Warning - Episode III spoilers

I just saw this movie. I thought it was great. All of the leads amazed me. I cried. At first thinking this through, I think this movie not only surpasses EPISODES I-II but nearly justifies EPISODE VI (Return of the Jedi).

Why? It seems to solve the major problem of Anakin murdering thousands (and later assisting in the murder of millions) of people while apparently comprehending the wrong of it. Episode III makes a strong case that he doesn’t comprehend the wrong of it. It shows Palpatine pressing upon a vulnerable Anakin an equation of Padme’s inevitable death as precipitated by the Jedi witholding knowledge from him - offering that a power of the Dark side could stop it. This with the pressure of the Jedi order placed on Anakin against Darth Sidious - who is the only one offering what seems a real solution to him for that problem - convincingly justifies in Anakin’s mind his betrayal of the Jedi Order.

I remain vaguely unconvinced of Anakin’s susceptibility to deciet. As I’ve previously written it seems his mother would have given him even in the small time he was with her the tools to cope with loss.

One very interesting remark: Yoda offering that they might have misread the prophecy about the Chosen One - as perhaps not meaning the Chosen One would destroy the Sith. I think Yoda and the Jedi order are also wrong that Jedi should not have attachments: it may be that the balance to be brought to the Force is not to dissociate for fear of loss, but to fully accept both the potential of loss and the potential of gain by being attached to those around you.

Other thoughts: I have previously predicted (though not here) that the stormtroopers we see in EPISODES IV-VI are leftover clones. This was right. I was wrong about Anakin being Palpatine’s son [Later - actually I don’t think I was! - next entry], unless Lucas’ helplessly still further changed editions will offer more. Also, I speculate that Darth Sidious was Darth Plagueis’ apprentice.

Lastly, I was so glad that Qui-Gonn apparently “..found the path to immortality..” I was distressed that apparently only the Dark Side could control life and death (I think the idea is philisophically troubling by itself), and here we see the idea that the Light Side has a say in life and death - perhaps not death per se but in eventual redemption. That this knowledge was apparently withheld from Anakin reinforces his susceptibility [later - a way of coping with death isn’t given him, apparently] - at least in this film.

I’m really not certain whether what I see as Anakin’s cold-blooded murder of the Sandpeople and of Duku is redeemable.

I think I’ll re-explore the film and the remainder of the films - I can only bear to read the scripts of I-II - otherwise I’m bored with them.