Star Wars Review

Star Wars is definitely one of my biggest obsessions ever. I've obsessed over it since I was eight, and I'm still obsessing over it now. Since I love Star Wars so much, I decided to explain why I love it.

Unfortunately, I never grew up with the movies. In a way I suppose I did, given that I watched them at a young age, but by the time I was born the only films shown in theaters were the Prequels. But I was well aware of the films. It was, and still is, a cultural phenomenon. I knew who Darth Vader was, who Princess Leia was, what lightsabers were, what the Force was...yet I had never seen the films.

And then, one faithful year (I believe it was in 2005), my Dad went out and bought all six Star Wars films. Yep, all six of them. They were really popular back when my Mom was born (which was around the same time the Original Trilogy came out). But anyway...Dad got the DVDs because I guess he thought the films were good (based on its mass popularity), and wanted to watch it. By that time, of course, "Revenge of The Sith" was already out--we had to decide on which film trilogy to watch first; the Prequels, in chronological order, or the Originals, in actual order.

In the end, we chose the Prequels.

I remember how fascinated I became during the films. They were so GOOD! I was only eight back then, but I knew its genius. It is very original, engaging, thought-provoking...it was the ultimate film. I was throughly entertained throughout all the films, I believe.

And that's when my fandom was born.

I can't remember exactly when I realized that I was obsessed; unfortunately, I think it was only a few years ago! But I was obsessed, trust me. I spent hours upon hours on Wookiepedia, the unofficial Star Wars wikia; I pretended to be the characters with my siblings; I reenacted the Battle of Genosis from "Attack Of The Clones"; I made fanfictions before I even knew what they were; I connected EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING, to the films.

Yeah, I had a problem. And I still do, because I can't look at a Star Wars related item without fangirling.

But anyway, that's just about my fandom's birth. Let's get to why I am obsessed with this wonderful film.

Simply put it, Star Wars is the ultimate film for me. It's filled with action, adventure, romance, drama, thought-provoking themes, cool battle sequences, a fantastical universe...it's amazing. I literally can be taken to another world with this series. Just like our own world, too, it can't be classified in one sort of genre; indeed, Star Wars becomes its own.

I really love how original Star Wars is, too. I have NEVER seen a film series like it--sure, it has parallels, but is there any one film that it's inspired by? No. Star Wars is inspired by many, many different things. I think that's what makes it so great. Its inspirations make it relatable, yet it also manages to make itself original in its own way.

The best thing about Star Wars, I believe, is how thought-provoking it is. Yes, you've got your Jedi and Sith, your atypical "good" and "bad" guys, but guess what--no one is purely evil or good. Looking at all the films, especially "Revenge of The Sith" and "Return of The Jedi", and you'll see that there are many, many shades of grey. Heroes struggle to do the right thing; villains (or in this case, just Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader) realize that their evilness is not the right path to go. It shows you that we're all just human, and that things like fear can lead us to dark paths. Remember what Yoda said: Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering, and suffering ultimately leads to the dark side.

I also love how deep the characters are. Everyone's got layers, especially Anakin. I mean, is he good or evil? I suppose you could say he was "good" for most of the Prequels and "bad" for most of the Originals, but is that really true? And all the other characters have their own internal issues and inner demons to face. They just feel so real, and I love it when a fictional character comes to life.

And the universe in Star Wars--oh my gosh! It feels. So. Real. Like I could actually be transported to this galaxy far, far away. It actually exists in that wishful thinking part of my brain. I can imagine, if I let my imagination stretch that far, the universe actually existing. The characters are realistic, their problems are realistic, the wars are realistic...it's all REAL. And that's what makes a great universe.

Of course, in spite of my praise, I must admit, sadly, that the films aren't perfect. I know a lot of people have said this, but the Originals were better than the Prequels! Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the Prequels--in fact, I obsess over them more than the Originals--but it wasn't as entertaining as a film series. I think there was too much going on in the Prequels, so they didn't feel as interesting (except ROTS, of course :D). The Originals were simpler, and to a point I don't like that as much, but they were easier to follow. I literally had NO idea what was going on in "The Phantom Menace"when I was kid, except that the "evil" people were trying to kill the Jedi. And then there was the Jar Jar Binks character--need I say more? :P

Nevertheless, the Star Wars saga is fantastic. The whole storyline of the entire series is wonderful. It stays in my brain forever; I constantly make references to it; I quote from it; I even use it as metaphors sometimes! (I told you the films were deep!) I think that Star Wars is such a great series that it will forever remain a place in my heart--and at the current moment, it is my biggest obsession.