The first time I watched Star
Wars, I was about seven years old. My parents had me watch the movie on a
day when school was cancelled, and they planned on us watching the entire
trilogy. The idea of watching Star Wars
was painful for me. One reason, was at the time, the movies already started to
look dated in my mind, and two, it was a space movie that really did not have
much of an appeal to me. I remember telling my parents that the movie was
boring before I even saw it. I am not sure why, I just know that I did not want
to watch the movie.
My parents made me watch the movie, and while I resisted it in the beginning, I ended up being completely captivated by the story and the events. The movie had a slow start for me, but with action, comedy, and the fantasy elements it was a really entertaining movie. We watched all three movie and I enjoyed all of them. Now these movies are part of my normal movie collection. My husband and I watch them when we do not feel like going any where for a day, and just feel like having a movie day at home. It's one of our go-to movie collections.
I think one of the reasons Star Wars has remained so popular is because it had a huge impact on the audience from when it was released. The storyline, the soundtrack, and the special effects that the movie was able to produce were attractive qualities in the movies especially at the time. The movies meant a lot to people, and as a result they did exactly what my parents did, they made their children watch them. The movies have become generational, and are stories which are being passing down. Older generations have kept the stories of Star Wars relevant in society through repetition and marketing. Toys and action figures are still produced, and movies are still being played. Now, younger generations are able to experience the fantasy and action of Star Wars because of the appeal it had for their parents and grandparents. In the video below, this kid is dressed up like Darth Vader trying so hard to use the force to move objects around until he thinks he does (I know this is a VW commercial, but I love this kid). This kid is trying hard to find the magic and power in the force, which he learned from a movie that came out 35 years before he probably even saw the movie. It shows, to me, that Star Wars is a movie that will be watched for many years, and a story that will be handed down for generations.
http://youtu.be/R55e-uHQna0
This commercial gives me goosebumps every time. I think it shows the power of Star Wars. It unites families, the boy's father obviously knows Star Wars too, and Darth Vader is still a relatively universally recognizable figure. We are exposed to Star Wars in so many ways that aren't the movie; I'd be surprised to meet someone who does not know the name of that black mask.
ReplyDeleteYour experience with the franchise is interesting because mine was exactly opposite. My parents definitely did not put up with any sort of fantasy-esque ideas the rest of the family might have had. My dad was a SciFi fan but much preferred Star Trek, as do I really. So my experience was watching the Original movies with my friend Vichit at his house. What captivated me the most was the Force and how that played a role in the movie; especially as a child I was not about the whole good vs evil agenda being shoved down my throat so that part of it was not my favorite at all. Even then, I still knew what a lightsaber was, and wanted one without ever having saw the movies. They did really permeate during the times and then got passed down along with the national debt.
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