Another Voice: “*** Spoiler Free Star Wars Post ***”

Introduction:

My dear Facebook friend, Cameron Laurent Smith, wrote this lovely Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Review. Now I grew-up on Star Wars. I was 13, 16, and 19 when the movies came out in 1977, 1980, and 1983. Me and my friends LOVED this series. We sat in line for hours for tickets. We bought all of the books. We discussed it like crazy. It will always live in a large part of my fandom heart.

The below review is, for me, just perfect. I will add I like the greater diverse cast of these new films!! Huzzah to Cameron!

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* Spoiler Free Star Wars Post *

First, I am a die hard SW Fan. I am firmly a millennial. Star Wars is every bit a part and parcel of my childhood, young adult, and adult life as Star Trek, Babylon 5, D&D*, and every other nerd staple out there. As I kid, I inhaled expanded universe novels and comics. As a young adult, I watched the prequels and everything else I could get my hands on. As an adult, I spent hundreds if not thousands of hours playing every Star Wars game that came out and running West End Games D6, WoTC D20**, and even Saga edition tabletop Star Wars RPG as both a player and a DM***.

With all of that said, I feel like I *MAY* just have some insight into what makes Star Wars so special. It’s a magical combination of George Lucas’ five core influences while writing it:

1.) Kurosawa/Samurai Films
2.) World War 2 Films
3.) Spaghetti Westerns
4.) Hot Rod Racing / Dogfights
5.) Epic Good vs Evil Space Opera of the 50-70s

If you really like Star Wars, on a fundamental level, you either consciously or unconsciously like those things in some combination. Maybe all of them, maybe only some of them, but some combination speaks to you in Star Wars.

This film has multiple somethings from each piece of that formula. There’s something in it for the Star Wars fan in everyone. It’s not weird or bad to like something but not all of a thing.

If you find yourselves hanging off the side of a burning, out of control speeder, firing a blaster at the Storm Troopers who are chasing you, then you’re Star Wars-ing correctly. If you are locked into an epic duel for the fate of the universe with a Space Wizard-Monk wielding a lazer sword and using barely understood Space Magic, you are Star Wars-ing correctly. If you are part of a rag-tag group of combatants fighting desperately against a much larger and more powerful enemy hell bent on crushing freedom from the galaxy, you’re Star Wars-ing correctly.

This movie at multiple points Star Wars-es very, very, very well. It’s a fantastic film and people are not terrible for enjoying it.

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LINKS:

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | #1 Movie in the World!****