Star Wars: Star Wars second thoughts

Reading over my first impressions, it all comes right back to me. Folks, I didn't sleep much last night, and while a lot of that was definitely the pizza having its filthy way with me, I'm not gonna lie.

I'm hooked.


I am astounded by how much movie is there; I forgot about the Jawas (thanks Rachel Ghoul) and space orcs, about Uncle Owen and Aunt Something, the garbage can robot, all of that stuff from the first part of the film was just like nothing to me by the end. I can sort of see how the beginning is slower than what follows, but hot damn what a thing to experience. I was cracking wise a lot more during the slow setup, but there was definitely a big payoff.

I can see the storytelling pattern in this film. It's got a lot of Hero's Journey elements to it. There's a wise mentor who represents faith and destiny, and a cynical one who represents risk, luck and hard realities. The droids are the funny sidekicks, Vader is unambiguously evil, the secret plans are the letters of transit. It's broad, basic storytelling done through this fantastical lens of pure imagination, all of the depth and nuance that might be written in traded out for just more to see, more to imagine, more to experience. I can remember several parts in the film where they just take a minute or two to show random things that don't have a connection to the plot at all, like the assortment of robots in the Jawa tank thing, the bar scene, the part where Vader uses magic on that guy, the big shots of the rebel hangar, etc. There's no subplot. Even Two Girls and a Sailor had a subplot about Jimmy Durante reuniting with his son, Also Jimmy Durante. Star Wars is having none of it. There might have been one about Han and the guy who's after him, but nope. We don't care. It could have been a more complex movie.

That's the thing, I think - it could have been an overly complex movie. Looking back on it, I'm surprised at how dizzying it wasn't - I was there and in the zone for the whole thing. I mean, I obviously missed on the names (a lot, again thanks Rachel for setting me straight) but if you asked me now to tell you the plot of Star Wars, I'm pretty sure I could do a decent job.

There's so much to like in what this film is. The creature and ship designs are fantastical in the best of ways. The DEATH STAR is exactly what you need it to be, and makes for an awesome dungeon adventure. There's some kind of notion at play that Star Wars's science fiction universe doesn't need to be glossy, and at an age where most of my peers are clamoring for the latest fragile white piece of shit from Apple it's nice to just see this refresher that technology's a grimy business and human society not far behind. I want a Millennium Falcon. I would live in it and that would be all. Seriously you could not make me leave that thing. Also, the entire score is just marvelously bombastic. And I need more space jazz.

From this perspective, I can't believe I didn't get to see this at an earlier age. There's clearly a lot of setting up for the Empire to Strike Back - so many unanswered questions, so many plot hooks left by the wayside. All I can say is that I'm eager and ready.

I have no context to give a serious rating to things yet, so instead I'm just going to say: definitely a pizza movie. Thank you all for telling me to watch this. :D