I know just about everybody is sick of me blogging on and on and on about it, but the end is in sight!
As a general rule, I don't say, "I'm too old for..." -- fill in the blank. I don't because I honestly believe that nobody is too old to do almost anything. I have been on bike trips before where there were people in there 70s riding faster and farther then me, so... I don't think I am too old to do many things. That being said, I may be too old to stay up until 4:14a only to have to get up and work in just a few hours. That is, until this kind of thing comes along again.
My own evolution came full circle last night. I went from a person who intensely disliked the fourth/first and fifth/second movies and I had even said I was not going to see the sixth/third movie at all. (That was a rule I successfully implemented with the Matrix movies -- the first one, good, but the second one convinced me that I must miss the third one... and that was a wise move.) But I got sucked in! After all, I remember seeing the first/fourth movie back in 1977 at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. My father told me it was like a Western in outer space. Even at 11, I was sceptically. But I was enthralled at that first scene where the Imperial cruiser flies over head.
And so I was there last night at 10:45p waiting in a line in Georgetown's movie megaplex waiting for a 12:15a movie. I'm often leery about midnight showings because the folks tend to be a tad bit impassioned. When I Star Wars two/five, the goofballs would applaud at every time Yoda comes on the screen. Give me a break! I'm there to watch the movie! The crowd last night, however, was generally cool -- they were clearly freaks and, of course, predominantly men -- after all, they are going to be up until 3a seeing a movie! -- but they were fun and they really wanted to see the movie. There was an added anticipation because of the generally favorable reviews. And it was a good group -- my "father-in-law," DMV's soon-to-be brother-in-law, my favorite uncle out from San Diego, and one of our dear friends.
The money moment, however, was Batman and Spider Man in a Jedi light-saber fight. Ahh! And don't forget the grown men dressed up like Darth Vader!
And the movie -- the movie really is quite good. This is not the last two movies. It is dark, but you leave with such a sense of satisfaction because it wraps up the series in a bow. I wanted to run home and watch the fourth/first one again!
This is by no means a perfect movie. My one realization -- George Lucas is much more comfortable with technology then he is with people. The movie really looks great... and it has a great overarching story. Lucas is great at the macro-writing, but when it comes to micro-writing. Some of the dialog can be tedious. You just hear some of this stuff and think, "Doesn't anybody edit this?" (The answer is probably no.)
This is not a really a spoiler, but if you don't want to know anything about the movie, skip the rest of this graph... Near the end of the movie, now Darth Vader and the Emperor are on an Imperial cruiser watching the building of the first Death Star. And they have an actor who looks similar to Peter Cushing, who played Grand Moff Tarkin, an Imperial governor who ran the Death Star in the first movie. Cushing, however, died in August 1994 and Wayne Pygram plays him in this movie.
A bonus: Hans Christian Anderson -- OK, Hayden Christensen -- is really hot and there is a bonus shirt-off scene.
And I'm not going to give anything away for those who have not seen it yet -- why weren't you out last night? -- but don't be discouraged by the last two. If you liked the first three movies, go -- I think you will enjoy it. And if you're not a Star Wars fan, Slate.com has pulled together a primer on the movies so you can get caught up.
So my grade... B... a thumb up... seven out of 10...
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