I might be done with Star Wars
A strange thing happened recently: The announcement for the Blu-Ray version of the Star Wars films left me completely bored. It’s a curious reaction, consider that since I saw the original movie in the theatre at the ripe old age of 6, I’ve been a huge fan. I remember going with my mom to Sears to buy action figures, some of which I still have (sans lightsabers and capes).
I showed up in the theatre for the re-release of the Special Editions, and was insanely happy about news and previews of Phantom Menace. I saw all three of the “new” movies in the theatre as well. I can argue with the best of them over plot points and logic, and even tried to read some of the expanded universe books. (Sorry, couldn’t do it. I have standards when it comes to novels). Hell, our website even has a special category for Star Wars.
I’ve even played through the entirety of the Lego Star Wars game with my son, and showed him the movies. He’s okay with them, but shows no signs of becoming obsessed, though he does love Lego minifigs with lightsabers.
But, it occurs to now that when one of the films comes on TV, i’ll watch a bit, and then move on. No compulsion to watch the whole thing. I haven’t popped one of the films in the DVD player in a long time. I actually decided to watch Fellowship rather than Star Wars a few weeks back.
So, I’m thinking I might be done with Star Wars for a while. Don’t get me wrong, I love the characters, and will continue to mine them for comedy here and beyond, but I don’t think I need to watch the movies anymore, nor defend their greatness.Not interested in ranking the movies in order of importance, don’t really care if you think Lucas is a genius or a hack. Will I argue minutia with you? Maybe. I really like arguing, and being right even more. I’m also not getting rid of my ceramic Darth Vader with the glowing eyes and lightsaber.
In light of this, I’m trying to determine what about the movies I should like. From a critical perspective, all of the movies have giant gaping script problems, including the original trilogy. Defending the acting is a lost cause, and the special effects are very dated, and even an update to those won’t really change much. Are they a fun adventure with popcorn? Certainly, but I didn’t get obsessed with a lot of films like that.
I think when I boil it down, I like the concepts of the characters far more than the execution of them, and the possibilities of the universe, as opposed to the presentation within the films. What I’m interested in is the evolution of the obsession, and the end thereof. The goal here isn’t to claim that this somehow makes me superior, i’m just being honest about my geekitude.
So, while I’m unlikely to be watching the movies again soon, and won’t be buying them yet again on blu-ray, I’ll still been keenly interested in the legions of fanboys, and whether, like me, they begin to wane in their interest in Star Wars.
Thoughts? Complaints? Sympathy?
