There is a difference between being just plain bad and being evil. If you discount Anakin Skywalker's slaughter of the Tusken Raiders in "Episode II," Darth Vader is not that bad a guy. Yeah, he cut off Luke Skywalker's hand and essentially wiped out Obi Wan... but those were life or death duels. Sure, he had used that chokehold on Empire underlings who failed him...but they were Empire thugs and no one's gonna shed a tear over their untimely departures.
Up until now, Darth Vader, the Stormtroopers and all of the Empire baddies in the "Star Wars" series were cartoonish in nature. Sorta like your run-of-the-mill Saturday Morning Cartoon villains who are so over the top and so often the fodder for cheap laughs that we are not in any way deeply disturbed by their behaviour to the point of being morally outraged.
All of that changes in "Episode III." All of that changes when Anakin Skywalker slaughters innocent children ("Younglings") and uses that infamous force power chokehold on a pregnant woman who is supposedly the love of his life, Padme (Natalie Portman).
"Episode III," the final (or is that the third?) chapter in the "Star Wars" series is the darkest instalment yet. "Empire" doesn't even come close to matching its dreary and often heartless and hopeless demeanour. The light, whimsical tone that is usually associated with the "Star Wars" series is gone. "Episode III" is serious, serious business with the only humorous moments coming from the antics of R2D2 or some of the one-liners...and even those are few and far between.
Because of this and several gruesome scenes involving genocide, dismemberment, an agonizing child birth and most notably the mutilated husk of Anakin Skywalker being barbecued alive in molten lava, "Episode III" is indeed the stuff of nightmares for younger children. This is a darn shame to all of those parents (like myself) who for years revelled in the thought of sharing the magic of the "Star Wars" experience with their children as they had done with their parents.
Part of the "Star Wars" mystique which always haunted fans has been the nagging question of how and why Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker is seduced by the Dark Side and becomes Darth Vader, the Darth Lord of the Sith. That question is answered and not very well, in "Episode Three". After all these years of anticipation, it is a bummer to learn that all it amounts to is Anakin having reoccurring nightmares or visions that may or may not even come true. This revelation is hardly a believable plot point from which to hinge an entire film on never mind what we are to assume are logical, commonsense choices by the characters involved.
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With the Clone Wars raging on, the troubled Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen in his best performance of the series) is stuck between two opposing forces: the Jedi Knights, who throughout the film exercise the "desperate times call for desperate measures" mantra which in turn causes them to directly violate many of their sacred teachings, and the Sith, commanded secretly by the evil puppet master, The Emperor / Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (a deliciously evil Ian McDiarmid). A victim of a political and moral tug of war, Anakin agrees to work as a spy for both parties. When it comes time for the fence sitter to finally pick a side, it is Anakin's fear of his visions, the actions of the Jedi Knights and a deal offered by The Emperor that tip the scales in favour of the Dark Side. Anakin becomes The Emperor’s new apprentice and Darth Vader does indeed rise.
For his part, Anakin / Lord Vader is portrayed in a somewhat sympathetic light. This is probably the most interesting and triumphant facet of the film. The situation a tortured Anakin finds himself in is not purely black or white to him, even though we know what decision he should make. The choice to turn his back on the Jedi teachings is done with a heavy-heart and a higher, selfless purpose. That, of course, doesn't excuse his subsequent behaviour such as the killing of the children but even then, we are led to believe that it is Darth Vader not Anakin at the controls. To support this theory, when Anakin under The Emperor’s direction commits a grievously savage act, he is shown standing with a tortured expression on his face as a single tear rolls down his face. That is our cue from director George Lucas that despite everything, deep inside Lord Vader the virtuous spirit of Anakin is still alive and fighting to reassert itself as it finally does at the end of "Return of the Jedi" when he lays dying in the arms of his son, Luke Skywalker.
Despite all of its impressive slam-bang, almost wall-to-wall action and awe-inspiring special effects, "Episode III," though head and shoulders above the other prequels, is crippled by poor scripting and logic. Characters make all manner of unreasonable choices and many times, the reality of situation presented to us just doesn't ring true. Case in point, when Supreme Chancellor Palpatine announces to all the other countless leaders in the Senate chamber that he and the Empire are taking over, he is met by an undeniable chorus of hearty cheers. Sure, this is but a small quibble but there are so many of those that they emerge as a distraction. 'Episode Three' is one of those films that when you contemplate it afterwards, more and more flaws appear in the fabric.
Those familiar with the "Star Wars" lore will also be left dazed and confused if they think too much about the events in the other instalments and how the pieces all fit together. They also might be a tad bit disappointed that the events in "Episode III" play out pretty much as they thought or read they would have without any great surprises or stunning revelations. Some might consider seeing the plot play out in an "official" way to be a thrill - such as the noteworthy director who screened the film weeks ago and proceeded to slobber all over George Lucas when he by posting an embarrassing, spoiler-laden report on his Web site - but something is indeed missing from the experience when you know just how most of the film will unspool even though Lucas must be credited with connecting "Episode III" with "A New Hope" in very ingenious ways.
Lucas has been given more leeway than most film-makers and with good reason. His "Star Wars" saga has made a bazillion dollars and are truly inspiring pieces of art, just ask any fan who got snookered into purchasing every single edition that has come out on VHS and DVD. However, now that "Episode" trilogy is complete it is clear that the effort has been a gigantic waste of time. With so many dead spots and monotonous material, fans would have been better served if all three "Episodes" had been combined into one mega instalment instead of forcing them to sit through so much rubbish to find a few gems. By not doing so, Lucas has demeaned his cherished 'Star Wars' series.
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