@LukeAlmighty @kamehamic I do definitely think there are aspects of Anakin's turn to the Dark Side that don't quite work, but from my experience, Protagonist Journey to Villain stories (at least the truly ambitious ones) always have at least once instance where the storyteller rushes the fall of the hero. The Child-killing scene in retrospect should not even have been in Episode III at all, because the gradual escalation of Anakin's descent into evil is actually very well paced without it:

- In a moment of desperation, he kills Mace Windu (someone he never got along with) to save the life of a Sith Lord who also just so happens to be his friend and mentor.

- He stands by passively while Palpatine has the Clone Troopers carry out Order 66, eliminating almost all the Jedi.

- He brutally slaughters a bunch of undeniably Evil people.

- In a flash of anger, he Force Chokes his pregnant wife

- He engages his best friend Obi-Wan Kenobi in a battle to the death, because Obi-Wan insists on standing in his way.

- The battle ends with Anakin being burned alive, losing most of his body.

- Palpatine tells him that Padme is dead, which Anakin naturally blames himself for.

After THIS moment, I think we've reached the point where I can buy Anakin killing kids and blowing up planets. So really, it's for the most part a really well-handled storyline, especially factoring in Episode II, and even Episode I establishing how dangerous and unfit Anakin is to become a Jedi.