Who could've come up with a better ending?

Rating: 10/10 (28 June 2006)

This is the MOST character driven film of the Star Wars saga. George said he wanted an emotional ending between Luke and his father and with the Emperor in the mix that is exactly what we got.
The beginning of the film and another reviewer said serves mainly to reunite the main characters and tie up any loose ands regarding Jabba the Hutt and Han's 'previous' life. The tension really starts building up in the 2nd half of return of the Jedi and its completely unmissable! The effects are still stunning and hold up today. The simultaneous three way battle at the end (Luke/Lando/Han and Leia) is brilliantly done. The cutting between scenes is very appropriately done to alleviate and create tension at the right times making the ending that much more dramatic. Now as for the ewoks..some people don't seem to understand they are for comic relief...the battle between Luke/Vader/Emperor is so tense our poor little nerves can't take it and we NEED the comic relief provided by some of the scenes in that battle. And the fact that primitive simplistic ewoks defeat the technological over complicated Empire is very appropriate: reason overcomes technology...a statement on 20th century life.
Back to the lightsabre battle. The action isn't as fast or breath taking even as in the Empire Strikes back. But that is good because it doesn't take focus away from the emotional centre of the story. That scene in the Death Srat is more, talking, goading and tension, rather than action which is appropriate. The Emperor's death is poetic justice at its most subliminal. How can anyone not grin as he falls down the shaft...well either grin or just reel back in shock that Ani has FINALLY done it...fulfilled the prophecy. This is why the links with the prequel trilogy are important. When Vader dies and we see him burning on the funeral pyre it is sombre yet surprisingly not too sad. This is because it fits; he is at peace and has come to his natural end. It was similar with Padme's death in Return of the Sith; she had had enough of life, she died at peace knowing she had brought new life into the galaxy and that there was good left in Anakin; for this reason her death was more sombre than sad per se. It is fitting that the deaths of Anakin and Padme are thus juxtaposed and linked.
The ending...what is it but happy...the happiest and most uplifting of all the Star Wars films. It is really a complete and finished ending to a magnificent saga of films. I get choked up every time I see it. Reliving the many previous hours of emotions and what the Star Wars galaxy and I have gone through to get to that point.
Absolutely brilliant sum it up? Thank you George, thank you for changing the world.