One of the Greatest Motion Picture Sagas Ever Filmed

Rating: Null/10 (13 May 2003)

I was 17 years old, Godless and bored. I believed in nothing but work. Between a Saturday matinee and the evening performance of a play I was performing in, I caught Star Wars and my whole world changed.
To me 'the force' is the single most important dogma out there, I knew it then -- I understand it now. Even Mr. G. Lucas couldn't alter my opinion with his 'strange' explanation of the force in that dreadful Episode One film. Mediclorins, indeed!!!
The force is something between the rock and the land, between us and the universe. It is what we all are. Where we came from. Where we will end up. It is a mystery, an old one, awash with echos from the serials of 1940s.
Luke pines for the kind of adventure, a seventeen year old boy, can only dream of. Han doesn't care about anyone cause no one cares about him, 'cept a Wookie. Leia is fighting for truth and freedom. Darth wants to oppress the entire universe. Ben longs for day 'The Chosen One' will show himself.
These are basic character goals, something we as humans can relate to. Dreaming. Caring. Fighting. Longing. We believed in those characters, they spoke directly to our hearts. They were innocent. We were innocent.
In 1977 we were all trying to make our way in the big universe. We all had a Darth in our lives. If you were lucky you had a best friend covering your back -- like Han, and a girl you liked but didn't get. For the volumes of science fiction essay that Star Wars has inspired, I wonder if the basic, raw truth has ever come out. Using the guise of sci-fi / fantasy, Lucas tells a simple story of humanity. That's it. Pure. Simple. "The little guy can over come the bad guys of the world even when the bad guy turns out to be your Dad"
Star Wars tells us we are strong, we can over come. It's message to children with stars in their eyes, is to look toward the heavens and never fear -- you've got good on your side.
The innocence of Star Wars carried a generation into reality.

As a footnote, back then I spent every cent on Star Wars toys. Being 17, I didn't open the packages and play with the products but I kept them until two years ago. On E-Bay I sold the entire collection from all three movies. Suffice to say, the proceeds were a mighty fine down payment on my house. In honor of Mr. Lucas, my study features, among other things, an original poster of the movie and the M. Falcon hanging above my deak in mid-flight.

To this day, I can find nothing wrong with the film., a film that caused me to "look up" and see the future -- my future.