Sort of a let-down, but a fitting ending for the Star Wars saga.

Rating: 8/10 (21 March 2011)

And the Star Wars saga ends, with "Return of the Jedi", a good, but flawed, movie, which was sort of a let-down for many fans, and is considered, almost universally, the weakest movie of this Original Trilogy.
The main problem is the tone: it feels like Lucas was scared that the last movie was "so adult" or "so dark", so he tried to recapture some of the charming feel of the original Star Wars... but this was not made with a light and funny story, rather by recycling plot-devices from the first movie (Destroy the Death Star... again), and adding kid-friendly stuff: the poor Imperial Stormtroopers have become the laughing-stock of nerd-culture, for being defeated by a bunch of Teddy-Bears from the forest. So, a lot of the seriousness achieved by the last movie is lost in this one.
Also, it's clear that this movie won't take any risk: the cliffhanger left in the last movie is resolved almost immediately, and at the end, everything turns out fine (spoilers!): everyone survives, Darth Vader becomes good at the end, and the Empire is utterly defeated. The most dramatic thing in the movie was the scene of the death of an Ewok. There is suspense in the movie, but it's resolved almost immediately. The best part in the movie is the climatic Emperor-Vader-Luke confrontation, which resolves the plot-threads left by "Empire" in a fitting way. But the rest of the subplots in the movie are less dramatic and more light: not a problem per se, but the tone-shifts gives this movie a weird feel sometimes.
All the above criticisms come from the perspective of the tone established in "Empire". But if we consider this movie not a "Space-Drama" but a "Space Adventure for kids", then it's a great movie, perhaps reflecting the fact of Lucas adopting a child during that time. It's funny, intense and the story is good enough to entertain everyone: the kids will enjoy the "kiddie stuff", and the adults will laugh and enjoy the adventures of their beloved characters and the happy ending.
So, in conclusion, a good, but not excellent, ending for one of the most creative sagas of the 70s and the 80s. These movies are true classics, and a monument to George Lucas' creativity, and the team which worked with him.
8/10