Lucas has left the Buddhism behind...

Rating: 9/10 (24 September 2006)

Others have commented, ad nausem, about the movie's (still a little clunky but) better acting, the threads of the story being tied together - I particularly enjoyed the comment that it was now "safe" to say you were a Star Wars fan again - LOL! C'mon - if you could run around since 1977 saying that Star Wars was your favorite movie (like me) ..... you just have no shame, LOL Anyway....
Any thinking person can easily see the Eastern influences in Lucas' "theology" - the Force is not "generic" - it's a fair representation of Eastern thoughts - specific to Zen Buddhism. In tying up his loose ends, we see how the lack of personalism -the insistence that the Jedi must not love - is what finally destroys Anakin, and thus the rest of the Jedi - and when you look forward to the "last" movie - it's what redeems Vader in the end, and leads to the rebirth of a transformed, or "resurrected" Jedi.
It's as if Lucas has finally read C.S. Lewis' "The 4 Loves" or something - and really worked out the various natures of Love - Affection, (storge, which is fondness through familiarity) - Friendship (philia, the strong bond existing between people who share a common interest or activity) - Eros (love in the sense of 'being in love'), and finally Charity (agape, which is a love towards one's neighbor which does not depend on any lovable qualities that the object of love possesses.) It's as if Lucas has realized that if all love is denied, other than the mere affection that Jedi were allowed, with "duty" and training from an early age replacing agape - then it's no wonder that they failed.
Later, when Luke comes along, and he's "too old" to be brainwashed to forget about love, and family, and friends, and he's willing to die rather than let go of those he loves, he will walk out on his training before he'll walk out on his friends - it's his LOVE that saves Vader, and returns Anakin to himself.
Jedi law destroyed Anakin as surely as Palpatine did, first making him hide his love away, then the Emperor seals the deal by breaking his mind and heart by making him think he killed his beloved. It was beautifully done. It was very sad to watch - but yes, it was a beautiful job of tying all the stories together.
Without Love, what are we? When Love is denied, what can we be? If I have all things, "comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge, if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:2) Maybe Lucas read that too.