Revenge Of the Fifth (Because May the Fourth Is Already Over)
One of the most influential films in mine and my middle brother’s childhood was Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. At the time, we weren’t thinking about how wooden and stilted the dialogue in the film actually was or how one-note some of the performances were. We loved Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul and podracing and lightsabers going vroom. Our dad eventually sat us through the original trilogy, but at the time, The Phantom Menace dominated the pop culture landscape and there was no escaping it. We had action figures, video games, toy lightsabers, everything to fill hours of our time immersed in that world. My dad had a VCD (that was a thing for a short while once upon a time) of the film that he used to keep me and my brother distracted so he can get work done at his office, and it didn’t matter how many times, we watched it, we could never get enough of it.
What Star Wars means to us changes as we grow, and our perception of the movies changes as well. Star Wars offers something different for everyone, and their passion for it has different definitions. As an adult nearing 29 years old, The Phantom Menace is actually one of my least favorite Star Wars films now, but it’s not without its merits and I still have no problem watching it whenever the opportunity comes up. I’ll happily watch any of the Star Wars movies any time I can (yes, even some of the dreadful Disney ones) because it’s a window into my childhood innocence. A time when I didn’t have to worry about full time work, maintaining a vehicle, and paying taxes on time. As a child, they’re fantasies you have permission to be immersed in almost any time. As an adult, we can look at Star Wars more critically, but still enjoy it for what it is and what it meant to us growing up. To peer into that childhood window is exactly what I intend to do with my brother tomorrow as I take him to the IMAX to see The Phantom Menace. I’ve seen the movie countless times, it’d be easy to watch it at home for free, but I’m excited to make watching the film a unique experience with the biggest screen and the best speakers we can get. We get to experience a piece of our childhood in a way we haven’t gotten to before, and, as a bonus, it’s another opportunity to stay connected to my brother.
Happy Belated MTFBWY!
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