superb conclusion, but again remastered ruins it slightly

Rating: 9/10 (22 May 2005)

SPOILERS So it all comes down to this. Six years after George Lucas released the first of his epic trilogy, events are concluded in explosive fashion. Well made and slightly more humorous, "Return of the Jedi" is not without flaw, but it's original condition was brilliant in construct and an entertaining film throughout.
After the shocking conclusion to "The Empire Strikes Back", this film continues a short time after. All separated and searching for Han Solo (Harrison Ford), the main cast of the film are united in the palace of Jabba The Hutt. Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), trainee Jedi Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and others are all involved in attempts to free their friend. At the same time however, the evil Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) is overseeing the construction of another Death Star. With plans afoot to convert Skywalker to the dark side, the fate of the galaxy is about to be decided.
After his break in "The Empire Strikes Back", George Lucas returns in part to this film to ruin parts of it. As a co-writer with Lawrence Kasdan, Lucas' return marks the unfortunate return of the dire dialogue happily missing from the last film.
"Return of the Jedi" also marks the return of Lucas to the major editing room for his remastering of the film. Adding an animated singing alien to a scene in Jabba's palace, Lucas manages to destroy the integrity of the scene with minimal effort. Then at the end, he also changes the music of the final scene to create a conclusion which doesn't flow as well as the original one did. There is never anything wrong with improving the picture quality of a film to make it more colourful and enjoyable, but when someone begins to change the content, they take away from the purity of the work. George Lucas never seemed to understand this and as a result, his remastered version of this brilliant film is a sign of insanity. Lucas should have left well enough alone.
Aside from future changes and the occasional mistake in the script, the original version of this film is a pleasure to watch. Entertaining and action packed, the film thrives on expanding a universe which people have loved for over twenty years. "Return of the Jedi" stars brilliantly and never looses it's pace with a majestic final half hour and a well structured story throughout. It is just a shame though that Lucas needed to try to change things again. Some people never learn.