Weakest of the classic trilogy but still enjoyable fun (major spoilers)

Rating: Null/10 (1 April 2004)

Coming out three years after the dramatic high that was "The Empire Strikes Back", "Return of the Jedi" had a lot to live up to. Satisfactorily sorting out the various plot lines left dangling, as well as delivering a rousing conclusion to the series, was a tough test for the series' creators. In spite of a much weaker script and some less than enthusiastic acting in some quarters, "Return of the Jedi" comes out on top featuring its fair share of enjoyable scenes, both fun and dark.
It's been six months since Han Solo (Harrison Ford) was frozen in carbonite and shipped off to the palace of Jabba the Hutt, an alien gangster he double-crossed. The film begins on the desert planet of Tatooine, where Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) hatches a plan to rescue his friend. Later, the rebels head to Ewok-inhabited Endor to destroy the Empire's new Death Star, where Luke must confront his father Darth Vader (David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones) while resisting the manipulative temptations of the dreaded Emperor (Ian MacDiarmid)...
The script and acting in this one is visibly below par. Many of the principals are lacking the passion and enthusiasm they displayed before. Carrie Fisher, as Princess Leia, and Harrison Ford are especially disappointing, as is Billy Dee Williams as Lando, his ambiguous character from "Empire" now just another do-gooding rebel. To be fair to them, they are hampered by a script that does not develop their characters and instead gives them alot of banal stilted dialogue. This combination, however, cripples a number of important scenes (Luke's talk with Leia about his mother).
Only Mark Hamill as Luke really gives it a fair go. He may not be as convincing as a controlled, self-possessed Jedi Knight than he was as a naive young rebel, but he's still on form. David Prowse and James Earl Jones again create the role of Darth Vader, and oversee well the character's conversion from dark villain to redeemed saviour. Ian MacDiarmid makes a suitably creepy Emperor, although it is hard to reconcile his almost alien visage here with his more human appearance in the recent prequel films.

There are some great action scenes here but the biggest standout, dramatically, is the Death Star lightsaber duel between Vader and Luke, as the latter very nearly succumbs to his psychotic dark side. The battle on the forest planet of Endor, with the rebels and the teddy bear-like Ewoks, is also good but in a more lighthearted manner. All actions scenes benefit from excellent special effects and some superb editing.
Of the 1997 re-releases, this was the most significantly revised of the three films. Creator George Lucas added a musical number to the scene in Jabba's palace, and reworked the ending, showing the inhabits of various planets (Tattooine, Bespin and Coruscant) celebrating the demise of the Empire. The Ewok's celebratory song was also rewritten. The film benefits greatly from the alterations.
In spite of some inherent flaws with script and acting, this is still a worthwhile motion picture and sends the series out on a high.