"The force will be with you, always."
I wasn't born in 1977, nor was I around for 1980 or 1983. I came one year after Return of the Jedi and it wasn't until a new decade rolled around in 1990 that I discovered my passionate connection with a galaxy far, far away. That VHS trilogy box set got a work out over the years and I was at the front of the line for tickets to catch these beauties on the big screen when re-released as Special Editions with extra (sometimes annoying) footage, but I still could never understand what it would have been like to sit in a cinema and watch the ultimate space opera unfold before my eyes for the first time along with everyone else.
What was it like? Could there have been any indication that, almost 40 years later, the world would be counting the days until the release of the seventh film in the saga?
I think a lot of people believe that the only way to appreciate Star Wars is to have loved it as a child, as they claim it doesn't hit with the same strength these days unless the audience is made up of a new crop of younglings eager to get lost in a "silly" world of make believe. I can't say for certain, but I have trouble believing this to be the case.
Sure, some of my love for Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope is derived from a nostalgic power of it feeling like a time machine to the past, a time when my only concerns in the world were whether or not I could get the whole trilogy in during one sitting and what snacks I could eat during. Regardless, there is too many outstanding characters, too much charmingly fun dialogue, too much wondrous world building, and too many ingeniously designed set pieces for this picture to be merely one that lives on due to nostalgia.
Two films and ten days to go until I get to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Just typing those words out feels amazing.
5/5
My dad took me to see this film when it came out but I was too young to remember it. I, too, had the VHS trilogy set. I won't be seeing VII until January.
ReplyDeleteI already have tickets for next Thursday the 17th and then again during the day on the 18th...to say I am excited is a bit of an understatement Deron haha.
DeleteI will be posting a spoiler free review after my first viewing, keep a look out for it. I will make sure to avoid ruining any important plot secrets.