An amazing gift my sister-in-law Hannah gave to me.
For some, it’s the Star Wars Day. For me, my showing technically comes tomorrow, midnight actually. I am excited more than I can really describe. In 1999 I went and saw The Matrix, with some friends after school. I knew virtually nothing about it. With how much I love Star Wars, I’m trying to accomplish the same thing today: Going in as blind as I can. Because no-where else seems safe, I’m writing a blog post.
Yesterday I encountered a tweet about something that happens in The Force Awakens. It was probably not true, but it occurred to me that unlike previous days and weeks, this tweet happened after a large number of people have seen the film. It could be real. So, like many friends I’ve dropped off of Facebook and Twitter for the remainder of the day. It’s hard.
In Captain America: The Winter Soldier Cap and Black Widow drive to New Jersey and find a secret Hydra lair. During this scene, you learn that Hydra was responsible for the death of Tony Stark’s parents. In the theater, I let out an audible gasp. Hykel laughed at my reaction and I chuckled at myself. It was a very small thing, but added to the complexity and universe that I’d invested myself into.
Will knowing something about The Force Awakens ruin my ability to enjoy the movie? Probably not. But being able to enjoy those moments genuinely and earnestly is very often a gift – one that you only get once. When it comes to something like Star Wars (or other franchises that hold a special place in my heart) I want to enjoy as much of that as I can. Getting spoiled affects your enjoyment of the rest of the film too: If you know something is coming, you watch for it, you interpret actions leading up to it. This is the case even for a spoiler that’s not true – if it has some efficacy to it. I don’t even want to read reviews. Or even headlines for the reviews.
I’m excited
In less than 12 hours I’m going to be sitting in a theater (reserved seats) with Hykel, getting to experience new Star Wars. I never thought I’d get another opportunity like this in my life. I’m trying to dial down my excitement to “I think this will be an enjoyable film in a universe I like”. We all know how it worked out the last time this happened. I’m trusting the filmmakers here though. I’ve heard a few good things, and I’m crossing my fingers.
