"Obi-Wan has taught you well".

Rating: 8/10 (25 January 2014)

"Return of the Jedi'' completes the epic "Star Wars'' cycle with the final destruction of the Empire and the inevitable face-off between Luke Skywalker and the evil Darth Vader, now revealed, as we surmised, to be his father. The film has a tone of its own. If "Star Wars'' was a brash space opera and "The Empire Strikes Back'' was a visual feast, "Return of the Jedi'' is a riot of character intervention.
If I had to choose, I would say this is the least of the Star Wars films. It lacks the startling originality of the first two. It's more concerned with loose ends and final resolutions. It was the correct decision for George Lucas to end with a trilogy and then move to another point in time for the continuation of the saga. To return to these characters a fourth time would destroy the mythic structure of the story and turn it simply into a series.
At the end of it all, after the three movies, we've taken an epic fantasy journey. Lucas has in common with all great storytellers the ability to create a complete world. These films may spring from space opera, science-fiction and Saturday serials, but they are done so superbly that they transcend all genres and become a reverberating place in our imaginations.
At the end, what are we left with? Marvelous sights: The two Death Stars, the lumbering war machines on the snow planet, space warfare, the desert monster, buccaneering action. Marvelous sounds: the voices of Darth Vader, Jabba and the chirpy little R2-D2. And an idea-- the Force--that in encompassing everything may, perhaps, encompass nothing, and conceal another level above, or beneath.
"Return of the Jedi" is fun, magnificent fun. The movie is a complete entertainment, a feast for the eyes and a delight for the fancy. It's a little amazing how Lucas and his associates keep topping themselves.