Over our recent move, we had internet troubles, which I'm sure you are all tired of hearing about... However, I took the time to watch something that I had always been meaning to see, but never got around to it, and that is the Star Wars movies. After a through poll of my Facebook friends, I decided to watch them in the order that they were released, Episodes 4,5,6 then 1,2,3. We finished the last one on New Years Eve. This is a summary of my thoughts.
I was expecting these movies to be like THE MOST EPIC sci-fi films ever. But, in reality they were actually quite goofy. They characters were often pretty funny, which for some reason surprised me a lot. I guess I had no idea what to expect, but it wasn't that. I laughed several times throughout all 6 films.
| Especially where Han Solo was involved! |
I'm surprised that when people think of Princess Leia, they always seem to think of this hairstyle. This is only really in the first part of Episode 4, and then you never see it on her again. How did it become such a trademark? I know Padme wears it once as well, but I still don't know how it became so well known.
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| Darth Maul |
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| Ewoks! |
Overall, I did really enjoy the movies, the special effects were cool, and I liked the story. I guess I just don't really know how they turned into such an earth shattering epic sensation. They were really good, and I really enjoyed them, but I still just don't fully understand the cult following they have.
I think at least some of the reason the Star Wars franchise is such a big deal is because back when it first came out, it pioneered a lot of film elements that are in abundance today, like cross-genres (it's got a little of almost everything, which makes it generally accessible to a wider audience than most movies, which are pretty set in one specific genre or sub-genre) and more attention paid to special effects.
ReplyDeleteAnd from what I understand, A New Hope was also one of the first movies to start the whole "summer blockbuster" thing.
It also helps that George Lucas created characters that the audience could really care about, a rich idea of an immense world in which they could immerse themselves, and a story that's easy to become invested in.
And let's face it, the generation who saw the original trilogy in theaters and loved it likely exposed their own children to the franchise from an early age, thus creating a second generation of fans. And then some of those fans become inspired to build on the world and characters Lucas created, leading to books and comics and new characters and television series, etc., which both brings new fans to the franchise and strengthens the fandom that already existed.
Annnd I think it's safe to say that people in our society tend to be nostalgic, overall, if the re-emergence of beloved childhood characters, toys, and such is anything to go by. People see things they loved as a kid or teen and want to experience the joy again through their own children (plus having kids provides a socially acceptable excuse to play with it all or watch it all again yourself).
You may have noticed that a lot of longer-time fans of Star Wars have a somewhat...negative...opinion of the new trilogy, haha. I personally like elements of them, but some things come close to ruining those movies for me completely, like Jar-Jar Binks and Hayden Christiansen. lol.
There are also mixed opinions about the spin-off Ewok movies and the two animated series, "Droids" and "Ewoks." And most people I think just try to forget the Christmas special ever happened. XD
I just realized I'm totally rambling, haha, sorry! I guess what it really boils down to is that there are a lot of factors combined that make the franchise the wildly popular thing that it is today. Doesn't hurt that "geeky" or "nerdy" things are apparently cool now or something.
Wow! Thanks for writing all that! I seriously really appreciate it. I would not have thought of, or even really known, how unique the movie was at that time apart from its special effects, so that is good to know. I definitely agree that being nerdy is cool now, as one of the main reasons I watched them was because sooo many other things I watch/read have Star Wars references that I felt I wasn't getting the full appreciation for. Obviously those wouldn't be so prevalent if it wasn't chic to be geek!
ReplyDeleteI also did have many people say that JarJar and Hayden ruined the films for them, but I didn't think JarJar had a big enough role to really ruin much. I felt that way about a lot of characters though, that their roles were much smaller than I would have expected. And, I didn't mind Hayden. I thought the similarities in looks between him and Mark Hamill were well cast. He didn't ruin anything for me.
I guess I'm just used to more modern movies where some of these things are the norm. But you make very good points! Thanks again!