Who is planning to see the new Star Wars movie when it comes out in a few weeks? I am!
I had never seen the prequel series until recently, so I have watched the first five in the past couple of months. I’m lucky to have friends that we meet for dinner and a movie (or two) every few weeks. We’ve done all Downton Abbey, all Harry Potter, all the Lord of the Rings. We’re completionists. (is that a word? It should be). We’ve scheduled episode 6 in a couple of weeks, and then we will be primed to see what has happened to our heroes in the past few . . . decades?
I watched the first three releases shortly after they hit the theaters. The first one was a phenomenon. It continued to play at the State Theater in Falls Church months after it had left every other location. The ticket lines were legendary.
After watching them again, I had to ask myself what I liked about them so much, how did they resonate?
All of the main characters are extremely competent. And maybe, each of the main heroes had qualities that I wanted for myself. Is that why heroic fiction resonates with us?
I could completely understand Luke’s frustration of having to stay home and work on the farm, when every fiber of my being wanted to leave. I completely wished I were Han Solo, who could pilot a bucket of bolts, and fix it when it needed it. And he thrived living on the fringe, and never worried about following the rules, or staying within the lines. And goodness, I aspired to be Leia, who knew exactly what her mission in life was. It was to fuel and lead the rebellion.
And maybe, just maybe, that’s what the resonance was? Or is? Rebellion. Our way of experiencing it without doing it.
And maybe, just maybe, our heroes will be rebellious still.
We wouldn’t miss it, but we do want to miss the crowds. We will probably avoid opening weekend. So no spoilers. 🙂 Enjoy episode 6. Our youngest guys haven’t seen all of them, so I think a marathon is in our future too.
I won’t see it until the 2nd – just in time for the January blog!
Star Wars was part of my childhood. I would see bits of it on cable at my friends’ house. We’d act it out and play with the toys my friend’s brother owned. I still remember his Millennium Falcon. (Would be worth a bundle if he still had it.)
It was magical when I finally watched all three during a snowstorm when I was in 7th grade. I had a massive crush on Han Solo who still inspires my book heroes with his cocky sarcasm. LOL! I remember being mesmerized by the effects and by the strong female leader in Leia. At it’s core is good versus evil and the triumph eventually of good. The characters are iconic and larger than life. It has set the stage and raised the bar for sci-fi movies.
Mostly, when I watch the movies. I feel like a kid again with the new hope (like how i worked that in?) that things can turn out better in our world.