When was the last time you waited over fifteen years for something?

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 1999)

When you're a kid... excuse me, when you're a young person, and tired of being treated like a kid, you find yourself wishing you were older. You can't wait until the day when "No, you're too young," will become a poorly used, outdated excuse from your parents worth contesting. This notion can be ingrained in the mind as early as six years of age. It takes thirteen years to transcend the "minor" label from there. Time seemed to stand still as years dragged on, slowly accumulating on your life span.
If you were like me, a "Star Wars"-loving minor in 1983 when "Return of the Jedi" finished in theaters, then you've been waiting for "The Phantom Menace" longer than you've waited to grow up. When you were young, there was no doubt that you were going to get older. But there were no such assurances about "Episode I" being made, as it's future was written in the sand as an agenda that seemed as far away from realization as the galaxy it chronicles.
When I first learned that there were indeed other chapters intended, and I can't remember how long ago that was, my first inkling was that there were bound to be lots of people who weren't going to make it. Their lives would be incomplete, as they might very well die before seeing the final installment. The earliest date for the finale seems to be something along the lines of the year 2014, if the "three-years-per-picture" rule is adhered to without further delay or sabbatical. He may not remember it, but I seem to recall my father uttering a similar sentiment all those years ago, with a subtle twinge of disapproval mixed with disappointment, but I suspect he's never measured the value of his life by the number of "Star Wars" films he will get to see.
So they finally got down to it and made another one, and a phenomenon of a familiar kind has developed surrounding it's release. Never before in the history of film has a display of immense anticipation ever existed. It seems guaranteed, despite the unfortunate flurry of some negative critics' reviews, to break all sorts of box office records and rest atop the biggest money makers of all time.
The film is a special effects masterpiece that is astounding and the battle scenes are simply extraordinary. The "Star Wars" universe has definitely expanded and will continue to do so for some time to come. The film's few weaknesses lie in some of the characters and the sometimes convoluted plot line lends itself to disinterest for brief periods. But there are equally engaging characters and plot twists to keep your interest, and as mentioned before, the special effects more than make up for any shortcomings. The reaction at the first screening was pretty unanimous; a big hit. But what else would one expect? The excitement building in the room was almost tangible. I believe the theater had to pump up the volume louder than expected as the crowd's cheering was overwhelming dialogue at times, but the serious fans kept them in line soon after.
Can we expect the same fervor over "Episode II"? It's anyone's guess. The mounting curiosity of fifteen years will be gone, and it depends greatly on the success of "Episode I". But I fully expect that some of the executives at 20th Century Fox, whose company name will be outdated by then, will be looking to cause lightning to strike twice, doing everything in their power to generate a lightning rod of mythic proportions outside the lobby doors of all theaters showcasing the next development. Outside of theatrical trailers, I haven't seen a single TV ad for "Phantom Menace", and they know they don't need it. The free publicity is one of the fringe benefits of an iconic release.
What I got from Mr. Lucas on May 19, is a chance to be a kid again. Long after I marched into the worldwide age of majority, I learned something. I've realized that the truest sign of maturity, is not wishing you were older, but fondly remembering days when you were younger, and wishing time would drag rather than fly and hope it could stand still again.
What Mr. Lucas receives in turn, is our enduring gratitude, for taking us all back to "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away".