I could spend a whole post reviewing a movie we have all seen, or telling you about the 3D upgrade. I am not going to do either. I want instead to talk about the response of the 2nd generation of Star Wars fans.
I asked these guys how old they were when The Phantom Menace was released and they were all 4 and 5 years old.
Then I dug in with these questions:
1. Which is your favorite movie of the six films?
Each of them liked a different movie, but Episode 1, 2, & 3 were the only three named.
2. What do you think of Jar Jar Binks?
They actually liked him and thought he was funny. *GASP*
3. What about the acting and romantic scenes of the prequels?
They told me it was realistic for who they were. One trained in the Jedi order to avoid attachment and the other a sheltered ruler on a peaceful world. Neither knew how to engage romantically. (I'll admit it was much better acting than Twilight)
4. Isn't the original trilogy better?
The answer to this was no. They believe that the prequel trilogy has a deeper plot and more intricate story. (I agree with the second part, but still like the O.T. better)
5.Why midichlorians?
The force ran strong in Luke's family how else do you explain it other than a genetic link?
6.What did you think of the improvement to Yoda by making him digital?
They liked the puppet better. To this I was shocked. When I asked why they responded, "Would you like it if the Yoda in Empire was changed out for a digital one." I offered a resounding, "NO!"
7. Isn't it ludicrous that Darth Maul was only on screen for a few scenes of Episode 1?
They compared him to Boba Fett as more mysterious and cooler because of the lack of screen time. They thought Lucas was genius for recognizing what makes a character like Fett awesome and using the same tactics for Maul.
It hit me that what we grow up with we are attached to. I knew my six year old loves Jar Jar, but I assumed it was because he was young. I knew one day he would leave his Jar Jar loving ways behind, but I was wrong. It is the reason why I love the Ewoks, but people older than me often do not. I was a kid when I saw the Ewoks so I love them. If you saw Jar Jar as a kid you love him and that doesn't go away.
We do the same thing with churches. We love what we know and change is bad. We think what we grew up with is somehow sacred and that new ways are not as good. The current generation may love doing something new and look at old ways as boring or irrelevant. In 30 years the new ways will be old and there will be a new generation of people unwilling to change.
Lets learn from young Star Wars fans and realize that change can be good and look at what we are doing with fresh eyes.
You may also like:
The Phantom Menace Passes Star Wars
Truths from a Galaxy Far Far Away
7 comments:
The new NTS president, David Busic, had a very interesting installation address on change and the church. The transcript is at http://bit.ly/BusicNTS
Thanks Joe I bookmarked it to remember to check it out :)
Extremely insightful. Whatever we grow up with we love and we assume that it is the "right" way to do/think/believe.
This can be helpful, when it reinforces positive values and ideas. But it can be negative when we are not willing to consider other ideas because they just "seem wrong."
I wrote this blog on a similar topic in regards to how some churches make "tradition" their idol. Thought you might enjoy it.
http://thoughtsfromdrt.blogspot.com/2010/01/idolatry-of-tradition.html
Hey Nate, Good post as always. I can still remember seeing Empire, and RTOTJ when I was young. I have always preferred Empire due to the realism. But for some reason, regardless of the adventure and awesome effects of the Star Wars Saga, they moved me as a child to stand for good. I have a deep sense of fighting for what's right because of movies like that. Later I was reading "Serious Times" by James Emery White (prof at Gordon-Conwell and pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church)and he said something very similar. He is big on understanding culture and the church and is worth reading/following. I believe the church to be like a ship, though the waters change, we may have to change direction, adjust to weather and the tides, and even respond to and improve with technological advancements. We have to be cleaned up from time to time and have over-hauls, but overall the Church is the body of Christ. She does not change:) Keep up the good work...love your blog!
Thank you for your comments. Terry, I read your post and commented. Unknown thanks for sharing your Star Wars past experiences.
Great post and love the connection to change in the church.
I actually grew up with the original three, but also like the prequels. I've often wondered how my son (who is now 4) will view the movies? /he loves Star Wars, but will kids watch them in order 1-2-3-4-5-6? I wonder what happens when they go from movie 3 to 4. Visually, it just makes no sense. How do they see the graphics go from high tech and computer generated to a ship on a string (I'm exaggerating a bit, but you know what I mean).
I'm interested in explaining that one to him and seeing how he interprets it. Movie making took a big leap from 6 to 1, but will kids watch from 1-6 in order or will they watch it how it was made?
That is one of the reasons why I like most of the changes to the originals that happened in the special editions. It make the transition from 3 to 4 less abrupt.
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