A weak film - very disappointing

Rating: 5/10 (11 April 2005)

I am baffled by the high ratings this film has received. It is actually quite weak, suffering from poor directing, a weak script with stupid (not corny) dialog and improbable situations. Enter the Ewoks, and the whole series ends in a blaze Toys-R-Us glory. The only story line of interest is the one pitting Luke against his father, but unfortunately Mark Hamill is not up to the task. The script calls for him to mourn the loss of Yoda, appeal to a (supposedly) conflicted Vader, fearlessly face the Emporer, be the matured, slightly aloof Jedi to his swashbuckling Solo and Calrisian, but until the very end, when Hamill finally pulls out all the stops, it is simply difficult to accept him as a mature jedi knight. The final fight between Luke, Vader and the Emporer is well-staged and beautifully shot. Unfortunately, one must traverse a lot of goofy material to get there, beginning with Jabba the Hut, who is wonderfully realized but his den of thieves and vagrants comes across more as a children's version of Ali Baba. The standout performance is Dave Prowse/James Earl Jones as Darth Vader, while Carrie Fisher is obviously looking forward to wrapping the series and getting on with her career, as it were. But enough. This film does not warrant deep analysis. A disappointing ending to what could have been one of the most compelling film series in historic. After 20+ years it still hurts.