Friday, May 29, 2009

10 years of The Phantom Menace



Ten years ago last week, Star Wars appeared on the big screen after an absence of 16 years. The anticipation for the movie was unprecedented in the history of film. Fans of the original movies in the theaters awaited the movie as eagerly as their children who had grown up watching the movies on VHS. And the movie wasn't anticipated just in America. Fans all over the world eagerly awaited the movie event of the century. It was truly a cross-generation, cross-culture experience.

The anticipation and excitement for the film can't be denied, but the ultimate reaction after the film was less enthusiastic. Regardless of opinions about the quality of the movie, I would like to take this opportunity to wax nostalgic about where I was when the Phantom Menace first hit theaters. At the time, I had a friend from church who worked at a local movie theater, and he had the opportunity to go to an early employee screening. Technically, he was only allowed to take one family member with him, so I went as his brother ("in Christ"). The showing was at about 7 PM on the Tuesday night before release day on Wednesday, so the best part was leaving the theater at 9:30 with everyone lined up in costumes waiting for the midnight show. I personally enjoyed the movie despite some of its weaknesses, and I think I enjoy it even more now, if for no other reason than nostalgia.

Does anyone else have any good stories about where they were in 1999 when the Phantom Menace hit theaters?

1 comment:

Mikey said...

well i'm not proud of this, but...i remember making out in the back of the theater during this movie. the only time that ever happened