Star Wars Nursing Home

Rating: 2/10 (20 December 2015)

Young folks out there: Once upon a time in Hollywood there was a superstar named Marlene Dietrich. She was born close to 1902 and died in 1992, having made her first confirmed film appearance in 1923 and her last in 1978. When she realized it was time to quit because of advancing years, she quit completely. From being one of the most photographed women in showbiz she went to never allowing another photo of her again, except once. She knew that by being photographed when no longer beautiful her legend would be diminished. I preface my opinion of The Force Awakens with that introduction because 38 years ago I remember the premiere of Star Wars; and how the cast appeared in it and the two sequels: young and attractive, with their images and personas sealed forever in epochal material: a combination and legend forever that only gained power with time. So now to provide a box office safety net, Disney drags out and dusts off the original trio of protagonists in Star Wars, problem being they're far from young anymore. In fact they are just plain old. Carrie Fisher has the wry, knowing look of a sagacious grandmother, as if she's letting the audience in on a joke -- that sexy thing she used to be is nowhere hinted at. Harrison Ford reminds me of Henry Fonda or John Wayne in westerns when they were collecting social security; and who'd ever think Mark Hamill in full beard under a Jedi hood would end up looking like Orson Welles? By appearing in this film they run the huge chance of diminishing their personas as at least 2 generations plus remember them. In terms of film immortality, this is a grave sin indeed. The film would have been better without them; memories of the past overwhelm here, and their appearance is sure to disappoint those who have followed the Star Wars saga since the beginning. Do we really want to be reminded how much we have aged, too?