For the Love of Lucas
I’ve been delaying the inevitable for the past few weeks, really. I felt so reluctant to see it on the very day it came out. It’s as if there was some sort of dreadful melancholy ready to sweep over me once I watch it. But like I said it was inevitable and I’m helpless to stop it.
I’m sure you know what I’m talking about here. I don’t need to mention it by name; it’s been out there for quite some time now. And I think we’re among the last ones to reach the sublime acceptance – that it’s over.
I can’t say I’m a die-hard fan. If I were, I would’ve joined the ranks of thousands, who waited in line for hours and even days, for a chance to watch the ending. Or paid incredulous prices to watch an exclusive preview. I didn’t do any of these things.
But I guess I’m a fan. I know the mythology behind it. I’ve seen the earlier ones when I was a kid. I played with the toys then, but now I collect them. At least, the interesting ones. I’ve seen a couple of makings on television back when there was no Internet. Back when you had to write down the times and channels where they were gonna air them.
I consider myself lucky to be able to watch the earlier ones when I was a kid. A friend back in the homeland, who is a few years older than I am, was so clueless about it. It was like she never existed during those years. I mean, how could she miss it?
My older sister and her husband, who are not really science fiction fans but loved going to movies, took me along with them to watch it. The ticket person refused to let me go in. She said I was too young for the film. At that time, my sister and brother-in-law were really oblivious to film ratings. They didn’t think it mattered since there were times they saw teen-agers able to watch sex films in theaters back then.
They argued with the ticket person, saying they didn’t want to leave me alone in the theater lobby and wait for them. Geesh, I was just a kid and the movie was like three-hours long. Then, they changed tactic and pleaded with the ticket person.
Hmmm…I couldn’t remember clearly, but I think they bribed her with a Jollibee hamburger or something. As far as I can recall, we were running inside the theater and I didn’t know why. It was either my sister and brother-in-law were afraid to miss the beginning of the movie or we were running so the theater authorities won’t see them sneaking a kid in.
Anyway, that movie experience was a blast. I’ve never seen special effects that close and larger-than-life. I did have a hard time understanding what was going on, but man, I just came there for the visuals. Haha. In my young mind, I truly believe that such a world really existed. Maybe that was why the ticket person didn’t want me to see it, the movie messes with a kid’s mind.
It took my sister and brother-in-law a week to convince me it wasn’t real. They had me watch the “making†of it on television, complete with their side comments on each special effects used. They pointed out the director, who would later come out with one of my all-time favorite heroes, Indiana Jones. Dang, that movie made me want to be an archeologist when I grow up, but I digress.
Perhaps, feeling guilty of “messing†with an innocent’s mind, my brother-in-law brought home a slew of toys and action figures for me. In effect, he introduced me to the world of movie merchandise. And I got a lot in those days – t-shirts, ray guns (I don’t think there were light saber toys then), bags, helmets, mugs, plates, spoons, forks, lunch boxes, etc.
I lost them, as toys are wont to do. Hmmm…let me clarify that. Unlike here where parents painstakingly keep a child’s every toy in a literal shoebox of memory, we, or at least in my family, don’t do that sort of thing. It’s not like we don’t have respect or don’t value our childhood stuffs. But we were taught at an early age to let go of material possessions and value their memory instead. This way, we are able to share and give freely to others.
Of course, nowadays it’s different. Had I known some of my toys would fetch a couple of hundred bucks on Ebay, heck I would have kept the darn things unopened in their boxes. Hahahaha. Who knew? I didn’t. But now I know better. Hehe.
Anyway, we’ve finally watched the ending of a saga today. There was a hint of melancholy in the whole experience, but at the same time, there was also closure. Though, it would have been a different experience (maybe a nicer one, I don’t know) if the director created the prequels immediately after the three first movies were shown. Back when I was still a kid. Back when I still believe that such a world really existed.
Because these days, I’ve become too jaded with the franchise.