The most spectacular third installment of any series...completely mind blowing

Rating: 10/10 (27 February 2009)

If you watch all three of the original Star Wars films, by the time you reach the end of Star Wars: Return of The Jedi your jaw will be on the floor and you will be forever a fan of the Star Wars universe. Return of the Jedi is the most brilliant of the original three films. It is mind blowing and the best story, battles, creatures and more!! It also ironically is the film that probably has the most memorable and pop culturally significant moments. Right from the beginning you have the world of Tattooine and Jabba The Hut and eventually Princess Leia's infamous gold slave bra and outfit. The object of every teenage boys fantasy in the eighties. Yoda's touching death and Luke's full circle training as a Jedi. The intense and special effect driven escape from Jabba The Hut with Han Solo and the incredible final showdown between Luke and his father Darth Vader while an incredible battle rages on Endor with the adorably creepy Ewoks. All of this is packed into the third installment and it is truly a spectacle to see. Considering the film picks up exactly where Empire Strikes Back ends you really need to watch all three films but this one installment makes the entire original series worth while. Return of the Jedi is by far the best!!
The entire original cast returns as well as the new characters picked up from Empire Strikes back. I would love to go into detail of the entire cast but I can only break it down slightly. Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher are still brilliant feisty heroes and their romance comes to full fruition. Mark Hamill definitely gets the biggest character arc as he becomes full on hero from his original rather naive young Skywalker in the first film. While Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker and Peter Mayhew return to their infamous sidekick roles they don't change much from the previous films but there is nothing wrong with that by any means. They are great characters and fun to watch and there is no reason to change them. David Prowse and James Earl Jones reprise the best villain in movie history as Darth Vader who has also come full circle in his character and the final battle between him and Luke with the Emperor goading them on is just awesome...worth watching just on it's own.
As good as the original cast is returning in this film the true brilliance of it is the masterful special effects. Jabba The Hut and his entire world around him, the Ewoks and their world and the incredible battles that happen, can all be mostly attributed to the brilliant creations of George Lucas and director Richard Marquand. Marquand actually appears to be a mostly new director but he handles this project like a complete pro and probably set him for life. However you feel about the Star Wars Universe you can't help but respect the original films and how they progressively got better. Return of The Jedi stands alone as being an absolutely brilliant film in story, characters and special effects. One of my favorite films hands down. 10/10