Review of Return of the Jedi (1983) by Jt F — 11 Jan 2016

The first act occasionally feels tedious, though ultimately entertaining. Not to mention, there's something inescapably ludicrous about the Ewoks besting an imperial battalion complete with giant fighting robots (AT-ATs), but the film seems to embrace its camp and have fun, giving us a satisfyingly epic final struggle to get the shield down. Put bluntly, this film has quite a few problems, but transcends most of them.

Where "Return" fails in recreating the raw mastery of its predecessors, however, it succeeds in retaining that wonderful on-screen chemistry between characters as well as an exciting story. The plot thickens and delves deeper into the force and Luke's family background without becoming too muddled or full of itself, and Luke finishes out his character arc with a bang after helping his father find some redemption. It's flawed but heartfelt, and an appropriately bombastic, grand finale to an outstanding trilogy. What more could fans ask for?