Star Wars

I've been out of the theater for five hours now, which gives me a little time to digest Episode III, catch a catnap, and wait for the midnight showings to end on the West coast. Don't worry. I'm not going to blog anything that might ruin the surprises (and, in spite of knowing where everything must lead, there are a few surprises). Part of the reason we went to the 12:01 a.m. showing was to avoid dodging spoilers, so I won't put any out there myself. Mostly, though, we arranged to be at the midnight showing because it was the midnight showing.

What an experience! The crowd divided into three distinct groups:
1. The drunk college kids. They're the ones who like Yoda because he's so Zen and who bring the toy lightsabers so they could make penis jokes while waiting for the Coming Attractions. The largest contingent of these were, unfortunately, seated directly in front of me and on my right. These are the rowdy ones, and I think they would go to any movie with a midnight showing. These people can spot each other because they've previously bonded over mutual alcohol poisoning.
2. The fanboys and fangirls. They're the convention-goers, the ones who dressed for the occasion and brought the lightsabers to stage impromptu duels in the front rows waiting for the Coming Attractions. One was there dressed as the Death Star. Me, I wore my t-shirt from Episode I and the cinnamon bun hairdo (all my own hair). Elie proudly wore his t-shirt from last year's Star Wars Fan Breakfast. Fanboys and fangirls can spot each other at 50 yards, because whether it is Jedi robes, a Star Wars shirt, or a George Lucas costume, we all wear the uniform. I was mildly disappointed that there were no stormtroopers.
3. The people who saw Star Wars in the theater in 1977 and seriously want to see how the saga ends (middles?). These people deserved their own exclusive theater away from the rest of us. You could tell this group because they were, as a rule, at least 20 years older than the rest of us.

I won't say too much about the content of the movie to spare those who haven't seen it yet. It was exactly the movie I wanted to complete the saga. Everything fell into place while still leaving enough wiggle room for my imagination to go wild for the rest of my life. I got answers without definitive answers, and that is far more satisfying than it sounds.

Of course there were things to dislike, but they were the same things that there were to dislike about the other five movies. No one should be surprised at that. That is just part of the Star Wars experience.

When you do go see Episode III, you will do yourself a load of good if you leave the "Darth Vader (or Palpatine) is George W. Bush" at the concession stand. I'm not saying that line is complete malarky, but at least on the first viewing, just keep your mind on the here and now. Enjoy what is before you. The Star Wars films have always had more than a hint of topicality to them, and that is one of the hallmarks of great sci-fi, but more than that, they're wonderful movies that tell a story we've been replaying since the dawn of organized government. Watch them at least once just to appreciate the story they're telling. Later you can go back and try to figure out which political figure corresponds to Mace Windu.