May the Force be with you, as it is with me

Everyone who knows me knows of my love for Star Wars; my giddy fascination with the movies; my wont to utter stuff like “May the Force be with you!”; the way I stare at Star Wars toys in shop windows. But nobody quite understands what I find so fascinating about those moves. Some dismiss them as “kid’s movies”, or tell me I need to grow up. Some say they’re all about the effects. Some say we’ve seen better movies, better effects, so what’s the hype? Well, Episode III, the last Star Wars movie ever, comes out on 19th May. And in all the buzz and the hype these days, with the overflow of M&M’s and toys and Darth Vader peering at me from windows and posters and buses and subway televisions, I attempt to put my feelings down on paper. (Forgive me, I'm going to ramble on a bit).
My love for Star Wars started very late: only two years ago. I borrowed the vcd’s from a friend, and casually began watching them. I knew absolutely zero about them, except they were cult worshipped. And I soon found out why. I was mesmerized, enchanted, absolutely blown away by the movies. It wasn’t the effects that got me (although who doesn’t like to see big ships blow the crap outta each other, and planets being bombarded into smithereens?)- it was the utter mind bogglingness of the story itself. For anyone who has an ounce of imagination, a fascination for new lands, adventure, excitement, who dreams of escaping his humdrum life for something bigger and better- it doesn’t get bigger than this. How could I not fall in love with the movies? When Luke stands looking wistfully at the twin suns, wishing for something to happen to take him above this, because he knows, he can feel he’s made for something bigger than farms and moisture evaporaters, I know how he felt. I feel it too, every day of my life- an urge to escape, a craving to whack my destiny into the depths of outer space. When Ben Kenobi teaches him the ways of the Jedi, when he speaks of the Force, how could I not be awed? I love mythology and mysticism, heroic figures. The Jedi were for me knights and warriors and swamis and wise kings rolled up into one. I wished I could be as cool and brash as Hans Solo. I watched in awe as they traveled over the galaxy, as they slowly realized they were part of a bigger scheme of things. Realizing that one person can change the fate of a galaxy- it made me hope. I wanted a lightsaber so badly it hurt. I wanted to face swarms of droids and nasty ass stormtroopers and cut through them like knife through butter. To meet Yoda and Tw’leks and come face to face with The Man himself; Darth Vader. “Luke, I am your father.” Iconic. I bow in front of his mega bad assedness: he don’t take no shit from anyone. When he gets pissed, he force chokes people. No demotions for this dude. I watched the famous “I love you.” “I know.” scene and immediately was jealous.
Ultimately, Star Wars for me isn’t about grand effects. I identify with the characters, love the story, and dream the dreams. Anyone who was ever a kid, who ever dreamt of adventures loves it. Star Wars isn’t 3 movies, it isn’t 6 movies. It’s a damn religion. People over the world love it, obsess over it, live their lives according to the Jedi code. Because its about hope, about love, about dreams and excitement, pain and sacrifice and honor, about knowing that your future isn’t about who you are but who you have the potential to become. Its about the redemption of a man who was once great, the hope of the galaxy, and then fell into the depths of hell. It’s about larger than life worlds, cool characters, iconic dialogues. It’s the mythology for our times, the epic that so many people grew up with. I can sit and listen to John William’s score and I'm transported to a galaxy far far away. I sometimes wish I could be there in that world and almost believe in it. Reality hurts, I know it’s not possible. But if anything, I learn to believe. In myself, in the strength we all have. When I watch the Clone Wars cartoons with the Jedi kicking ass and Grevious kicking more ass, or look at the Star Wars figures on my desk, I cant help but laugh in giddy joy. No other movie involves me so much. And when I go to watch Episode III on Wednesday, I'm going to be humming the Imperial March, along with the other Star Wars crazy fans like myself. It’s the end of an era, the last Star Wars movie ever. The universe is better for having them.
I know I probably wont convince many of the people I know to at least watch them before they dismiss the movies. All I know is these movies transport me to another world, another time, where there is no limit on what you can achieve, how you can change the world, if your dreams are big enough. Stop this world, I want to hitch a ride to a galaxy far far away.