A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
Actually, it was 30 years ago (long enough!) that a young boy sat in a movie theatre with his older brother and watched a whole new world unfold before him with unprecedented spectacle. That boy was, of course, me. And the movie was Star Wars.
From the opening scroll to the exhilarating climactic battle, dazzling sights and sounds thrilled and inspired me to become the sci-fi geek I am today (not that there is much science in George Lucas’ universe, but who cares).
Actually, it was 30 years ago (long enough!) that a young boy sat in a movie theatre with his older brother and watched a whole new world unfold before him with unprecedented spectacle. That boy was, of course, me. And the movie was Star Wars.
From the opening scroll to the exhilarating climactic battle, dazzling sights and sounds thrilled and inspired me to become the sci-fi geek I am today (not that there is much science in George Lucas’ universe, but who cares).
I can still remember coming out of the Manulife Centre (we saw it at The Varsity Theatre) dodging imaginary laser blasts and dispatching several “stormtroopers” with a few of my own. (Stormtroopers are notoriously bad shots.)
There have been many pretenders to the throne since Star Wars debuted and though the groundbreaking effects may be deemed obsolete by today’s CGI standards, I don’t think a movie has captured the collective imagination of a generation the way that movie did. In a way, I feel sorry for kids who weren’t around to enjoy the original Star Wars mania and have to be content with Lucas’ subsequent prequels which, though visually impressive, remain an exercise in sensory overload and sterile storytelling.
But I’ll always be grateful that I happened to be at the right place at the right time in history: the time a young boy was rocketed toward a destiny he never dreamed possible – both on and off the screen.
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