Part three of a great fantasy series

Rating: 10/10 (8 May 2006)

This is the third part of my essay on the themes and motifs of Star Wars.
Revenge of the Sith brings full circle the events of the Star Wars series. Anakin Skywalker falls to the Dark Side, becoming the Sith lord Darth Vader. Similarly, the Republic falls (largely willingly) into the fascism of the Empire.
Episode III continues the series' emphasis on the fallibility of technology. We are introduced to General Grievous, a menacing new villain. Of all Star Wars characters Grievous shows the most Tolkien influence. In The Lord of the Rings, it is said that trolls were created in mockery of the Ents and that orcs were pale shadows of elves. In Star Wars, Grievous is mostly droid, with some biological part remaining (foreshadowing what will eventually happen to Darth Vader). He is a twisted mockery of the Jedi, who wields light sabres even though he has no connection to the Force. Ultimately, for all of his technological power, Grievous has no chance against Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Force.
General Grievous is also used to contrast nature and technology. During their battle, Obi-Wan rides Boga, a dragon-like creature, while Grievous moves on a four-legged vehicle. Boga is a force of nature, adapted to the geology of Utapau. She moves gracefully and efficiently across the landscape. On the other hand, Grievous' vehicle damages the land wherever it moves and ultimately crashes. Similarly, on Kashyyyk, the wookies' vehicles are modeled after dragonflies, in contrast to the uniform and soulless droids that they battle. These sequences portray yet more victories for nature and humanity over technology.
Revenge of the Sith has many pairs of things, a common motif in Star Wars. There are still two Sith lords. Count Dooku is cut down by Anakin Skywalker, who subsequently replaces him as apprentice to Palpatine. Anakin is lured to the Dark Side by his fear of losing his love, Padme. He undertakes a quest for immortality ( a common science-fiction/fantasy motif which often has disastrous results) through Palpatine. By the end of the Jedi Purge, there are two Sith and two Jedi. They engage in two ultimately indecisive battles.
Obi-wan and Vader battle in the hell-like setting of Mustafar (which includes footage of a real erupting volcano). Having previously lost his right arm to Count Dooku, Vader is cleaved of his remaining limbs and burned alive. He then dons the famous suit and mask. In this way, technology becomes both his savior and his enslavement.
Ironically, Vader's efforts to save Padme lead to her death. She leaves behind twin children who will become a new hope for the galaxy. The closing shot of the twin suns of Tatooine symbolizes this hope.
Revenge of the Sith is a great modern Faustian tragedy and one of the best of the Star Wars movies. If there is a message to take home from this story it can be taken from Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-wan admits that he has failed Anakin by being unable to save him from the dark side. Although he has erred, Obi-wan, rather than making excuses or rationalizing, admits his mistakes and for the rest of the story, does all that he can to make amends. He is a hero and a role-model for our times.