At the age of six, I was a Star Wars kid.
During the dog days of my early youth, the epic story of Luke Skywalker’s quest to defeat the Empire captivated me more than any other silly children’s entertainment. I proudly owned the original films on VHS. I collected a large group of action figures from the Star Wars universe – even those random aliens that only appeared in a frame or two during the cantina scene of A New Hope. I even saw The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi during their theatrical re-releases.
So, obviously, May 19th, 1999 meant more to me than my birthday, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, or any other organized holiday that warrants a sort of reward or present.
On this fateful day, writer/director George Lucas unveiled the first new Star Wars film in sixteen years.
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace changed my six year old world like nothing ever had. The spectacle, the action, the peril – everything collided to create a gigantic supernova of wonder and amazement. All those years of persistent enjoyment had paid off immensely. A few years passed, two more prequels made their way to the screen, and I couldn’t have been happier.
Shift to this past week.
George Lucas announced his retirement from the big budget film industry on the heels of his newest production, Red Tails. Lucas says he wishes to switch his focus onto smaller, more personal projects.
“I’m moving away from the business, from the company, from all this kind of stuff.” Lucas said in the statement.
No one can argue that Lucas, 67, impacted the film industry in ways that many have not. The initial Star Wars films grossed a fortune and created a faithful fan base that withstood the test of time – and countless insults from numerous Trekkers.
For a while there, life was good for a Star Wars fan.
Then, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace came into play.
While the highly-anticipated prequel scored well at the box office and with faired decently with critics, most of the ever-so loyal fan base took the film as a literal slap in the face.
The other two installments did not help.
The childish gimmicks, the nails-on-a-chalkboard dialogue, the blatantly thematic acting, and the invention of a one Jar Jar Binks created a fierce hatred for many former devotees of the franchise.
To make matters worse, many fans were up in arms when Lucas made changes to the original films. Ever heard of the “Han shot first” movement?
To his former admirers, George Lucas quickly went from being one of the most respected men in the business to the rotten egg of the hour.
Lucas’ other brain child, the Indiana Jones series, received unanimous praise until 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Chrystal Skull continued to disgust long-time fans of Lucas’ works.
The announcement of Lucas’ semi-retirement will likely serve as a sigh of relief for many fanboys and fangirls hoping for closure with the franchises they once adored.
While a fifth Indiana Jones might be waiting in the wings, consider this announcement an end for a cinematic giant.
In an interview with The New York Times, Lucas expressed his frustration with the recent reception of the series.
“Why would I make any more,” Lucas says of the “Star Wars” movies, “when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?”
He’s got a point.
Today, I can see some of the frustration with the prequels. Admittedly, they’re nowhere near the quality of the original trilogy, but I just cannot shake off the notion of what the films meant to me as a kid.
The prequels are wonders of my past. While I can now point out flaws and give a fair critical analysis, I was too lost in the spectacle at the time to care.
In my humble opinion, George Lucas gave the children of the late nineties/early thousands the same eye-opening awe that those in the seventies and eighties experienced with the original trilogy.
I can’t remember a single one of my friends trashing the intricacies of the plot on the playground or in the gym. We were too busy pretending to inhabit the roles of those we saw on screen – fake lightsaber battles and all.
Most of the things I loved as a kid would be consider garbage now, but does that mean I throw away the sentimentality?
Of course not.
I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but I still consider George Lucas one of the great film makers of our time.
If anything, Toy Story 3 taught us to respect the past for what it meant to us at the time.
I don’t watch Star Wars films like I used to. I don’t rush out to the store to buy the newest action figure. I don’t dress up as Anakin Skywalker in his pod-racing outfit for Halloween. I have simply grown up in this area of life.
But I absolutely refuse to look back on these films with anything but firm admiration for what they meant to me as a kid.
Let us not criticize Lucas more than he deserves. While he might have disappointed serious fans with his recent efforts, the director still gave millions of us at least a few films that hold a special place in many hearts.
George Lucas, love him or hate him, impacted the lives of many with his work, including yours truly.
I wish him the best in his future endeavors, and to be fair, I’ll happily admit I kind of enjoyed the fourth Indiana Jones, nuked fridge and all.