My point is that almost everything in my life that i've been a fan of has been something I discovered or was introduced to. All except for three things. Three things that i've been a fan of since I was born (or at least so long that it's pointless to try and remember when I first saw them.)
- Spider-Man
- Thomas the Tank Engine
- Star Wars
The Spider-Man side of me has been placated by numerous films since 2002. The Thomas the Tank Engine side isn't something I've embraced since Thomas and the Magic Railroad in 2000 seeing as though I've grown out of the target demographic (though I still have my train collection in the attic and I'll be damned if I ever give it up.)
But let's not talk about Thomas or Spidey. They don't have the biggest movie of all time coming out on Thursday night. Let's talk about Star Wars.
I mentioned that it was pointless to try and put a number on it, but for the sake of argument lets try. The special editions of the original trilogy were first released in 1997 when I was 4 years old. It was a little before then. I still own the original tapes which I first viewed the series on. They're a little worn out, and I mainly utilize the DVDs and Blu-Rays nowadays, but they still work. Sometimes nothing compares to the excitement of putting the tape in a rewinder and waiting to hear it pop out, knowing that it's time to start the show.
I don't know exactly why I fell in love with the series, it just happened. I have vivid memories of going into all the stores, all the Kmarts and Caldors, and being in awe of all the toys. It was always a feeling of unreplacable joy when I would leave with a new action figure or playset to show off to my friends.
Out of all them, i think my favorite was either the 12 inch C3PO or the TIE Advanced Fighter with Darth Vader action figure. That year, I went as the Sith Lord for Halloween, albeit with a flashlight instead of a lightsaber. I didn't want to break my lightsaber because it was reserved for exhibition battles on my back deck with my brother Kevin. He had the green Luke Skywalker version, and I the red Darth Vader. I don't remember who exactly won the most, but that's beside the point.
So what is my point? It's that I can prattle on all day about how much of my childhood involved Star Wars until The Force Awakens is on iTunes, but I can do the same for my adulthood. There's no age recommendation for Star Wars. It's for everyone. You can watch it when you're an impressionable 4 year old boy, you can watch it when you're a 23 year old soon to be college graduate with movie critic aspirations, you can watch in the retirement home at the age of 80 on what I can only assume will be hologram projection.
It holds up. It never gets old. It's a classic story of embracing a destiny, confronting your past, and forging the future. Everyone has their favorite character. Mine happens to be a scruffy looking nerf herder who made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. And also the protocol droid who is an ace at human cyborg relations.
I don't mention the prequels much, because like most I recognize the fault in most of them. At least now I do. I will painfully admit that I happened to be fond of Jar Jar Binks at the time of The Phantom Menace's release. I even had the collectible cup from Pizza Hut. Now I can see him as the toy hocking, annoying gimmick that he really is, but it was invisible to me at the age of 6.
That goes back to further my point. Star Wars reaches a wide range. Even if it seems a bit painful. The childlike goofiness of a character such as Jar Jar in a film that also involves senate meetings about Trade Federations goes to show that Star Wars looks to include everyone. Neither aspect of either one is what anyone looks for in a Star Wars movie, and it creates for a bit of a snooze. But again, no one is excluded from Star Wars. It's for everyone.
From the first time I finished Return of the Jedi, there's one question I've always asked. What happens next? As big of a Star Wars fan as I was, I never really got into the comics or the novels. Not for any particular reason other than I never really sought them out as a child, and as an adult I knew that reading just wouldn't be the same as seeing it unfold on the screen the way the series originally did for me.
When the Wikipedia age came about and I would mindlessly browse, I learned that George Lucas had in fact planned on continuing the story, but eventually decided against it. I occasionally looked for updates, yet I hadn't held much hope.
Then came that fateful day. October 30th, 2012. 19 years old. I was with my mom and dad heading into a T.G.I. Friday's in Albany to meet up with Kevin who was attending UAlbany. I had refreshed my Facebook and there it was. "Disney buys Lucasfilm. Episode VII in Planning Stages." I stopped in my tracks. I couldn't believe it. My mind started to race. What could it mean? Are Luke, Leia and Han back? Would Lucas be involved?
Here we are. 23 years old. 4 days from seeing the movie I've wanted more than any other movie in my entire life. And sure, we know a lot more about it then we did on that 2012 day, but how much do we really know? That's a both a testament to JJ Abrams bank vault secrecy policies, and the fact I've deliberately avoided spoilers in a way I never have before. I don't want to know what happens until i'm sitting in the Poughkeepsie Galleria with my best friends watching the opening crawl and hearing that goose bumping opening John Williams theme.
Because I feel like that 4 year old boy again.
