Return of the Jedi: Remastered

Star Wars was the reason I discovered fanedits years ago. Unsurprisingly, it was because of the prequel trilogy. I lost count of how many fanedits I've watched over the years and unfortunately continue to look for, because of the God awful Episodes VIII and IX and their TV counterparts. I'm looking at you Obi-Wan Kenobi! For some reason I haven't found any Boba Fett fanedits, I'm guessing it isn't salvageable..

When it comes to the original trilogy I was pretty happy with the infamous despecialized editions, but, a little voice in my head reminded me that, although I grew up with the original trilogy etc etc, Episode VI was always like a wasted opportunity for me. I lament to the fact that instead of Wookies we got the Ewoks, plus all the other misfires like Palpatine's plan at the end and some other stuff. So, I started digging for fanedits, that also weren't DVD quality, hopping for the best. I was surprise to see that, on the contrary to the other trilogies, there weren't many choices for the original, at least none that were trying to alter the original in a serious way and not by adding metal score or just combining vfx from the special editions. I was actually down to 2-3 choices, barely, and I'm happy to say, Darthrush did it!

The Ewoks were trimmed considerably. Some reviews are saying it wasn't enough, I can't say that I agree. I mean, guys, the Ewoks are here, it is done. We cannot remove them completely or make them seem like being out of place by having them a couple of minutes. Maybe there is an edit out there that does that and I haven't seen it, but I was pretty happy with this one. And since I'm commenting on other people's reviews, Darthrush was pretty much vindicated by living the death scene of Boba Fett, because it was reminded to us, and in a ridiculous way I must add, in the Book of Boba Fett series. The thing is though, I do not understand why there is still an issue with this death scene, because the editor did an amazing job in this whole sequence with Jaba and the rescue of Han Solo. All the silliness and the stupid gags that were going on in the original were removed! Another common remark is the choice of the ending from the special edition, with the exception of Anakin's force ghost. Well, to each his own, you can't please everyone with this one. I personally like it because it makes perfect sense to see the whole galaxy celebrating this momentous victory over the Empire.

Technical wise, all the edits were seamless, picture quality was pretty good as was the sound. The editor did a really great job with this one. I was surprised to see this is the only edit he has done, or at least listed here.

I totally recommend this edit, as long as you accept that Ewoks are unavoidable, that Boba Fett falls inside Sarlacc's Pit and that the editor chose the special edition ending, I believe this is a superior version over the original!

Thanks to anyone who read my review and special thanks to Darthrush for all his hard work!

Probably the best edited version of ROTJ. Not every cringe moment is cut (kind of depends on how much you like Boba Fett) but enough of them to be a major improvement. This cut strikes a nice balance between purity and revisionism. If you want something more radical, go to Spence...but if you want a version of ROTJ that is both good and true to the original film, I recommend.

This is a great streamlining of a good film, and the changes made in the movie were of a great benefit to the viewer. I highly recommend this excellent piece of work;

Compared the Spence's final edit, this is more of a gentle trimming. Boba Fett's awful death is here. Obi-Wan's force ghost is present. Leia talks about memories with her mother and the cheesy ending remains (with Sebastian Shaw's ghost). I was hoping mostly that the Ewoks had been cut down quite considerably, but unfortunately not as much as I'd hoped.

But that aside, it's still a brilliant edit if you want a more fuller lengthier version of RotJ and if you are a fan of the film then I think this would be the edit more to your likening. The cuts are seamless. The audio has no faults. It uses some of the "remaster edits" as I did see the odd CGI character (yet the Sarlacc Pit is the original version - maybe the editors on here just prefer the original? Who knows). Jabba's Palace does seem more lengthier, but the cheesy dance numbers are removed, which will please many.

Conclusion? If you aren't a purist and desire a more film length edit then here it is. No big shocks or anything to annoy the fans really.

Darthrush has truly done god's work here. When reading the cutlist, I did expect an improvement, but just a milder one. What I ended up watching was not a mere improvement. Darthrush has turned the black sheep of the original trilogy into a masterpiece on par with the other two movies. No longer is the whimsical tale of some ewoks messing around on Endor somehow kicking the Empire's ass, but rather the story of the redemption of Darth Vader and the victory of the rebellion against all odds.

The pacing of the movie is the most beneficial of any change. He could have left out most of his other changes he made to this edit, but it still would have been a worthy replacement to the original if the pacing was improved. Needless to say, Darthrush delivered. The movie flows like a dream, just like the other 2 movies, not only on a movie-wide scale, but even many individual scenes flow noticeably better.

My biggest fear going into this edit was the erasure of a lot of Han's scenes. Sure, the butchering his character got in the theatrical release was awful, but I was worried that the complete absence of such an iconic character from the climax of the trilogy would be just as damaging. Thankfully, even when all of the bad Han scenes are cut out, he still has a decent amount of screen time and there isn't a hint of a toned down personality. The Han in this edit is the one we all know and love, not some awkward, unfunny, jealous mess that he originally was.

The screen time given to the worst part of the movie, the ewoks, is handled masterfully. They get *just* enough screen time that they give some flavour and variety to the setting without completely destroying the tone. Making them less cuddly and cute was well done, and they're purpose as an early distraction, without actively fighting back the enemy, is well implemented. Now that their scenes gradually devolve into defeats against the empire, it actually strengthens the narrative, as both the rebellion and our new friends are being brought to their knees.

I can't talk about every little change he made in this edit due to how many there are (though I would love to if given the time), so for the sake of brevity let me just say that every tweak was done in good taste and every single one subtly improves the movie. From the music/audio ques, the tiny trims and even added vfx, the level of subtlety in this edit is masterful to say the least. Even the jumps between theatrical and special edition footage was remarkably tasteful.

To cap this review off, this ending is just perfect. The best of both versions, really. SE music, city celebrations and eyebrow-less vader face, original force ghost intact and 'wesa free' gone. Vader fading away like yoda and obi-wan is not only a great touch on it's own, it's coincidentally been strengthened by the end of Rise of Skywalker.

If you're reading this, please just watch this edit. No longer do I sigh and switch my brain off when I near the end of a star wars marathon. This edit enhances a genuinely mediocre film into a conclusion worthy of a New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. Granted, we all know that Adywan will present a superior edit when he returns from his righteous crusade to perfect this movie, but until that day, this will remain my go-to for this movie.