through in the first two movies. It's a nice touch to the last chapter of the trilogy.
The trio of confrontation between The Emperor, Vader and Luke is extremely climatic. Everything comes together in this last act. The light saber duel between Luke and Vader is the most passionate of the trilogy. It is far more psychological than previous light saber duels, making it one of the most dramatic and symbolically powerful. The ending celebration on Endor is light hearted and leaves you with a feeling joy. It's the perfect ending to a near perfect trilogy.
Although Return of the Jedi is not a perfect movie and it lacks the same excitement that The Empire Strikes Back contained so well; Jedi is my favourite because it's a more quiet and subtle Star Wars film. At times it plays more like a Shakespearean drama than it does an sci-fi film. But I don't believe that's a bad thing. If anything it helps to further enhance Jedi's flavour and further solidify it's unique place in the franchise. Jedi is a terrific ending to an awesome Trilogy. I pity those who fail to see it's under-stated brilliance.