Episode III versus Episode V: Which is darker?

I have to agreed with what people have posted above about ROTS. It is the darker movie. ROTS has hope at the beginning and by the end, you are totally devastated, everyone's world in ROTS changes. In ESB, the Empire is already in charge so it makes sense that it would win. People are being oppressed by the Empire and when they gain the upper hand in ESB, no average person's life is better or worse, it stays the same. All rebels lose sometimes like our own Revolutionary War. ESB has a more dark tone to the whole film but ROTS is like a ride that starts at the top and bottoms out with no end in sight.

 

In some senses, TESB is darker because it shows how the implicit heroes of the saga and last hope for the galaxy - Han, Leia, Luke - are on the verge of defeat; moral, physical or otherwise. If they fail, the Empire will only have tightened its grip further - and then what chance is there? In The Empire Strikes Back, the Empire really DOES have the upperhand and uses it to stunning effect: first to drive the Rebels out of their base, then to secretly infiltrate an otherwise paradisical-like city, and finally, the Empire's poster boy slices off his son's hand and delivers him a chilling revelation. Baddies 1, Good Guys 0. (Or, couunting from ANH, I guess it takes them to a 1-1 draw). Let's not forget Han's encasement in carbonite and delivery to Han - thus splitting up the heroes - either. Everything goes pear-shaped in TESB; even Yoda loses his pupil quite clearly before he'd have chosen to release him. It's all so desperate. One definitely gets the sense at the close of the film: "where do they go from here?" It's a question so colossal that even Lucas failed to match it with an adequate reply in Return of the Jedi.

 

I feel Episode III is darker in a more overtly theatrical, staged way, using all the familiar visual clues and motifs, plot conventions etc. of your typical tragedy.

While this is exciting to watch, I much prefer the vague sense of unease that Episode V perpetuates so wonderfully.

 

But ROTS does have those things aswell in their own way. Is a fascist dictatorship tightening its grip worse than a democracy happily giving away their freedom? The heroes in ROTS all collapse in on each other - The clone army turns on its Jedi generals, the Jedi turn on themselves (Anakin/Obi-Wan, Anakin/Mace), Palpidious reveals himself.

The Republic's poster boy loses his way and attacks his pregnant wife in a self fulfilling prophecy. Plus he's abandonned to a slow, torturous death on the banks of Mustafar.

Hell, Yoda loses all his pupils

 

I used to think that ESB was the best. I don't, any longer. I think it's a three-way tie between ESB, AOTC and ROTS.

 

i gotta go with III, there isn't a jedi massacre in ESB, as good as it is.

 

I'll have to go with Revenge of the Sith. The rise of evil is more menacing than pure evil itself.

 

ROTS is the darkest of all the SW films in every aspect. You have a Republic becoming an Empire, the end of the Jedi, the transformation of Anakin into Vader and the death of Padme. (That in itself is already the most tragic aspect of the PT) Someone mentioned earlier that ROST is the only film that has a ray of hope in the beginning and at the end....I totally agree with that.

I grew up loving Star Wars because of the PT, so yeah I'm much more attached to the characters of the PT. I care more about their fates and what happens to them so to me ROTS is the epitome of darkness.

 

I agree with all the points. However I like to keep it simple, like Smuggler did. The rise of evil (Killing the Jedi, the turn of Anakin and the destruction of almost everything good in the Galaxy) is much more darker then the continuation of evil that we see throughout the OT.

 

While ESB is my favorite SW film, ROTS is definitely darker, in my opinion. The fall of Anakin, the end of the Jedi and the end of peace and justice in the republic. Definitely no good feelings there.

 

Definately ROTS. Everything from the scenes to the music is darker. Anakin turning to Vader, the Jedi almost becoming completely destroryed, and the fall of the Republic.

 

Yep - definately ROTS. Although still have soft spot for TESB - first one I saw at cinema...

 

How is Episode V darker than III come on the slaughtering of the Jedi is extremly dark to me this discusion is pointless ROTS is a way darker film than EPS hands down.

 

i have to agree with that one.

 

ROTS is darker, no doubt.

 

Darkness of 3
Jedi order extinct
Death of anakin, birth of vader
Empire formation
Death of Padme
Exhiling of living jedi
the killings are wow

Darkness of 5
Rebel loose Hoth
Han Solo gets frozen
Luke finds out the truth
Lando betrays (well more like forced but yea)


Id say 3. I think though han getting frozen was one the sadest moments ever in the saga.

 

ROTS has few darkest scenes in whole saga.

For me nothing compares to the scene when those Jedi kids turn to "Master Anakin" with their naive trust while we know what is expecting them (I think leaving Temple purge implict makes it much, much more significant - it's like with rhetorical figure of ellipsis, where you indicate sth, creating certain expectations, but also avoid to create its direct representation for a better impact).I find this scene really touching and disturbing.

Also Order 66 makes me touched and feeling uneasy (of course as for SW standards). It shows betrayal in its purest form (far darkest than Lando's betrayal in ESB).
Probably shooting at the back of sb who is not expecting any attack and - quite contrary - is relying on the ones believed to be his supporters is probably one of the "darkest" situations I can think of. Close-up of clone-troopers feet when they are shooting at surprised IKi-Mundi remains for me almost an icon of the relentless brutal force against any respect and loyalty. It renminds me for example of Nazi soldiers, blindly obedient and following any - no matter how cruel - commands.

Also death of Dooku is pretty dark. The picture of an old man, defensless and painfully hurt, with very apparent fear in his face, standing against Anakin getting ready to kill him, from the very beginning (even before I saw the film) stroke me as a very expressive and menacing image.

Of course, there are many more things of that kind, but I generally think that all of them make ROTS much more gloomy, menacing, sad etc. than ESB.

Besides, I think ROTS is also literally darker - corridors of IH, underground streets of Utapau, Mustafar scenery - all of them are rader shadowy (is there such a word?). Well, it is also the case of several ESB sequences, but still plains of Hoth and many rooms in Cloud City remain the lightest sets in SW films.

And finally, to make things clear - IMO darker does not make automatically better film.