When \Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith"" arrives in theaters May 19, it will mark an ending and a beginning, both onscreen and off.
In terms of story, the sixth installment in the ""Star Wars"" franchise will provide the last glimpse of new material in George Lucas' space opera. At this point in time, most know how things will ultimately turn out-or they don't care. Yet for many, the final big screen outing of ""Star Wars"" is irrelevant in terms of whether it is good or bad, exciting or predictable. It is a closing chapter in their lives, whatever point that may be.
The original ""Star Wars"" Trilogy has hooked numerous generations by now-ranging from those who grew up seeing how it all began in theaters, to our generation's experience through home video, to the current generation who seeing the originals on DVD and then rushing to the multiplex to see the new prequels.
To be fair, the ""Star Wars"" prequels are not nearly as bad as most people make them out to be, though that does not excuse their flaws. In a sense, they were always destined to be lesser movies, with or without the mistakes George Lucas has made. For those who have grown up with ""Star Wars"" in theaters or on video, the movies are permanently imprinted into their brains. Many film buffs cannot remember a period in their lives in which they had not seen a ""Star Wars"" movie.
It is impossible for expectations to be met when someone spends his or her youth watching a movie again and again, be it ""Star Wars"" or any other beloved film. So when prequels to the most successful film series of all time arrive some 20 years later, there is really no chance they can be on the same level as the predecessors, with or without Jar-Jar Binks. Expectations run too high, and too much time goes by where people can attach themselves to the films. As time goes by, a popular film's status only becomes solidified in people's minds and culture.
Ultimately, ""Revenge of the Sith"" will come and go, though it will almost assuredly be one of the biggest box-office draws of this year. Whether it will be a quality film is another matter altogether, although I believe it will live up to expectations. Still, even if it does satisfy, the whole event will instill a sort of bizarre emptiness for many ""Star Wars"" fans. It isn't that the new prequels are incredibly beloved, though the true die hard fans in costume would disagree.
For many who grew up with ""Star Wars,"" this represents the real end of a phenomenon that inspired many people to love movies in the first place. In a bizarre way, it's the cinephile equivalent of watching a loved one die. For myself, it seems fitting that ""Episode III"" will open just as graduation occurs. It signals the end of a certain portion of youth, as if someone said, ""There are no more new 'Star Wars' films. You're now an adult. Find a job and stop making references to Wookies all the time.""
Though nostalgia for ""Star Wars"" doesn't run rampant through everyone, each individual has some film that touched them in the same way. Movies help define eras in our lives, the same way music or literature do. For many, ""Star Wars"" has a deep sea of memories associated with it.
For many movie fans, this May 19 will be symbolic more than anything else, even if ""Revenge of the Sith"" fails to live up to the almost unreal expectations many have.
Still, let's hope it does.
Look for Dan Marfield's summer movie preview this Thursday. He can be reached at ddmarfield@wisc.edu.
