“A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away there was a movie. Not just any movie, but a trilogy that sparked the interest of a sci-fi hungry nation. And now, over two decades later, everybody is excited about the prequel, Stars Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.
When I finally saw the trailer—you know, the one that businessmen in Ohio ditched work and paid nine bucks to see—I must admit I was kind of disappointed. I mean everybody has been so excited about this movie that they’ve been talking about it since before it was even made. Our entire society has been mesmerized by this spectacle. It’s the same type of circus as the OJ trial when everyone was more concerned with Marcia Clark’s new hairdo than they were with the evidence or the case itself.
Star Wars was the classic romance-space-cowboy movie that changed the face of the movie industry as we know it today (action packed and chockfull of special effects for thrill seekers like you and me). The Episode 1 graphics might be a thousand times more futuristic than Star Wars, but that is a sorry replacement for the classic story line and characters that we all know and love. The only familiar characters in Episode 1 are C3PO, R2D2, Yoda, and Jabba the Hut. And if you ask me, there is no question that Carrie Fisher’s cinnamon bun hairdo can beat out Natalie Portman’s horns anytime. Yeah, and nobody even knows what the prequel trilogy is about except that “it plans to trace the eventual transformation of Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader.” In other words, no happy ending is anticipated.
Okay, but I can still understand why everyone from ages five to 85 is going crazy to see Episode 1. Star Wars is something bigger than all of us and it has the potential to suck in the entire universe (almost like the Death Star). Of course everyone wants to get in on it. Star Wars is an important piece of American history. Take me, for example. I am into seeing Episode 1, but I am not going to camp out a month in advance for tickets that aren’t being sold in advance. At my school there are like eight students that are willing to skip school to camp out though (and another 2,000 students that are just willing to skip school in general). I think that right now the major hype is in adult-land, because Star Wars reminds them of their youth.
And from what I hear, George Lucas is totally monopolizing on this. I can just see him sitting on his throne right now ordering the entire movie business around (i.e. the “12 rules” which he is requiring all theaters to follow—such as playing it only in the largest theaters in the multiplex—if they even want a chance at showing the film). What scares me the most is that we have two more episodes to go through after all of this is over.
This article was made possible by a donation from Pacific Theatres. Pacific Theatres looks forward to seeing you at the movies.”