After four viewings of Revenge of the Sith, I'm in a position to make some more conclusive judgements and observations than I was initially willing or able to make. I've seen it digitally now, as well, and though it wasn't in fact longer as I've heard, the difference in quality did enhance the experience.

The English major in me can't help but look at RotS in a literary perspective as opposed to seeing it only as a movie. As such, I've decided that Revenge of the Sith is an awesome movie, but beyond that, a fantastic and great story with classic themes. The story is a tragedy in every classic sense, and rests on an extremely well crafted and highly successful concept of tragic irony. Beyond the special effects, the acting, and the dialogue, RotS succeeds because it is one of the best plots in any of the Star Wars films, and carries the entire saga within this one movie.

If the entire Star Wars Saga had a thesis statement, it would be the short sentence spoken by Obi Wan Kenobi on Degobah in Return of the Jedi: "You cannot escape your destiny." This is demonstrated by the rise, fall and return of Anakin Skywalker, and is a point made indisputable by the storyline of Revenge of the Sith. Faced with a fate found to be undesirable, a flawed and fearful Anakin Skywalker commits himself to a course of action aimed at altering destiny, only to find it horribly fulfilled.

Anakin's flaws of arrogance, selfishness and greed lead to the development of his greatest weakness: fear. Palpatine sees this and siezes on it, twisting Anakins mind until he "becomes everything he swore to destroy." Anakin is willing to set aside the Jedi Order, the Republic, even Kenobi in order to gain the power necessary to save Padme's life. His fear of losing her causes him to undertake horrible actions in the name of keeping what he wants, at the expense of all else. The tragic irony comes into play in that Anakin takes actions in an effort to save Padme from dying, but instead causes the very death he was trying to prevent.

The theme is tried and true; classic Greek tragedy such as Oedipus, Shakespearean tragedy as in Macbeth. George Lucas has created a modern marvel of tragedy within the Star Wars saga, and Revenge of the Sith is the centerpiece of the masterpiece. Destiny is unavoidable, and merely knowing it in advance is not enough to spare you from it. Destiny and Fate do not control ones actions; rather, the inherent virtues and flaws in the individual will inevitably lead them to make certain decisions that will lead them to their destiny, no matter the person's intent.

Anakin Skywalker's life, then, becomes a model for this notion. "Finding him was the will of the Force." Even as a young child, he made choices and decisions that would ultimately shape his future. He chose to participate in the attack on the Droid Control Ship rather than turn back; catching the attention of all and possibly influencing the Council's decision to allow his training. He chose to marry Padme, breaking the Jedi Code and giving in to his attachment, just as he chose to slaughter the Tuskens due to his attachment to his mother--even in going to Tattooine in the first place. Finally, he chose to betray everything he stood for in the name of saving Padme, fulfilling his destiny to become Darth Vader, and ultimately putting him in position to fulfill the prophecy and destroy the Sith--again, by his choice to save Luke.

Anakin saw the future and hoped to change it. Instead, he ensured his undesired fate and succumbed to his destiny. As much as I love the lightsaber duels in the final act, as great as the dialogue is on the landing platform between Obi Wan and Vader and between Yoda and Sidious, as wonderful as Ian McDiarmid is as Palpatine, what truly sets RotS apart for me is its masterful use of the tragic plot and irony, and the depth behind the story. No other movie in the saga better captures the essence of the entire story better than RotS, and because of that, at the end of the day, this may truly be the best Star Wars movie of them all. [even though right now I still have it as number two... For the ranking enthusiasts, mine are 1. ESB, 2. ROTS, 3. AOTC, 4. ROTJ, 5. ANH, 6.TPM]