Star Wars as intended.

Rating: Null/10 (3 April 2012)

I remember George Lucas stating that he was making a children's film with his first Star Wars movie, and although that was the intent, I think that film was one of the great film making accidents in history, because pretty much everyone loved it. It didn't matter what age you were, nor your personal background, the film was enjoyable on all levels. It had no sexual moments, no excessive swearing, but lots of action and thematic intrigue.
With "Return of the Jedi" I think we get a vision more true to what George Lucas was aiming for in terms of a target demographic. Simply put this movie is a bit warmer than the previous two. The first film was truly a classic science fiction film with a kind of fairy tale setting or background. The second film was a dark second act challenging the characters. The third film is a reunion bringing about mostly happy conclusions to lots of circumstances.
In Jedi we aren't given nor shown lots of angst and extreme weighty matters. We see endings, deserved and expected, and some realizations, which add emotional weight (perhaps unnecessarily) to the complete story Lucas wanted to tell the world. To this end it's almost Wagnerian not only in terms of scope of the story (that is, it's actual size) but in terms of the connections and back story that is revealed.
My one real critique of Jedi is that the live action sequences are not as well shot as the first two films. But perhaps that's unfair, because few can compete with Carole Ballard's magnificent lensing from the first film, and the exceedingly competent Kirshner's direction of the second Star Wars film is unsurpassed. With Jei the shots are a little more basic and feel more staged than the previous films. I think that, more than anything else, perhaps weighs the film some, and in the minds of die hard Star Wars fans, keeps it a notch or two below the previous films in terms of esteem. The first film had dramatic shots. The second film had intriguing shots. The third film, apart from the live action SFX sequences, has functional shots. That, more than anything else, perhaps holds back a better film. One wonders how Carole Ballard would have shot Jedi.
There's criticism of the Ewok characters as being too implausible (cute, fury, appealing, etc.) to muster an Opposing Force to the Imperial Elite occupying Endor. But again, I think some of the previous feelings generated by the look of the film add a sense of warmth that counters the dramatic conclusion of the film by adding another layer of warmth to the newly introduced native forces for the Rebels. That is it isn't so much the Ewoks that the Star Wars fans object to (though that's what they state), but perhaps their execution combined with the basic look of the film from the previous hour, that's resonating with a Star Wars' audience.
To get back to the lensing, there's a number of matte paintings that have always bugged me in this film. I won't point them out, but, if anything were to have been done for the special edition, it would have been nice for those elements to have been cleaned up, tweaked, or just altogether replaced.
All of this is Monday morning quarterbacking. When you're in a production it's difficult to step back and see what later on becomes obvious. The script, plot and story are fine. The special effects are impressive, but the direction appears to be a little basic though highly competent, and perhaps this is the other element that holds back a more fantastic conclusion to our favorite space opera saga. As it is now, the film is great as is, but there's a couple of hidden missteps that perhaps resonate subconsciously with viewers.
Even so, this is a children's film, as was always intended. As such it does have a slightly sugary feel to it. It lacks the "realism" or grounding that helped us link to the first two films. Combine that with the other elements I mentioned, and you get Jedi. But, regardless, we get to see our favorite characters reunite for one last adventure, and that itself should bring a smile to the viewers' face.
We see more derring do, incredible action sequences, and revisit our favorite heroes and villains, and the galaxy in which they reside and fight for. That makes it a great film unto itself.
Relax and enjoy.