Star Wars - Episode VI: Return of the Jedi – A Q2 Fanedit

This is my go-to version of RotJ. While Q2's edit doesn't replace the original, it's a fine complement. This surpasses other HD fan-edits to date.

I must start by saying that Q2 has made something very refreshing by re-releasing his fanedit with superior video/audio quality. I wish some other faneditors would revisit their old projects and do the same. I never saw the original versions of this fanedits but the image quality of the HD edition is great. It's not perfect but still very good.

I liked the blu-ray release but I also must admit that it had some terrible moments like "Noooo!", Jedi Rocks and Sarlacc pit for example. I feel Q2 has addressed all the things that bothered me in the blu-ray release... he's done not too much and yet not too little. As I personally already love Return of the Jedi, I don't feel it needs more editing.

Out of all the Return of the Jedi fanedits this is the one I want to watch the most.

Great cut of ROTJ! The worst SE additions have been removed, while the ones which are fine or enhance the film are left in. Q2 strikes a really great balance here. I personally would have liked to see another nip or two (looking at you blinks), these are minor quibbles. The main offenders (Nooooooooooo, Jedi Rock, Force Ghost) have all been restored. There's not a lot else to say about this that hasn't been said. The editing is top notch and this is a perfect version for you if only the "worst" stuff from the SEs bother you.

For me, this and Harmy's will be my two go-to ROTJs. Just depends on the mood (insert Al Green music here).

I just can't understand why this edit only has one review? (well at least until now that is!) This is an great edit. Really it's more of a reconstruction of Return of the Jedi, removing the worst offences of the special edition (SE) and of the blu-ray release. It also keeps the things that worked from the SE, such as updated effects.
I watched the mp4 and the HD quality was excellent. I'm sure the blu-ray version will be even better, maybe I'll update this review when I've watched it. But it's safe to say that the mp4 has already replaced my original saga BD disc.
Q2's edits are spot on. The sound sounded pretty good to me. Obviously inserting the upscaled SD footage back into the film is noticeable, the original song at Jabba's palace being the biggest culprit and to a much lesser degree Anakin's force spirit at the end. But it's great having them back in the movie.
I did wonder with the Jabba song, whether rather than inserting the whole 1 minute scene in upscaled SD, he could have kept as much of the HD footage as possible while editing in only the SD parts of the female singer creature and her band. Of course keeping the original sound track and song (I think it's called Lapti nek?) As quite a bit of the scene doesn't even show them and is identical to the the HD version. Even if he had only kept the parts focused directly on Jabba and Boba Fett in HD then I feel it would make the SD footage less noticeable. Well who knows perhaps he tried it and wasn't happy with the result. Another possibility is (and I can't believe I'm suggesting this!) I wondered whether it might be possible to salvage some of the awful CG from Jedi rocks and try to sync the CG singer to the original song? That way we keep the original song plus it stays in HD. It's possible the CG might be bearable when used sparingly and by cutting the worst stuff out.
But anyway, all of this is a minor issue in what is an excellent piece of work. And I can't tell you just how great it was to see Sebastian Shaw back in his rightful place at the end and not Hayden Christensen!
So if you're looking for a HD version of ROTJ which includes the original song at Jabba's palace, a beak-less Sarlac pit, Darth Vader not saying NOOOOOOOO!, and the original Anakin force spirit then this is for you. I highly recommend it.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Wesa Free of Hayden and Nooooooo!

Q2's Return of the Jedi edit is subtle, yet effective. I appreciated the minimalist approach to this edit, replacing only those things that really stood out negatively.

Video Quality: I personally disapprove of the Blu-Ray quality for this film. While some scenes look brilliant, others stand out for not having received the same treatment. I often found Harmy's footage preferable to the worst portions of the blu. This is not the editor's fault, though I do wish a few of the worst offenders could have been cleaned up slightly.

Visual editing: Everything transitioned smoothly. Nothing took me out of the edit at all.

Audio editing: Everything was crisp and clear. Certain portions MAY have had volume issues, but I watched it with kids running in and out of the room so I won't mark you down there :P

Narrative: The narrative really wasn't affected in this cut. It was nice to view the original musical number and the Shaw Anakin in such a high quality format, which are technically small narrative pieces. The only reason I mark this down at all is... after seeing Spence's cut placing Yoda at the beginning, it's how I want it to be.

Enjoyment: This was very enjoyable to watch and will be my go to version, especially for marathons. The only real reason for the point of is the same as narrative - I really think if done well, Spence's rearranging of the beginning is the way that it should be. However, that is outside the scope of this edit's intended purpose, and the original narrative track is still very enjoyable. Oh... and the herd of banthas is still awful...

In the end, this is a wonderful addition to the fanedit community, and I will go so far as to say this is a worthy placeholder for RotJ:Revisited, especially for purists.