The most underrated of the Classic Trilogy

Rating: 10/10 (27 October 2003)

Why is this installment so underrated now? When it first came out, a lot of fans (including Lucas' pal Spielberg himself) thought that it was actually the best of the trilogy and was just more satisfying than TESB. It certainly did NOT disappoint fans, and even made a serious run at toppling E.T. as the all-time #1 box office champion at the time.

But today folks usually harp that ANH was a more "innocent" film while TESB had "the greatest dramatic power." Well, if ROTJ was full of cheesy humor and weird creatures and seemed to be intended first and foremost as an entertainment for kids (inspiring lots of merchandise), then so was ANH, certainly. And there is nothing wrong in ROTJ providing this saga with the ultimate in happy endings, as everyone knew before ROTJ came out that it would be much like ANH in tone and dramatic mood - something mostly welcomed by fans after experiencing all the gloom and tragedy which this galactic fairy tale unveiled in TESB.
Anyhow, all the epic drama of TESB would be rendered totally meaningless if not for ROTJ providing us with the necessary closure, as we learn that (SPOILERS) Vader WAS in fact Luke's father as he had claimed; that the "other" was no other than Leia, who was actually Luke's sister; that her romance with Han therefore comes to a happy ending with his rescue and our realization that they were simply destined to be together; and that the Empire and the Dark Side would be destroyed not by Luke killing his own father but by Vader's own redemption.
And as for raw drama, the Luke-Vader-Palpatine confrontation and climax matches anything from the entire saga. The escape from Jabba's lair, the speed chase through the woods, the Forest Battle and the epic space battle (culminating in Lando and the Falcon's thrilling escape from the exploding Death Star) also rank among the most exhilarating action sequences in the entire trilogy.
And about those Ewoks: they were actually quite popular first time around, as they appeared in spin-off TV movies and an animated series. Fans should not obsess over them, as this movie is not actually centered on them contrary to what so many critics say. Point is, if ANH and TESB are listed among the fans' top 20 favorite movies, there is no reason why ROTJ shouldn't be there too. Its triumphant and exciting conclusion serves to complete the three-act epic and make it a truly matchless movie experience to be relished for all time.