Given my parents' reluctance to spend money on any toys or merchandising that was remotely faddish, and bearing in mind that I grew up in a pre-internet era, this means that I didn't have the luxury of owning the novelizations, spinoff novels, toys, technical manuals, script books or any number of other canonical or semi-canonical appurtenances of the saga. For that matter, I didn't own videotapes of the original Star Wars trilogy either. My copies were taped off the TV, rewound and watched countless times.
Later, my parents relented and gave me The Jedi Master's Quiz Book, which I read so many times that if I concentrate real hard now, I can still see the page layouts in my head. It was a big day for me when I finally saved up enough of my allowance to purchase, first, from the small Normanton Park bookstore where I'd paged through it a million times, the comic book version of Return of the Jedi --- and later, from the Times the Bookshop outlet at Centrepoint, the three movie novelizations.
Fast-forward ten years or so. By the time I got through university, I was an old hand at Star Wars trilogy marathons, could recite the movies backwards and forwards, plus narrate bloopers throughout. (I still can't help looking for Luke's little water tumbler switcheroo every time I watch A New Hope.) The year I graduated college coincided with the twentieth anniversary of A New Hope and Lucas's re-release of the Special Edition films; I found myself waiting in line on each film's re-opening night, chittering madly about how great this all was.
Those were the golden days, the days before Greedo shot first.
By the time the last movie of the hexilogy swung around this year, I was done. After I'd seen Attack of the Clones, I'd sworn I wouldn't let Lucas have another cent from me and I stuck by it. No Revenge of the Sith for me, despite concerned inquiries and expressions of disbelief from my friends. And judging by what Terz and those same friends said about the movie, I'm glad I saved myself the $10 and gave it a miss.
But I was even gladder yet when tonight, I discovered 91 Reasons to Hate Star Wars: Episode III (link via By The Way). Much, much better than watching Revenge of the Sith, it is. Now I feel like I've seen the movie anyway, without having to actually suffer the experience.
For the record, my favourite line is from #77:
Padme is in perfect health, yet they are losing her anyway. For good reason, this seems to confuse Bail and Obi-Wan, who are surprised that she's dying. "We can't explain it," the medical droid says. "She has lost the will to live." Ah, great. So the mother of Luke and Leia dies of a broken heart. She has lost the will to live and, by this point in the saga, I have lost the will to care.Amen, brother.
We may do a hexilogy marathon viewing yet, at the end of the year. This is contingent on us being able to view pre-Special Edition --- i.e. no Greedo shooting first, no Hayden Christensen superimposed over Sebastian Shaw, and certainly no stupid Dewbacks --- versions of the original trilogy, and on the release of the Episode III DVD in time before Xmas. Have no fear --- I will not be giving any money to Lucas. Friends who've already committed to collecting Episode I and II DVDs will complete the trilogy of evil. The only question that remains is, do we watch them in the order in which the story unfolded (i.e. I-II-III-IV-V-VI) or in the order in which they were made (IV-V-VI-I-II-III)?
I vote for the former. It will most closely parallel the doomed feeling of the star systems falling under the shadow of the Empire, yet we can hold out for the redemption offered in the next generation. Plus we can nap through Episode III and the first part of IV so that we're all charged up for V.
Who'd've ever thought there'd come a day when I said a film populated with Ewoks would be seen as the redemption of the saga?
Technorati Tags: Stars Wars, starwars, Revenge of the Sith
Labels: Pop culture
3 Comments:
Bah. I could use the same methodology on Episodes 4-6. It's nostalgia, I tell you.
Nostalgia has some part to play, I'll admit, but Episodes 4-6 were certainly not as full of themselves as 1-3 turned out to be.
Agree with you 100%. Have always loved the Empire Strikes Back over all the others, by far. Ewoks are horrible... and a harbinger of the lobotomized route Lucas was to follow.
Am never going to do a hexalogy. Rather listen to barflies talk about football than put myself through that torture.
(and yes, practised the same recording off TV rewatching as you... our parents were so wise in their stinginess)
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]