Return of the Jedi: Remastered

Let me just say this real quick: OMFG THIS IS THE BEST DAMN EDIT OF ROTJ POSSIBLE AND I AM SO FRIGGIN HAPPY IT EXISTS!!!

Ahem... sorry about that. I just got ahead of myself. Alright, let's do this. darthrush has done the best damn fan edit of Return of the Jedi I've seen, and I've watched maybe 3 or 4 versions. While the Ewoks are still in the movie, they're cut down SIGNIFICANTLY. I mean, short of refilming a bunch of scenes or CGIing the hell out of every Ewok to make them into scary awesome wookies this is the best you can possibly do with it. Also, I really appreciate how darthrush 'fixed' much of Han's clunky dialogue, looks, and actions. I mean, either Harrison Ford was phoning it in or the director was telling Harrison to 'act worse' (or both?) but darthrush did the best he/she could to trim that stuff out, making Han seem much cooler and sharper like in the previous SW films. There are a few Special Edition CGI elements (the Sarlacc) I miss but I'll take losing that to get rid of the stupid Jabba's Palace musical number (FINALLY!!!).

Does this fan edit reach the level of Empire or A New Hope? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA uh still no. HOWEVER, it does make for a SIGNIFICANTLY better cut, the story flowing more smoothly, having less of the kiddie crap, and making Han not a dumbass anymore. Additional wishes wouldn't be possible short of refilming or creating custom CGI, so this makes for a solid deal for me! There's still a few lines that could have been trimmed or re-edited (mainly about Leia's memory of her mom. Did you see Episode III?), but on the whole I have found my new definitive cut of Return of the Jedi. Thanks darthrush!

Oh boy, has there been a lot of current backlash of ROTJ for awhile now, even since it's initial release back in '83. Who hasn't heard about the common complaints from this film; "the ewoks are too cutsie and don't work as a story telling element, the dialogue is reminiscent of the prequels, Han Solo's character took a massive step down and again serves no purpose..."
Well, while I can see where most complaints come from and agree with some, I still hold this film near to my heart. It has plenty of good elements to overshadow the negative attributes. The 1st and 3rd acts are some of the best SW material we've gotten so far, from the creative practical effects, character development and some pretty deep and mature emotional drama (not to mention the absolute best space battle in the saga), ROTJ is a good, just not great film.
@Darthrush has taken the film once again back into the editing process, to remove most of the genuine problems me and others share giving us a much more solid film. How does this fare? I'm proud to say that this will take a well deserved spot among my SW collection, with it's smooth and careful crafting that removes many problems such as Han and Lando's all too quick patching things up, much of the childish elements and cheesy moments thankfully gone, out of place humor that undercut some more intense and dramatic sequences, most of the uneeded expositional dialogue, and an overall tighter experience that I believe many can and will enjoy.
I do have a few squanders here and there, but nothing that immediately stands out to distract. Once or twice, I could tell when the audio transitioned from one edit to another such as the cutting out of an exposition scene with Vader and the Emperor, and I did notice when a new source popped on screen from color variation and missing film grain (from Harmy's ROTJ). But those are honestly nitpicks in the grand scheme of things, as this is a much better closing to the beloved SW OT.