Not A Perfect Finale But Not A Disaster Either!

Rating: Null/10 (20 January 2016)

The third & final instalment of the original Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi may not be as impressive as its revolutionary predecessors which at least had an interesting storyline at its core to fall back on once its visual encapsulation deteriorated in quality, as is the case at present, but it manages to cross the finish line before running out of fuel and is a satisfactory conclusion to the saga set in a galaxy far far away.
Set one year after the events of The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi finds Luke Skywalker & his friends teaming up to free Han Solo from Jabba's captivity following which they learn of another Death Star being under construction by the Galactic Empire, this time under the supervision of the Emperor himself. With an opportunity to end the battle once & for all, the Rebel Alliance launches an all-out attack against the Empire while Luke & Vader confront for the final time.
Directed by Richard Marquand, Return of the Jedi picks up the story from where the previous instalment signed off but takes its time to get moving. The whole sequence at Jabba's palace is overstretched & is at times cringeworthy. Being the final chapter, the film still finds time to meander on moments that should've ended up on the editing room floor. However, there is some solace in the fact that the arc of every character is brought to a satisfying conclusion, even if it takes a longer route to get there.
The set pieces put forth by the production design team are more extravagant but the upgrades from one chapter to another isn't that big a leap, or at least it doesn't appear so. Cinematography continues to leave a positive impression with its inventiveness and the camera movements are a bit more energetic this time. Editing could've trimmed a few more moments to give its story a more compact structure & swifter pacing while John Williams once again delivers a fitting score that slightly enhances every moment.
Coming to the performances, the cast of Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams & others return for one last adventure and exhibit greater comfort with the roles they'd been playing for a while. The input by Hamill, Ford & Fisher is in tune with what's expected from them while the character of Darth Vader continues to amaze, and the finale is a fitting resolution to his arc. The first half lacks the sort of excitement that was prevalent in the previous instalment but the film does make few amends in the next half to finish on a fine note.
On an overall scale, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi neither has the freshness of A New Hope nor has the shocking appeal of The Empire Strikes Back and is definitely the weakest instalment of the three. A more coherent & tightly packed narrative in addition to a better pace would've resulted in a more enjoyable experience but despite all its shortcomings, it isn't entirely the disaster it was turning out to be in the first half. A scattered final piece that has its share of positives & negatives, Return of the Jedi may not be the perfect finale but it still bows out with its head in tact.