The initial trilogy ends in high style.

Rating: 8/10 (12 August 2013)

George Lucas and company bring closure to the lives of the original beloved characters in this admittedly long and episodic but compelling 6th chapter. It's an emotional journey, to be sure, more emotional than the first two films, but it offers enough excitement and humour to make it great diversionary entertainment. The actors settle into their old roles comfortably and are very well supported by a rich variety of human and alien characters. With the directing reins now turned over to Richard Marquand (hired for this gig based on his direction of the thriller "Eye of the Needle"), the story is broken into a few major set pieces.
Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Lando Calrissian and others reunite to rescue their good friend Han Solo from the decadent palace of loathsome alien slug Jabba the Hutt, the powerful crime kingpin for whom Han had once smuggled goods. The action moves to Dagobah, where Luke confronts Yoda over the matter of his parentage, and on to the woodsy moon of Endor where the Rebels are plotting to destroy the shield that the Empire is using to protect its latest Death Star battle station. And Luke finally has the confrontation with his father Darth Vader and the deadly, seductive Emperor (a deliciously evil Ian McDiarmid) that Ben and Yoda had insisted would be inevitable.
While lacking the innovative nature of the first film, and dark, more mature quality of the second, this entry does bring a satisfying conclusion to the saga, in the spirit of those old adventure serials of decades past. John Williams' music is as rousing as it's ever been, and the filmmakers once again plunge us into an assortment of different environments (desert, swamp, forest, etc.) The chase and battle sequences are truly breathtaking and impressive. The early scenes in Jabbas' palace allow the creature and makeup departments to come up with moments that can rival the memorable cantina segment from "Star Wars". That brings this review to the matter of the Ewoks, those fuzzy teddy bears whom a fair amount of the audience profess to hate. All this viewer can say is that he's never had a problem with them.
Particularly enjoyable is the resolution to Luke's relationship with Vader, as the black clad villain rediscovers his humanity when forced to make a choice. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't bring up certain scenes with Leia, which have intrigued scores of boys and men over the years.
"Return of the Jedi" may not be as good as its predecessors overall, but it's still quite a bit of fun.
Eight out of 10.