I saw the last Star Wars movie tonight. If I had to vote I’d say it was the best of the prequels, but still couldn’t compare with the originals (the sequels)…except maybe for the last 5 minutes. When Anakin donned Vader’s helmet for the first time…WOW. I caught my breath and relived 1977. I was 5 when the first movie came out and I’ve been a Star Wars junkie ever since. Yes, I was a member of the fan club. Yes, I owned all the action figures. Yes, I owned all the vehicles and planets. Yes, I was adept with my plastic light saber. Yes, I wanted to be a Jedi. Yes, in reverse sentences started to speak I did (a la Yoda for those of you who live under a rock).
You know the best thing about a movie like this? The audience. There are so many crazy, obsessed, spirited fans out there. I love being in a theater full of people who are so excited about the experience that they burst into spontaneous applause throughout the movie. I love that people came dressed as their favorite characters (I didn’t go quite that far) and had light saber fights while waiting on line to get a ticket or seat. I love that people actually camped out for DAYS before the opening of the movie to ensure they would be at the very first showing. I have a friend who actually flew out to California to see the movie with a buddy of his with whom he’s seen all of the movies on opening day. You don’t find that kind of passion for movies these days. The last one I can think of was Lord of the Rings. And even that was different. Rings had a literary following long before the movies came out. People were uber-passionate about Middle-Earth and all the great characters therein. It was almost a spiritual experience to watch those moves with a theater full of Tolkein enthusiasts.