Very entertaining but flawed finale.

Rating: 8/10 (31 October 2010)

Firstly, this is a very entertaining film. However, it doesn't reach the heights of the previous two films as story decisions seem to have been influenced by merchandising opportunities and performances by some of the cast are not convincing.
The films first 40 minutes is absolutely thrilling, clearly setting up the situations of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, as well as the final confrontation between the Rebel Alliance and the forces of the Empire, led by Ian McDiarmid in a terrific performance as Emperor Palpatine. It is the trio of Palpatine, Vader (physically played by David Prowse, stuntman Bob Anderson and veteran actor Sebastian Shaw, and voiced superbly by James Earl Jones) and Luke Skywalker (well played by Mark Hamill) that hold the rest of the film together and this 3 way confrontation gives this film is heart and dramatic punch. The director this time around is Richard Marquand, whose previous experience was a couple of low budget, dramatic British films focusing in performances of the actors rather than big set pieces. Most of the action sequences were either visual effects sequences done by Lucas's ILM company or shot by the second unit directors David Tomblin and George Lucas himself. However Marquand seemed to understand what the real dramatic meat of the story was, and arc of the Emperor, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader where most of his energy seems to have gone into, and in this regard it was well worth it. These scenes play out with the drama and tension they need to, and make for a thrilling and emotional climax to the trilogy. It is also fascinating to watch the sub-relationships in this trio, the Vader vs Palpatine, Vader vs Skywalker and Palpatine vs Skywalker, which build particularly on events set up in the previous film. Hamill turns in a solid performance, and is best in the scenes with Vader, Palpatine and his brief re-unifications with Yoda and Obi Wan Kenobi, again played with grace and gravitas by Frank Oz and Alec Guinness respectively.
However, the other characters were given less development. Carrie Fisher was used more as eye candy in the first third of the film, and her character is far more passive and less interesting this time round. In the previous film, the romantic ménage a trois that is hinted at in Episode V is not explored to the fullness that it could have been. Finding out that Luke is Leia's brother doesn't come off as with the impact it should. Harrison Ford's character is similarly just along for the ride, and both him and Fisher seem less interested this time around, and their performances are either bland or too broad. Plans to kill some of these characters off, particularly Han Solo, would have been a bolder and more dramatic choice and would have built on some of the drama that we saw in Episode V and would see in spades some 22 years later in Episode III. In fact the characters of Han Solo, Princess Leia, R2D2, C3P0 and even Luke Skywalker all suffer because of the decision to have them entangle with a bunch of silly saccharine teddy bears called Ewoks. It seems a decision was made to aim the film at a new, much younger audience, which would buy lots of toys, rather than acknowledging the previous audience, which would have been growing up watching these films. After all, it makes a mockery of stormtroopers with loads of high tech sci-fi technology being bettered by Teddy Bears with rocks and stones!
However, the space battle sequences, which is where Billy Dee Williams Lando character ends up (though no proper explanation is given how this outsider who struck a deal with the Empire would be let in so easily by the Rebel Alliance) works well as one of the secondary plots. ILMs work was again outstanding. Not surprisingly Richard Edlund collected his 4th Academy Award for visual effects (having been previously honoured for his work on the previous 2 Star Wars Films and Raiders of the Lost Ark), Dennis Muren collected his 3rd Academy Award, having previously won for Empire Strikes Back and ET. He would go on to win further Academy recognition with the films Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doon, Innerspace, The Abyss, T2, and the outstanding digital work on Jurassic Park. Ken Ralston one his first Academy Award on this film, and would go on receive more for his work on Cocoon, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Death Becomes Her and Forrest Gump. Veteran Stop-Motion Artist Phil Tippett won his first Academy Award on this film, would also win a second for his work on Jurassic Park.
The shortcomings highlighted previously are also masked by other outstanding technical contributions. Alan Hume's photography is stylish, particularly the scenes on Dagobah and in the Emperor's residence on the Death Star. The editing team of Sean Barton, Dwayne Dunham, Marcia Lucas and George Lucas did a terrific job of creating a wonderfully paced film, that moves so quickly the flaws whizz by and its only when you think about this film afterwards do you realise that there were some serious issues. Norman Reynolds set design is yet again superb. John Williams who possibly is the artist who most understands these films, producing a wonderfully emotional and exciting score.
Unfortunately the later digital enhancements went too far in Episode VI. While for the most part they are fine, the decision to replace Sebastian Shaw with Hayden Christensen, was in my view a major error and for me spoils the ending. After all, how could Luke Skywalker relate to this apparition? It would have been better to leave the original actor in, of if a change was warranted, why not an older Mark Hamill or even a morph of Hayden Christensen and Hamil?
Overall an entertaining but flawed finale.