I think the movie has incredible footage and some really fine moments. Unfortunately it is undermined continually by character actions and jokes which are completely off from the previous movies. The resulting tone is forgettable and disappointing-- but if some tension could be created and some seriousness brougth back...?
I have some ideas that work, I think (many have surfaced before, but I want to kind of dump them all into one place in this thread).
REVENGE OF THE JEDI:
Begin the movie with a tighter version of the arrival of Vader on the Death Star-- there's too much sense that the Empire is running into funding problems or something ("The Emperor -- wants the impossible! I can't get these stupid contractors to show up!")
Then show Luke on his way to Degobah-- while the Jabba sequence begins in his absense. Let tension build as Chewie is jailed, Leia grabbed, Han blind and jailed with Chewie-- what'll they do?
Meanwhile, Luke hears the truth from Yoda and Obi Wan and rushes back to Tatooine. Then, when the droids march up to Jabba's palace -- there's really some tension! Shortly, Luke shows up and is overwhelmed-- (hey, more tension!). Cut the jokes as he and Han are taken to the Sarlac pit-- then get the rescue underway. Give Leia a blaster effect when she kills Jabba, so this 87 pound chick isn't allowed to strangle the great Jabba the Hutt (darkening the tone a little). Get off Tatooine and rejoin the Rebel fleet (KEEP THE PACE MOVING!)
Recut the briefing to avoid the grab-ass. Get us to Endor and into the woods where Leia is shot down-- then CUT HER SCENE WHERE SHE MEETS THE EWOK. Just give us the first shots where legs walk up and poke her unconscious body with a spear (while we hear GRIM and OMINOUS MUSIC BUILD...) Then back to Luke as he reaches Han -- where's Leia? Tension builds-- we know she's in trouble! We find her helmet, her speeder-- oh no!
Then Han and Luke are captured-- by what? What are these little things? We finally see-- EWOKS who take our guys and plan to fry them. This way, even the lame "we worship gold droids" beat works. They find Leia, get free, get accepted into the tribe (much faster) and Luke talks to Leia and runs away. (Cut the Han/Leia tiff over, "You could tell him, but you can't tell me?" -- this is LUKE'S movie and that "argument" never goes anywhere anyway-- it just drags Han into saying things I would pay to have erased from my memory).
Then, manipulate the footage so that everything goes the Empire's way as much as possible for the rest of the film. The Ewoks get massacred-- none of their attempts to fight back really amount to much except distractions-- but distractions end up being enough. (In other words, cut the logs defeating walkers, the rocks knocking out stormtroopers -- emphasize Ewok death and sacrifice).
Let Chewie in the walker be the one success that turns the tide.
Then, stack the battle and the change within Vader for a little more suspense and tension-- let Luke suffer a little longer at the hands of the Emperor and keep their battle going even as Lando is about to blow the whole place sky-high.
I'd really love to cut the "take off my helmet" beat -- let Vader die looking like Vader and not Ray Milland.
But I don't know what that does to the "ghosts" in the end. I think I'd cut the ghosts too. What are they doing there? Looking for a drink? I don't know.
Lastly, though, I'd remix the final music-- using the "Yub Yub" song as "source" music played soft underneath a finale march that echoed the final march in ANH-- either using that march or a similar piece from somewhere else. Let the music really bring home that this is the end of the Trilogy/Saga.
Anyway, those are the headlines. I'm writing up a more "outline"-y type doc to post later. Can't wait to get the time to really contribute to this and/or the Ranch edits. But it's been that kind of year.