@Scythrexx - See I view it completely differently. It makes him a more well rounded character and even shows us that even the most invincible creatures can be human too. Without the prequels, we would have always seen Vader as that inhuman (till the end) yet still one dimensional character alot of people liked "back-in-the-day".
Your version of what should have happened was not inline at ALL with a human being with a soul losing the last bit of his humanity. That's the great part about the ending of Ep3 AND what DOES make it meld so well with the beginning of Ep4. He's no longer bound by his "soul" or "feelings". They've been stripped out of him by all his loss and pain. He's become what the universe fears because of it. Without it, he would have been a weaker character all around.
I don't agree at all. Taking a character and flopping around his emotions does not make him well-rounded. A well rounded character is one you can understand and has basic flaws, but they have to be consistent. The kid in EP1 is not the same as the guy in EP2, who is somewhat different then EP3, and then once EP4 starts he is a completely different type of person. In most film that is considered a mess. Think of how Luke grew in the original trilogy, and you will notice he didn't change all that much between films. Same for Han Solo or Leia. They grew as people while retaining what people loves about them, that is why they are classic characters.
My version DOES show humanity, it shows how deep down he does hate, have rage, he does have pain, but he is broken, he was broken and he has no way out.
One can show humanity without making someone over emotional. Love, pain, hate, all those things don't have to be overt showings, since many of our understanding of those emotions are through things like body language. One can show the rise of Darth Vader with plenty of emotional value WITHOUT making it a showboat. Look at one of the most famous characters, Han Solo, and you will notice that his feelings, like his love relationship with Leia, are very subtle. He does not sing from the rafters his love or go on love walks under waterfalls, and that is why their relationship is one of the stronger ones shown in film. He cares for her, but not in the way that he goes hulk on everyone around him when she gets shot.
Darth Vader wanting to look into Luke's eyes without the mask was a perfect enough emotional bookend to them, they didn't need to add anything to the other scenes.
Which lends to my argument against your "old version" being changed. The fact that he is a well rounded character now, and we have the "Noooo!" from Ep3 makes the addition of it in Ep6 so much stronger. He regains his humanity, his "soul" in that moment and redeems himself all the more than his "Silent/Stoic relization and action".
We already know he regained his humanity and his "soul", that was always a given in the original version. He would not have saved his son if such was not the case. Once again, it is the subtelty of the event, the way its handled that not only shows he is regaining some of his love and humanity, but doing such at his own choice, coming to his own realization and still fitting in line with how he has handled himself for nearly 20 years since he turned.
His silent/stoic realization is much more powerful because it's an internal emotion, it's a act of choice rather then an act of panic. I don't know about you, but if I was getting beat down by someone I would rather my father walk in and beat the guys ass down without a word, rather then scream out "stop it stop it stop it!" and tackle him. It shows more care, and that my father was openly thinking about what was happening to me, rather then going into "panic mode" because he does not know how to handle the situation. One is a strong individual, the other a "weak" one, and Darth Vader saving his son was supposed to be the "strongest" moment of a life that almost ended in subjugation and tragedy.
Be aware, I don't hate the prequels. I really don't care about them that much. What I care about is that Darth Vader was the reason I loved Star Wars, he was such a powerful villain with a well done ending that was both satisfying and fitting. I like going back to the original movies and seeing that person again, but the more and more they attempt to "overly emotionalize" him, either in the prequels or by adding dialog like they did in the Blu-ray, I slowly lose my respect for him as a character. He is becoming a joke.