A great end to a great trilogy...

Rating: 9/10 (25 May 2005)

It is almost depressing for me to watch "Return Of The Jedi". Every time the end credits start rolling, I remember that I have just watched the last of an awesome trilogy of films and the only word that comes to mind is "Damn". I have seen this movie countless times (definately more than I have seen any other movie) since I was a kid and it never gets old. I fell in love with the story of the Rebellion overthrowing the Galactic Empire and Luke Skywalker's journey to becoming a Jedi. Fortunately, Lucas delivers an exciting finale to the series equal to "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back".
"Return Of The Jedi" picks up shortly after the last movie left off. Luke Skywalker travels to the planet Tatooine to rescue Han Solo, who has become prisoner to Jabba The Hutt. Meanwhile, the Galactic Empire nears construction on a brand new Death Star. Of course, this makes more sense if you have seen the first two movies (if you haven't, I recommend it). Once again, the entire cast returns and puts in awesome performances. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Billy Dee Williams...I couldn't imagine anyone else filling their positions. This cast really helps you care for the characters throughout the movie.
Once again, one of my favorite aspects is the film's visuals. This film contains my one of my favorite battle scenes ever put on film. Despite the technology they had to use to create the battles in space in 1983, I still think it looks better, even more realistic, than a lot of the more modern films (including the new trilogy). Stop-motion animation and green screen shooting was all it took to bring this movie to life. Lucas didn't need millions of dollars in CGI backgrounds to make the galaxy feel real to the audience back then.
If you haven't been exposed to Lucas's trilogy before, check it out. I would suggest seeing the original trilogy in order, then if you want to, move on to the newest trilogy.