the perfect resolution to the perfect trilogy.

Rating: 10/10 (6 May 1999)

never has a sequel much less the third installment of a trilogy ever captured the hearts and minds of the people of an age as well as the "definitive vision" of george lucas' star wars: return of the jedi. some so-called "fans" of star wars dare to call this the least effective of the trilogy; they argue that everything was too simply resolved. to these overstressed cynics and self-proclaimed critics i ask simply: have you ever actually sat down with a bucket of popcorn in your lap and a pepsi in your hand and just enjoyed the greatest science fiction movie, if not the greatest movie of all times. the final resolution between luke and his estranged father could not have been portrayed any better than it was. luke "found" the good in anakin long after all else had given up on him. also, the scene in which luke severed vader's hand and looked at his own robotic hand caused him to recall the lesson he had learned in the dagoba system in "the empire strikes back"; he had learned in the cave as he faced the imaginary vader that if he struck out of fear and hate vader's fate would become his own. the unmasking of darth was the perfect solution. lucas took the ominous and evil vader and, by removing his helmet, exposed a vulnerable and kind man.
Finally, in response to certain dogmatists' complaints that all conflicts are settled to perfectly, this is only because of george lucas' incredibly ingenious plot and plot line that without effort or omission of theme finalized itself in a most incredible manner. One must also remember that this movie and movies like it are, in literary terms, considered "escape fiction," which, unlike "thematic fiction," centers itself around plot. in escape fiction the watcher, reader, or listener expects to "get away" into another time, place, or even universe, and when the spectator puts himself in the position of the hero he doesn't like it to end in a negative way.
in summary, if you don't like happy endings go read hemingway; however, if you enjoy action-filled, thought-provoking, suspense-building, adrenaline-pumping sagas with visual effects and plot-lines that paved the way for science fiction as we know it. go out right now and rent or buy the greatest movie of all time: Star Wars VI: The Return of the Jedi.