If you have been on the Wook for more than 7 months, you may know of a post that I (on a different account) created, comparing The Empire Strikes Back and Rogue One as my favorite films. I will link it here: Nostalgia? Or Quality? | Fandom

Today, I am rebooting that concept of which film is better in my eyes, this time comparing Return of the Jedi and Revenge of the Sith. And unlike my previous comparison, I will compare the films through categorial analysis: music, acting/characters, action, and overall how much I like the film. Without further ado, let us begin.

Part I: Music

Both of these films have excellent music, but the main difference is that Return of the Jedi mostly uses existing themes and tweaks them a bit (like when Luke removes Vader's helmet, we don't get a new "redemption theme", just a sadder version of Imperial March on piano (I think piano is what it was)). But the Celebration Theme is mainly what makes this film for me. The joy of the victory of a pivotal battle is shown shockingly well through the music. Revenge of the Sith, however, has several new themes that add to the story immensely, mainly Battle of the Heroes and the Order 66 theme/Anakin's Betrayal. First is Battle of the Heroes. This is (I think, I haven't watched this film in a while) the piece that plays over the entirety of Anakin and Obi-Wan's duel on Mustafar, encapsulating the two's lost friendship through some emotional parts, and showing the anger that Anakin feels against Obi-Wan and the Jedi Order. Secondly is Anakin's Betrayal. This piece excellently shows Anakin's little remorse and the sadness that comes with the genocide of thousands of Jedi. Overall, I think that Revenge of the Sith has better music in it, but Return of the Jedi is a very close second.

Part II: Acting/Characters

This choice was simple for me, so I am just going to say it. Return of the Jedi is better when it comes to acting and characters. Han, Leia, and Luke (played by Ford, Fisher, and Hamill respectively) add so much to this film that could never be replicated. Even if the central three are not always together in this film, they still have a Flex Seal-strength bond when they are. Revenge of the Sith, on the other hand, has some pretty bad acting in it, mainly from Hayden. I know most of the people here love Hayden, and I am one of them, but a lot of his dialogue and performance seemed forced to me (get it). But Ewan and Natalie definitely bring the film back up. And don't even get me started on SLJ, Matt Wood, and Frank Oz as Mace, Grievous, and Yoda. They all did perfectly in their roles (even if Frank and Matt did not actually have their faces on-screen). But in the end, I think Return of the Jedi has better characters, and certainly better acting.

Part III: Action

This is my favorite segment. So, Revenge of the Sith has several battles (Battle of Coruscant, Battle of Utapau, you get it) that make up the film and are important to the plot. There are also several duels, including the duel aboard the Invisible Hand, the Duel on Mustafar, and the Duel in the Senate. There's a lot of fighting in this, and it is all done wonderfully. Now, Return of the Jedi has one main battle and one main duel: the Battle of Endor and Vader and Luke's duel. I don't really count the Rescue of Han Solo as a "battle", it's more of a skirmish. But Luke and Vader's duel is done astonishingly well, and so is the Battle of Endor, both on the ground and in space. The entirety of the fight had me filled with adrenaline, rooting for Lando and Wedge to fire on the reactor and just get the hell out of there (and for Luke to get out of there too, obviously). So in my opinion, I like Return of the Jedi's action just a smidge less than Revenge of the Sith. But just a tiny bit. And with that, we move on to the final segment...

Part IV: My Personal Opinion

Revenge of the Sith was never my favorite Star Wars film. I was born just a bit too late to have been caught in the wave of Revenge of the Sith products and hype. Instead, my small mind was bombarded with Clone Wars, and eventually the sequel trilogy. Yikes. So I never watched Revenge of the Sith until I got Disney+ in 2019, and I liked it. 8/10 for me. Would definitely watch repeatedly. Return of the Jedi, on the other hand, was introduced to me when I was about 5 or 6. I was in kindergarten, and my elementary school had an easy-read book that went through Return of the Jedi in a way that a child with an IQ of 60 could understand. And I was hooked. Everything in the film looked so fun to watch, from the Sarlacc pit battle to the Ewok ambush on Endor. So when all is said and done, I like Return of the Jedi, personally, more than Revenge of the Sith.

Conclusion

Yeah, I like Return of the Jedi more. Everyone here is entitled to their own opinion, and this is mine. Don't hate on me for what film I like or don't like, and feel free to share your opinions in the replies. Thank you if you read the entirety of this post.