Pure nostalgia

Rating: 8/10 (20 May 2015)

I'm sure anyone who's been a fan of these movies has (by now) been brow-beaten with the imperfections of "Return of the Jedi" in pop culture; another Death Star, the story doesn't even get going until half an hour in, just a bunch of Muppets, Ford and Fisher going through the motions, Ewoks. And you can't escape the Lucasfilm merchandising muscle when watching this.
But for me, this just taps right into those days before I was cognizant of most of these complaints. That's right, back when I was a kid. I can't tell you how big a jolt I still get when Luke ignites that green saber (man, that sound!), and to see him stroll onto the screen in full Jedi Knight regalia and badass calm is always a treat. And ILM is at the top of their game here; the attack on the Death Star (which is a really cool image in its unfinished state) and space battle trumps everything Lucas did in the prequels. The Speeder Bike chase, the Endor atmosphere, this had such a cool look to a lot of it.
"Jedi" doesn't reach the adult heights of "Empire" or the classical thrills of "Star Wars", but its power lies in its ability to timelessly transport me back to being a kid. There's no pretense here.
8/10