DylanLeePeters.com
  • Home
  • Mystic Wild
  • Back Catalogue
    • The Hands of Ruin
    • The Dean Machine >
      • The Dean Machine Book Blurb
      • Preface: The True Story behind The Dean Machine
      • Chapter 1 of The Dean Machine
      • Images of the real Dean
      • Buy The Dean Machine
    • The Everflame Series >
      • The Everflame Series
      • Free Ebook Everflame
      • What is Everflame?
      • Reviewers' Reasons to Read Everflame
      • Sample Chapters >
        • Book One
        • Book Two
        • Book Three
        • Book Four
      • Map of Ephanlarea
      • Themes of the Everflame Series
      • Images
      • Timeline
      • Everflame YouTube Chapters
      • Everflame Audio Downloads
  • Author Bio
  • Contact
  • Author Blog

​The Force Awakens My Soul

12/28/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
You can put me firmly in the group of people who once called themselves Star Wars fans. (You noticed the qualifier in that sentence, right? Once.) Like so many, my childhood was filled with lightsaber battles, and imaginary playtime with Wookies and Ewoks. Even into my teens I watched the films with a warm, everything-is-right-in-the-world feeling. My friends and I quoted Yoda. We were damn proud Star Wars nerds.
 
When George Lucas decided to release a new trilogy, Episode I through III, we counted down the days, and consumed any news and merchandise we could. There was a fever pitch with all Star Wars fans at that time. You had to be excited. It was like someone had shown up with a time machine and told you they were about to take you back to one of the happiest, most carefree, and innocent times of your life. All you had to do was stand in line at the movie theatre and let it all happen. So we did. We metaphorically gave Mr. Lucas our hands, and let him lead us to the Promised Land. But then he did the worst thing he could have. He turned a wonderful part of our childhood into a mockery.
 
I don’t have to rehash the epic disappointment of Episode I through III. The three movies remain unwatchable for an array of reasons. I’ll just say, on a personal level, George Lucas killed meesa soul. Like a Jedi being hunted by the Empire, I had to leave the Star Wars universe. They had taken an important part of my childhood, and completely bastardized it to make more money.
 
It made it even more tragic to me that it worked. The Star Wars franchise blew up. Over the years that followed Episode I through III you couldn’t escape the Star Wars marketing machine. A new generation of kids had been seduced with lightsabers, and pod races. Anakin Skywalker was a household name, R2-D2 became the cutest little robot in the club, and Yoda replaced Bob Marley for the next generation of stoners searching for meaning amid a clouded high. Even Boba Fett somehow managed to eke out his own little piece of land on planet I’m-Such-A-Rebel.
 
I was the old codger complaining that back in my day you had to be a real fan to even know who Boba Fett was. Oh God… I had become one of those sad people complaining that their favorite band had gone mainstream. It was time for me to leave the party.
 
So, when Disney bought the franchise and announced the coming of Episode VII… I sadly didn’t give a crap. My little Star Wars soul was dead. Yet, in the coming months, things began to change. It was a slow change, met with resistance, but it was a change.
 
I heard they were bringing back the old characters for the new movie. (Hmm, that’s somewhat interesting). There seems to be a rumble that the producers understand what was so wrong about Episode I through III, and promise not to repeat past mistakes. (Okay, admitting you have a problem is the first step). They are promising less goofy CGI characters, a much better cast with fewer established stars, and a promise to stay true to the original movies. (Well, I’ll see what the reviews say). The reviews are… good. (Maybe I’ll check it out when it comes to Netflix).
 
Then a good friend of mine, someone whose opinion matters greatly to me in this particular matter, posted on facebook that the movie redeems the failure of Episode I through III. (No… Is it possible? I suppose… I’ll have to go see it).
 
And then… The movie exceeded any expectation I had for it. It was amazing.
 
No more horrible actors, the new cast was quality, and had chemistry.
No terrible CGI goofiness, the effects were apt and not overdone.
The comedy was subtle and actually funny, not the corny and forced slapstick of the “Jar Jar” disaster.
And then, the thing I just never would have expected. The story was absolutely great. It was heartfelt and deep. The action was suspenseful, and riveting. I found myself caring for the characters, new and old. There was mystery that kept you intrigued. There were moments that brought actual sadness. This movie had me; it awakened something in me.
 
And before I knew what had happened. I was back. Like Han Solo returning in A New Hope to help Luke defeat the Death Star, I was back. I walked out of the theatre, and for the first time in fifteen years, the force was with me. If Episode VIII had been in the theatre next door, I would have immediately walked in to watch it. Knowing I have to wait over a year for it is killing me, and that’s probably the best review I can give.
 
Without giving anything away, the final scene of the movie is the most perfect metaphor for the “old guard” of Star Wars fans there could possibly be. If you never thought you could return, you were wrong, the force is strong with you, and it is there waiting for your return. All you have to do is reach out and grab it.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2023
    May 2023
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    April 2017
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014

    Categories

    All
    1980s
    Aladdin
    Albert Camus
    Amazon
    Area X
    Arya Stark
    Avatar: Flight Of Passage
    Ayn Rand
    BB-8
    Beetlejuice
    Ben Affleck
    Book Review
    Bran Stark
    Buzz
    Casting
    Cersei Lannister
    Chapter
    Character Introduction
    Chewbacca
    Clive Barker
    Clowns
    Concept Art
    Continuum
    Coronado Springs
    Daenerys Targaryen
    Darth Vader
    Disney
    Disney Resorts
    Disney's Aladdin
    Disney’s Hollywood Studios
    Donald Trump
    Dragons
    Dreaming
    Droid
    Droid Depot
    Dylan Lee Peters
    Episode Two
    Everflame
    Excerpt
    Facebook
    Fantasy Adventure
    Fan Theory
    Fear
    Festival
    Fight Club
    First Order
    Free Book
    Galaxy’s Edge
    Game Of Thrones
    George Orwell
    Gone Girl
    Greyjoy
    Guacamole
    Guardians Of The Galaxy
    Halloween
    Harry Potter
    Hollywood Studios
    Horror
    Humor
    Imagination
    It
    Jafar
    Jawhar
    Jedi
    Jeff VanderMeer
    Jim Henson
    Jon Snow
    J.R.R. Tolkien
    Kindle
    Kindle Countdown Deal
    Kindle Unlimited
    Kyber Crystals
    Kylo Ren
    Labyrinth
    Live Action
    Margaret Weis
    Millennium Falcon
    Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
    Movie Review
    Movies
    Music
    My Everflame
    Mystic Wild
    Oga’s Cantina
    Poe Dameron
    Pokemon
    Predictions
    R2-D2
    Ragnarok
    Rainart Eil Dragaredd
    Rant
    Ray Bradbury
    Ready Player One
    Reego
    Renaissance Fair
    Resistance
    Rey
    Richard Bach
    Running
    Russian
    Saturday Night Live
    Savi’s Workshop
    Season 8
    Secrets
    Self Publishing
    Self-publishing
    Sith
    Skywalker
    Spitballing
    Star Wars
    Star Wars Fan Theory
    Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
    Stephen King
    Stormtroopers
    Television
    The Dark Crystal
    The Dean Machine
    The Force Awakens
    The Hands Of Ruin
    The Hunger Games
    The Neverending Story
    The Secret Of NIMH
    The Southern Reach Trilogy
    The Walking Dead
    Thor
    Tracy Hickman
    Transformers
    Tyrion Lannister
    Who Will Die
    Willow
    Will Smith
    Writing
    YA
    Yoda

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Mystic Wild
  • Back Catalogue
    • The Hands of Ruin
    • The Dean Machine >
      • The Dean Machine Book Blurb
      • Preface: The True Story behind The Dean Machine
      • Chapter 1 of The Dean Machine
      • Images of the real Dean
      • Buy The Dean Machine
    • The Everflame Series >
      • The Everflame Series
      • Free Ebook Everflame
      • What is Everflame?
      • Reviewers' Reasons to Read Everflame
      • Sample Chapters >
        • Book One
        • Book Two
        • Book Three
        • Book Four
      • Map of Ephanlarea
      • Themes of the Everflame Series
      • Images
      • Timeline
      • Everflame YouTube Chapters
      • Everflame Audio Downloads
  • Author Bio
  • Contact
  • Author Blog