I Have a Bad Feeling About This, by Daniel Bergamini

Since elementary school I have been obsessed with film, but there has always been one film series that brought my bona fides as a film fan into some question: Star Wars. It is not that I disliked the films but rather for some unknown reason I never saw them.

It is fair to say that most kids would have seen the films from their parents showing them, however mine never did. They opted for the Indiana Jones trilogy. I’m not sure what it says about my parents, but, for me, it was the Jones films that captured my imagination while Star Wars remained a series of films I knew only due to the prequels.

As I got older and began to realize Star Wars‘ importance in pop culture, I decided I wanted to experience the films correctly. But years passed and no screenings ever took place in my local cinemas, so I finally gave in and watched A New Hope for the first time. After watching this film, knowing that it is one of the most beloved films of all time, I almost felt guilty for not liking it. While I certainly did not hate it by any stretch, I simply did not feel the magic that millions of others have and still do feel for it.

Immediately after the credits began to roll the fact that I did not connect with the film started to bother me. What was a mediocre film to me was a revolutionary film experience for others, and I wish I could have shared this feeling. What kept me from enjoying the same passion that so many others felt for the film? Has it aged too fast; or was it hyped into oblivion? I do not think that either of those are the case, but rather maybe because I lost my chance to fall in love with this universe.

As a kid seeing this film would have been both breathtaking and revolutionary, but as an young adult it came off as mediocre and stale. It wasn’t the visuals, which even today still look great. In fact, they have aged considerably less than the prequels. The hype did not affect my experience either, as I have sat through both Citizen Kane and Lawrence of Arabia recently and neither of those were effected by the hype. Rather, the problem appears to have been that, by this time, through secondary sources, I have seen all these scenes before; heard all these references again and again, without truly understanding them.
As much as I wanted to enjoy this film and be taken into the world it created, I just couldn’t. Certain aspects of the film I loved, such as the Han Solo and Chewbacca characters, but overall it just did not click for me. I found myself more interested in the influences that Lucas had when making A New Hope. From Akira Kurosawa to westerns to Lawrence of Arabia and 50s war films, all of these are obviously huge influences on Lucas and, as a film fan, it is fun to spot them, however that did not equal to a enjoyable experience.

George Lucas’ Star Wars is the first film I reviewed where I consciously took into account not offending the fans. I did this not from fear of backlash but rather from understanding the affection that people have for this film. I cannot say how I feel about the trilogy as a whole, as I have yet to view the two others, but I wanted to give my impressions of A New Hope without being tainted by the other two films.

I certainly wish I could have fallen for Star Wars, but I would have needed a child’s eyes. Watching it as a young adult, 30 years after the fact, the magic was gone.

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7 Responses

  1. Battleship Pretension says:

    It's kind of a cliche to say that "Empire Strikes Back" is a better film, but it is. I'd be interested to see what you think about that one.

  2. joshfadem says:

    It is important to me that I know whether you found a copy of the 1977 "Star Wars" or the 1997 "Star Wars – Episode 4: A New Hope".

    -Josh Fadem

  3. thedeletedscene says:

    I watched the original 1977 version. I should have mentioned that, I had the opportunity to watch the film many times but always in the new edition with the added CGI. The DVD set I have has all the original versions on the 2nd disks.

    I find it very annoying that the original version would be left on the 2nd disk.

  4. Purge+audit says:

    I know how you feel. There are films which others my age have a deep affection for, such as the Goonies, the Labyrinth or ET, but which i never saw as a child and now just can't enjoy.

    I grew up watching my well-worn vhs tapes (recorded off the television). Now when I watch my dvd copy its jarring to me to not have the film interrupted by 1988 australian tv commercials. Those movies were a regular bonding experience for me and my father, and I know that I'm not alone in knowing that so much of my love of these movies is tied with my love for my dad. All the better since fatherhood is a theme directly explored in the original Star Wars trilogy.

    So to Daniel (and as an open question), I'm curious what film/s of your generation will be the bonding movie you share with your kids? What movie will you want to rewatch with them over and over?

  5. Dugan says:

    The film had pacing issues even when it came out in 1977 (I know I was one of the first in line to see it,) quoting from Triumph of the Will probably wasn't such a hot idea either. Still I saw it 6 times that summer.

  6. anothercritic says:

    Well, it was a children’s movie that adults could also enjoy.

  1. February 24, 2011

    […] months ago, I decided to finally dive in and watch Star Wars: A New Hope for the first time. While discussing my first viewing, the main reaction I received from people was disbelief that I had never seen the films, let alone […]

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