About 15 months ago, I was having a conversation with some students of mine regarding the then upcoming film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The conversation was lighthearted and fun, but quickly something became apparent to me: the kids and I were anticipating the release of Star Wars for a entirely different reasons.
For me, the release of the film offered the opportunity to right a wrong. To undue the disappointment I felt when I watched Episodes I, II, and III. Even though I was born two years after the release of the final film in the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi (1983), Star Wars was still very much ingrained in popular culture. I grew up watching and loving the films. Maybe it helped, that I had an older brother and cousins to indoctrinate me, but I'm going to assume that my love of Star Wars had more to do with the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi bed sheets that both my brother and I had. In short, I loved the films as a child. For my students, the release of the film represented, not a resurrection of a dead sage, but the continuation of something they loved as kids: the prequels. These kids were born around the time of the release of Episode I. The grew up watching the latest trilogy, playing video games based upon the films, and watching animated series such as Clone Wars on Saturday mornings. For them, the latest iteration of Star Wars was their reference point. Some admitted they hadn't even watched the original films! They could quote the prequels, in a way that older nerds like myself might work in "That's no moon." into daily conversation. One student even proclaimed "I just hope this new movie uses lots of CGI. The special effects are so bad in the old movies I can't even watch them!" At this point, I excused myself from the conversation. I had a similar conversation with students last year about Jurassic World. Jurassic World is, for my money, an enjoyable action film. I would be lying if I said the sight of the Indominous Rex fighting the T-Rex and raptor didn't bring a smile to my face. Of course, most of the film I kept asking myself "What the heck is an Indominous Rex?" and proclaiming (much like my mother) "How stupid!" at the many misadventures on screen. But all in all, it was a fun thrill ride. Certainly, it was a 1000x better than the abomination known as JPIII. However, Jurassic World lacked the wonder of the original film. There was no suspense, there was no intrigue, at no point was I actually concerned about the well being of characters on screen. It wasn't the same. For my students however, "Mr. Ashcraft, Jurassic Park is one of the most boring films I've ever seen! The special effects are lame and it's not even scary." For these students and those younger, Jurassic World will probably be the reference point for the entire franchise. This brings me to Ghostbusters. The 1984 original is one of my all-time favorite films. It is endlessly quotable, incredibly quick witted, and an all around fantastic movie. When I learned that there was going to be a new Ghostbusters film I was excited, but I quickly began to worry that I might be tremendously disappointed. Based upon the early reviews, I think I will be. Of course, that's if I go in with expecting to see something similar to the movie I grew up loving. If I didn't have this reference point, like I'm sure many of my students lack, I might really enjoy the movie. From what I've heard, the film is funny in it's own right, but nothing like the originals. For young moviegoers today, this movie will be "their" Ghostbusters. One's generation's version of most anything is always "better" to them. That's the power of nostalgia. It extends into many areas of our lives. It seems that each generation thinks the younger generation's culture is inferior. Whether we're discussing movies, music, politics, sports, or any number of issues, there is a conversation to be had about whether one thing is objectively better than another. However, the first time we experience something and the age at which we experience it will probably always cause us to be a bit biased. I'm not sure there's anything wrong with that. But honestly, compared to the 90s, today's music sucks.
1 Comment
Christopher Alan Maloney
7/21/2016 08:40:26 am
Good insights, but it leaves me feeling hopeless about the young'ns. I also enjoyed Jurassic World and The Force Awakens, and have little desire to see the Ghostbusters reboot. For what it's worth, my daughter enjoys the Star Wars prequels and Clone Wars, but her favorites are still Episodes 4, 5, and 6.
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Derek Trent AshcraftA place to discuss, among other things, politics, culture, food, faith, and nonsense. Archives
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