What are your thoughts on Star Wars Episode 3? Let us know and while you're at it don't forget to checkout our podcasts over at wscrk.com/2FuJqSw for more Wisecrack content!

I think Anakin's fall to the dark side and to his "destruction" stage in the model can all be tied to the central idea of passion. The tuskens killed his mother? They paid for it. This loss ingrained in him the fear of losing his loved ones. We even hear him say hes not going to lose Padme like he lost his mother. Before Anakin kills the younglings, we hear Palpatine tell him that only Palps has the power to save his wife from certain death. Anakin killing the younglings isn't a radical jump, and it's not easy for him. You can see the anguish in his face at the jedi temple. He views killing the younglings as a necessary step in unlocking the power to save Padme. Much of the tragedy in this film, in my opinion, is due to the fact that anakin appears aware that he has betrayed who he once was. Even before his battle with Obiwan on Mustafar he still holds a sense of reverence and respect for his former master. He made the mistake of choking his wife in the heat of the moment. He effectively killed mace windu in this same manner. The same goes for dooku. Anakins fatal flaw is passion. That's why at the end of this film when he is reborn as darth Vader the ending is so tragic. He sacrificed everything he cared about to save his wife, and he believes that he killed her. He no longer has anything to be passionate about. He exists in perpetual anguish, leading a life without any immediate meaning or direction.

Anakin couldn't resist the tale of Darth Plageius the wise.

Me: I speak exclusively in prequel quotes! Me to Me: Only a Sith deals in absolutes...

I'm having trouble understanding the last bit of this video in how making Anakin Skywalker a tragic hero would undermine Darth Vader's character in the original trilogy. The original trilogy had already been released and most audiences (at least older viewers/fans) would've already come to sympathize with Vader given his last minute redemption in Episode 6. So making him a more tragic and sympathizable hero in Episode 3 wouldn't be anything new. The prequels were released after the originals and so many of us are already aware of that side of Vader. Adding more consistency to Anakin's theme of fear leading him to the dark side would only reinforce the preexistent sense of tragedy that many of us have already understood to be a fundamental aspect of Vader's character. Unless I misinterpreted the video...

“Sure, it’s not perfect.” It’s treason, then.

If his flaw is meant to be his love of those close to him and how he fears losing them, that seems very much in line with how Vader behaves. In episode 4 he’s a monster with nobody to love and nothing to lose, but from 5 onwards, he becomes hellbent on having his newfound son by his side. In the end, the threat of losing someone close to him would be what dooms him, yet later redeems him.

The prequels came out when I was 7, 10, and 13, and were the foundation of my modern obsession with sci-fi, so I am fated to love them eternally. Fite me.

I felt like Anakin's fatal flaw was actually "love for his family and friends", which the Jedi denounce because such attachments lead to fear, anger, hate, suffering, etc. It was the religious diachotemy between "light" and "dark", that caused Anakin to "fall". The Force needed "balancing", not because of the Sith, but because the Jedi were wrong. Luke "betrayed" the Jedi much in the same way Anakin did, forsaking Yoda and the Jedi teachings to help his friends and father. He used his anger to defeat Vader (anger stemming from love for his sister), and then out of love, spared him. It was Luke and Anakin's mastery and acceptance of both their "light" and "dark" sides, that brought balance to the force.

I don't think succeeding in making Anakin a full tragic hero would water down Vader in the original trilogy at all. I'm reminded of a line he spoke in return of the jedi while referencing his possible redemption: "It's too late for me, son" if that's not tragic I don't knwow hat is.

As hokey as the dialogue often was, one thing I always loved was the way Palpatine subtly seduced Anakin for over a decade until he was ready.

Episode 3 is my second favorite just behind the OG episode 4. I felt it was a masterpiece. It made me feel so many feels. It helped me really understand Anakin's downfall. Not just one tragedy but many tragedies simultaneously overwhelmed him and turned him into a super monster. It makes it even more amazing that he redeems himself at the end of episode 6.

Fear is definitely at the root of everything. In particular, he came from nothing as a slave and fears returning to that. He fears losing everything that he's gained - the status of a Jedi, the love of Padme. It's why loss of his mother was the trigger - that was his major failing as far as he was concerned.

I dunno about "thunderous applause" being one of our favorite memes. Especially with the Darth Plagueis copypasta being a thing.... Not to mention this glorious line: "I have the high ground"

8:12 Mace flew out of the Windu. ...I'll see myself out...

I love Revenge of the Sith. Anakin is my favorite character and his story is so sad.

Anakin's "I hate you!" is still one of the most spine chilling and tragic line's i have ever heard and it's just delivered so raw and visceral. I always tear up at the end of the Anakin vs Obi Wan's fight.

I always thought that anakin is just a by product of a broken Jedi system he’s just a person who doesn’t know how to deal with his emotions to the point it changes his character in a drastic way.

If the original trilogy did not exist when this came out, Episode III would have surprised and shocked the world. It's a great story.

Finn’s character arc: REY! REEEEY! REEEEEEEEEEY!!!

When you realise that in very triology palpatine electrocutes himself

I'm here so early even the younglings were alive

"If you're itching for more Wisecrack content..." Yeah, I'm itching for more Earthling Cinema now that you mention it.

My sophomore year of HS, my English teacher used Episode 3 to help teach us MacBeth, another tragedy. The parallels are very easy to make and I love that you guys finally made a video about this.

That one scene where Anakin is pondering weither to go save palpatine or not is nothing short of epic,the silence and looks in both his and Padme's face is so eerie,filled with tension and conflict.

Seeing things like this makes me wish Ron Howard had agreed to direct these movies like George Lucas wanted.

So..in Brazil, Count Dooku means literally "Count from ass" LOL they changed for Count Dookan

Me: sees Tragedy in the title "Ah yes, the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise."

Did you ever hear of the Tragedy of Star Wars Episode 3? I thought not. It is not a story Disney would tell you...

I just got done watching Star Wars The Clone Wars. You're damn right it's a tragedy.

"The movie isn't a masterpiece" It's treason, then

Wisecrack: episode III isnt a masterpiece Me: ^Blast him!^

George Lucas has literally said on camera that star wars is meant to be a tradgedy of Darth Vader. 🤷🏻‍♂️ He wants us to feel sorry for him. He said that's why he had to make the prequals, to make Darth Vader a more obviously tragic character.

I can’t watch this episode without seeing the memes.

I love the prequels because of how the Clone Wars animated series enhances them. The tragedy of Revenge of the Sith does hit harder when you have got all the development that leads up to it. Anakin and Obi-Wan have so much time to develop and be actual close friends, and Order 66 is so much worse when you've had entire stories dedicated to side characters and not just a line of dialogue and a minute of screen time. The prequels are far from perfect but I think the tragedy is super effective.

“Preserve the original trilogy” - said no Disney exec- Ever.

Revenge of the Sith is not a masterpiece. It’s THE masterpiece

The point of the prequels driving home Anakin's fear so much is because his ambition and his lust for power are directly tied to his fear. After losing his mother, he doesn't want to lose Padme the same way, and he's not getting more powerful quick enough, all the while being told he's the chosen one, which fuels his lust for power and ambition even more (why am I progressing so slow? I should be powerful enough to save Padme by now). Thus he falls to the dark side as a last-ditch effort, and you gain power in the dark side by giving in to your emotions, taking out his frustrations with the Jedi on their most foundational structures, such as their future and their symbol of power and stability.

The Clone wars does a better job showing and telling us that his love for his wife and friends and family is his flaw.

Episode 3 is the deepest and the most complex film of the entire Star Wars franchise. It's certainly a masterpiece.

14:19 haven't you thought that desire for power can come from fear of loosing someone, because power is the idea of control of the external world and therefore the control of the things you might fear??

The prequels has some good ideas, but were acted upon poorly. With some better writing it could really have been a knockout hit.

"Your anger and your lust for power have already done that."

That dart vader "Neeooooooowwwww" cracks me up everytime

the "underpinning tragic flaw" wasn't anakin's, it was the jedi's.

to be fair the entire prequel trilogy was a tragedy. the corruption of anakin the fall of the republic and the destruction of the jedi order. just like how the original trilogy is an epic and the sequel trilogy is literally nothing.

Y'all, I highly recommend CinemaWin's Everything Great About Episode III! He really goes in depth in how the Jedi failed Anakin. The confusion drove Anakin to fall to the dark side. Truly, its a great take.

Not to mention that John Williams’ score for Revenge of the Sith absolutely *slaps*

Good thing we have the Clone Wars series now and we can clearly see him slide to the dark side throughout the seasons((:

I don't think you've considered enough of Star Wars lore/theory for this video. There was no mention of the Jedi Order failing Anakin since the Jedi Order/Code was what was keeping him attached to the light. In the early scenes of the film, Anakin prioritizes the Jedi Code above all because that is what is keeping him from seeing the Jedi as a neutral/evil force instead of a force of good. Obi-wan, Mace Windu, and (as you've correctly identified) Yoda fail to provide support for Anakin throughout his journey to the downfall of the hero. As such, when he is shown that one of the highest-ranking officers of the Jedi Order turns against the Jedi Code by looking to strike a defenseless Palpatine down, Anakin abandons his view of the Jedi being good and joins the dark side. The other thing that should be mentioned about the murder of the defenseless younglings is that Palpatine told Anakin that in order for him to use the power to save Padme, he has to become aligned with the dark side. The easiest way to do that and ensure his and Palpatine's power can be maintained is by killing the younglings at the temple and the separatists on Mustafar. Once that happens, it actually becomes evident that Anakin gains this power to prevent death by taking the lifeforce of his wife Padme. to prevent his own death. I think these points actually strengthen your central argument and put aside what you say towards the latter part of the video. Yes, killing younglings does seem jarring upon the first viewing but when you see all the factors at play for Anakin beyond keeping up with the original trilogy, it becomes evident that Anakin did have a logical and reasonable path for the hero's fall.

Anakin did kill the younglings out of a fear of loss... he trusted in Palpatine that he needed to give himself completely to the dark side to be able to save Padmé

When Obi-Wan said 'i have the high ground', he meant morally too. Woah

That's what i thought 4-5 years ago when I watched ROTS for the first time. Anakin Skywalker is portraited as a classic Greek Tragic figure!

The all time favourite meme is - I love democracy.

"Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy. Only then will the dark side of the Force be strong enough to save Padme."

Amazing review full of learning as usual, thanks Wisekrack!!!

This is a video that finally, and skillfully, explains why this game's story worked so well for me. I knew that I liked the story, but when roped into arguments with people who disliked, or hated, it, I failed at articulating exactly why I felt what I felt during my playthrough. So, thank you for this video! Your channel never disappoints!

That's the hard part of doing a prequel to an existing story, you've kind of painted yourself into a corner so you have to make sure whatever you do will still make sense when it fits into the main narrative...

Next: The Tragedy of The Rise Of Skywalker

I very much appreciate your analysis. Great video!

wow, I just started watching the video and immediately had to smile because of what of a nice guy you seem to be. peace, brother!

So many lines I still find hilarious to quote. "YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER FROM ME!" "GEWwwwwwwwd" "All batteries: Fire! Fire!" "UNLEEEMITED POWWWER!

Kind of cool that Hamartia is also the word for Sin in Christian theology.

Great dissection of this movie. I've always thought it felt like a Greek tragedy, so it was cool to see you guys draw out all the parallels.

I love the way this channel has grown.

I think the fear of loss tragic flaw plays into Vader's story arc for the original trilogy. It's even what drives his redemption -- fear of losing Luke

*Cuts off Dooku's head. "This is the first step of Anakin's fall." - Wisecrack Tusken Raiders: Are we jokes to you?

You have a lot to prove to me to be a regular viewer. I loved all the old content...good luck and keep it real

I’ve always wondered what this episode missed. This was it. Thank you

i think the most obvious moment when palpatine reveals himself when he said "DO IT"

I think the flaw makes sense and can be broken down like this: Anakin fears losing Padme, this is the main drive for his lust for power, which causes him to place his trust and loyalty with Palpatine rather than the Jedi Order, who deny him the power he wants and needs to save Padme. To explain further, he cannot save Padme, but he desperately wants too, and fears losing her. The Jedi deny him the rank of Jedi Master, something he believes would give him access to the knowledge of how to save Padme. He wants more power not entirely for power's sake, but because that power is the key to saving Padme, at least in his mind. Palpatine is already his trusted friend, but the real reason Anakin places his loyalty with Palpatine to the degree that he does is because Palpatine promises Anakin the power that he needs to save Padme. In essence, everything comes back around to Anakin's fear of losing Padme. That is the flaw that tips all the other dominos, including Anakin's lust for power, and placing his trust and loyalty with Palpatine despite the clear signs he is a traitor. If he didn't see siding with Palpatine as the only way, he wouldn't have been so hesitant about spying on him, even despite their friendship.

thank you so much for this extremely brilliant video! Thank you for pinpointing why the episode falls short from being a complete tragedy! I believe it would have been more important to develop Anakin's tragic flaw rather than worry about preserving Darth Vader's villainous legacy...after all, twenty years go by between episode 3 and episode 4 and this gap could easily and has been filled with character development to make Vader the ultimate villain... I am so glad I came across your channel and subscribed!

Thank you so much for making a video about one of my most beloved cinema experiences! I totally agree with you in all aspects, but one thing I think you missed: The dark side takes over Anakin and turns him into Vader the moment he surrenders to sidious. Not when he loses the fight to obi-wan. He already was Vader when he killed the children. This scene showed me that he is no longer Anakin in a very appalling way. And he couldn't become Vader in any other way. I think this movie couldn't be made any better...

This is wrong in that the 'tragic flaw' rambles. It's consistently fear - fear of losing Padme. The lust for power is because he needs to save Padme. The choking of Padme is because he fears that he has lost her to Obiwan. In the phrase, "He wants to save what's his.", the ex-slave Anakin is thinking of "his wife" not as "wife" but "his". And because he loves _having_ her he fears _losing_ her. Which shows the evil person he was all along.

14:00 of course Anakin is struggling against the light side and dark side. As thematically visualized as he held the blue and red saber to Dooku’s head. After doing it, he realizes how that was the wrong thing to do. Experiencing this he’s hesitant to break the code again, whether spying or with Mace Windu. And none of these films exist in a vacuum the phrase “I won’t lose you like I lost my mother” works well here because of Episode 2 and that only works because of attached he was to her that’s been mentioned in Episode 1. So close this was to the philosophy of Star Wars and the Force, but just off the mark.

Thank you so much now people can understand why this is one of my favorite films of all time

I always took it as anakins desire to save Padme was a part of his lust for power. In order to save her, hed have to achieve power over death, something that is nearly impossible but that he arrogantly believed he could achieve if he was powerful enough

I've realized mostly older folks look down on the prequels, They were my childhood so I think they are a treasure, not a tragedy!

It is worth mentioning, I think, that what Anakin was trying to do at the end of his fight with Obi-Wan was (intentionally or not) mimic Obi-Wan's killing blow to Darth Maul. It makes sense in that context that all Anakin wants in that moment is a taste of the power and success he felt earlier, and bites off more than he can chew once too many times.

I think his tragic flaw being fear is misinterpreted. Episode 1, for all its flaws, put this perfectly. „Fear is the path to the dark side. (Fear is the initial thing that sets him on the path. Fear to abandon his mother, the fear to lose padme and, most importantly the fear he himself will be unable to save her despite the power he possesses.) Fear leads to anger (you can see this displayed several times in ep.2 like when Anakin confronts Zam Wesel because she tried to kill padme and later kills the tuskens) anger leads to hate (he embraces the dark side, and hate overwhelms him. This is why he chokes padme and attacks obi wan.) and hate leads to suffering (the ultimate tragedy that befalls Anakin. The force is the driving...well force. It amplifies and feeds off emotion. This goes for empathy and loyalty, just as it does for hate and ambition. Anakin‘s tragedy is, that while he is so powerful in the force, the circumstances of his life lead to this power driving him mad. He’s told of his power, but forbidden to use it. He‘s desperate for help but only receives high minded advice, that, while wise, angers him. He loves his wife to a tragic extent (yeah, the dialogue is torturous, but think of it as a classic play, the do get overly dramatic) and when he seeks help to save her, he’s told to let go of his attachments. The dark side is not just a collection of bad decisions, it’s a temptress, the easy way to absolute power. It’s desire, attachment, almost like an addiction. whereas the jedi embody compassion and self sacrifice and the deliberate abstinence from forming attachments(at least that’s what they should. Palpatine‘s genius is that, to subvert these values, he forces the jedi to get perverted by a war he engineered. They only participate because they genuinely want to protect people, but are blind to see how it changes them) Anakin is trapped between these two, knowing what he should do but being unable to follow this code. To comclude, Anakin is the most powerful person in the galaxy, and yet he’s tormented by his fate. The temptation of using his power to right the wrongs fate has burdened him with. That’s what drives him to the dark side, and once he embraces it, he can’t let go. He can’t let go of his attachments. He’s quite literally willing to give everything to preserve his life with padme.

I really think their huge mistake comes from Darth Vader having almost zero character traits of Anakin, and vice versa. He should have been like Vader at the start of episode 3, but good, and change into a monster version of himself later. And his arc should have been his lust for power, first to protect everything he cares deeply about, and then being manipulated into doing most shady things. Maybe padme shouldn't die tragically, but just be uncurably sick, and he - almost desperate, but too stubborn to admit it and be willing to do questionable things to get more power. Yes, he should be arrogant first and caring second, only to realize that he lost something dear to him because if his arrogance, but still thinking he was right about it all and hateful towards the everyone who didn't share his vision and left him. Yet we got kiddo Anie, angsty Anie and inconsistent ep3 Anie.

If this isn't about the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise, I... am gonna be sad.

This video was great. I got specially interested in the discussion between fate and personal flaws: are our personal flaws (as well as our good points... our character traits in the end) the things that define our fate?

Even back then, I never understood the reaction to EP. III Anakin going ham on them kids. He didn't spare any of the Tusken Raiders children on Tattooine. Boy was already on his way down the dark side.

Ahh yes when Timberlake was rocking that sweetest of hairstyles, "ramen noodles"

The video is almost 20 minutes long, but according to this it's only been posted for 9 minutes currently. Yet it has all these likes and dislikes......curious....

I liked the points made in this video; they were very informative. I always really liked Episode 3. It's actually my favourite Star Wars film.

You put into words what i thought about episode three but couldn’t articulate. Good on you 👌🏻

part 3 is actually my favorite

The best third installment of any Star Wars film. You can quote me on that.

"AnaKIN? More like Ana-CAN'T." I laughed way too hard at this!

March on the Jedi Temple is one of the coolest scenes ever

This is the exact reason ehy Clone Wars was great. It explored all of Anakin's motivations and frustrations

Episode 3 was worlds better than any of the sequels, even the half-decent TFA. The prequels only get hate because of how terrible the love plot in episode 2 was and how godawful jar jar in episode 1 was. If those two things had been done differently, the prequels would have been an amazing trilogy

The part you got way wrong was Anakin choking Padime. He force choked her because its the safest most gentle way you can incapacitate someone. Not because he wanted to hurt her no because he wanted to incapacitate her.

Cool video!

“...and while the film is certainly no masterpiece...” *dislike*

When he fully gives up is due to him seeing there is no difference between the jedi and the Sith. With the line echoed by palpatine when he killed count duku and by mace windu when mace was going to kill palpatine. It was all fear even his desire for power was based on more power means he has less to fear at least in his fear ridden mind

I just finished The Clone Wars series for the first time yesterday, and there's nothing more tragic in this movie than the scene at the end of Clone wars when Anakin returns Ahsoka her lightsabers and leaves to save Coruscant. Knowing what he was about to go do, and knowing this was one of the last times he'd really be a hero was really powerful. It helped that we actually saw Anakin being a hero on the show, something we arguably never see in the films. By the end of the series and you could believe he was a hero who's fall people would mourn. Movie Anakin is whiny, and petulant and entitled all the way to the final film. He's not really very heroic. It's a real shame how the prequels turned out. There's nothing really wrong with the bones of the plot or the characters as evidenced by what the guys working on the Clone Wars produced. George just made the films in his vision for better or worse, much to our chagrin.

I liked this video, because you obviously put a ton of work into it. My father introduced me to Star Wars, when I was literally zero, as I did with my own son. The prequels, while not being perfect, they told the perfect story. Not the story of a great pilot, who whoops, turned to the Dark Side, which before, was simply ridiculous. But I can remember my father, my son, and I, simultaneously breaking into tears when he yelled "I Hate You", to Obi-Wan. That is hurt that we will not ever understand. Except that the three of witnessed it, and I'm literally holding back tears, fifteen years later.