6. Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi
Up until 1999, George Lucas was an infallible sci-fi master, with the Star Wars trilogy the crowning glory of the genre. But once audiences distaste with the prequels set in, it began to lose some of its plaudits, Special Editions or no. Nowadays, people are a lot more critical of the trilogy, to the point where Return Of The Jedi, while still highly regarded, is viewed a cut below the other two. A key reason for this is likely in its repetitive nature. Jabbas Palace plays on the variety of the cantina scene, the Ewok village is an identikit of Kashyyyk in the Holiday Special, with the creatures just short derivatives of Chewie. And then theres the Death Star. They actually just reused the same big weapon from the first film with an even bigger, but identical, weakness. Return Of The Jedi does bring some new things for the table, but a lot of that is a skew of what had been successful before; its the easiest way to guarantee success. Producer Gary Kurtz left the project halfway through when it became clear Lucas was more interested in selling toys and I think its clear that it also led to the third Star Wars feeling more than a little derivative.