I remember watching the re-release of the original Star Wars movie when it came back to theaters in the '90's (the first theatrical release in my lifetime) and wondering if I had missed something, as it was titled Episode IV: A New Hope, eventually the prequels came out and satisfied that question, but I nearly panicked at the time, thinking I had missed out on three other movies entirely. I then went on to anticipate the prequels (silly, silly creature!) and read many of the books that fleshed out the series. While some were atrocious, some were (and are) still some of my favorite books, somehow I can't get over it, no matter how bad the prequels and them throwing all those books in the recycling bin as if they'd never been (Star Trek did it first though, and I understand why they needed a fresh slate, but it still feels like they murdered some dear friends and altered the time-space continuum and are just pretending nothing actually happened...). I just can't get over this thing, maybe it is my geekiness, that undying spark of hope within me that continues to hope they can get this thing right, after 6 new movies, one of them has to get it right, to capture that je ne sais quoi of the beloved originals. Some of the books managed to do it, but the newer films haven't. At least until now.
I was in denial for two years, I really did not like Episode VII but kept it to myself lest I find myself stoned for heresy. I remember coming out of the theater with some friends, who at the time, said it was great. I was conflicted, there were parts I really liked, but overall, I had no opinion on the movie, which actually meant I didn't like it all but couldn't even admit it to myself. Rogue One was better, I went in anticipating Hamlet in space and wasn't disappointed, and they did a great job, very nearly capturing that spark that makes Star Wars what it is, but it was too tragic to truly make the cut. What is it that captivates us so with Star Wars? Even when it churns out subpar fodder with hokey plots and nebulous technology and bad acting, why do we keep coming back? The original had it right, it's Hope, it's that spark that refuses to die, the sputtering little flame that keeps the fire alive even though the world is nothing but darkness and smoldering coals, even when the whole universe is against you and wallowing in despair and thinks you are crazy, you refuse to give up even so. This movie gets it right, finally! And those same friends remarked after exiting this film that it was awesome and number seven 'sucked,' so my judgement hasn't quite abandoned me, at least in this matter.
There's all the humor you expect from Star Wars, which is good, as like Empire Strikes Back, this is a film fraught with peril, danger, sorrow, and darkness. Some of the acting is great, some is horrid, as is typical of the franchise, you basically want to slap any male of the Skywalker lineage (again, typical) but the interplay between characters, the friendship and camaraderie is what we loved about the originals and it's back, we saw a glimpse of it in Rogue One but with a severely reduced lifespan, happily we should see a few more movies like this if they can maintain the momentum. I still don't like the main villain, but now looking back, I guess all the Skywalker males have dealt with temper, whininess, and melodrama, so at least it's 'in character.' Everyone likes to focus on the coolness of Darth Vader, forgetting he's prone to strangling people and force-throwing things when perturbed, and we won't even start on the prequel Anakin, ugh! And if you ever wondered what Gollum would look like had he ever grown up, I guess that Snope guy would be it, double ugh!
There are the typical plot holes of course, not big enough to fly a Star Destroyer through like in Force Awakens but the Falcon could certainly make it through with room to spare. Just like Force Awakens, there seems to be a mishmash of themes and nostalgia from the originals, not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, as creativity certainly shouldn't be lacking in this boundless universe, but at times I found myself thinking it was the battle of Hoth or maybe the flight to Cloud City, I thought an Ewok would jump out at one point, and there were certainly glimpses of the second Death Star battle in the mix, and I'm not sure who let in all the dewy eyed wildlife, but this is Disney so I guess I shouldn't be surprised if a singing mouse or an overly intelligent deer strays in occasionally, at least they don't talk!
But the very best part, the part that left me with goosebumps of anticipation wasn't a subplot or character or happening, but a feeling, something I hoped never to see in a modern film, as the heroes flew off from the scene of near devastation wondering what the future held, somewhere a little child looked up at the stars and smiled, I felt like that kid, he knew, somewhere, somehow, there was hope and a better future, and that one day he might be part of it too. It left me feeling there was something we could do about injustice and evil and sorrow, instead of giving into despair or blaming somebody or something else or expecting life or the government or other people to give us whatever we think we want, rather it said bluntly that if we want things to change, it needs to begin with us. We need to fight the fear, the selfishness, the despair, the greed whelming up in our own hearts and do what we know needs to be done, not wait for someone else to do it, not wait until we are perfect to start, but to begin now, small and fallible as we are, even if it's a small thing, unnoticed by the rest of the universe. This movie struggled with that fine line between success and failure, light and darkness, life and death, triumph and despair, it didn't shy away from the deep questions that have no easy answers nor try to give trite concise answers to age old questions. Life is messy, but it's beautiful even so and it is the hope of that beauty that makes it worth living, even through the chaos and pain: that's the heart of what makes Star Wars beloved despite or perhaps because of its many shortcomings. And finally someone has remembered it!
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