This will be a day long remembered

It is finally here. The day many of us have been waiting six years for, and some of us have been waiting a lifetime for. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is now playing in a theater near me (though it will be 9 more days before I can see it). I've been contemplating this as a blog post for a while, and some of you have seen the majority of it in a BB post. Am I excited? Yes. But there is so much more to it than that. It is the end of the Star Wars film saga, for better or for worse. The cinematic juggernaut that has existed for practically my entire lifetime (it opened 10 months almost to the day after I was born). I do not remember my life without Star Wars being a part of it. Excited, yes, but sad as well.

Needless to say, the original three are practically part of my DNA. There are no words to express the excitement I felt at the thought of a second trilogy that I would get to see in the theater as an adult and be able to tell my grandchildren about. "Yes, I saw Episodes I, II, and III in the theater!" I was disappointed with Episode I when I first saw it, but I will admit that it has grown on me dramatically over the years (geez, has it really been 6 years?!). There is something about Liam Neeson that lends credibility to the film and keeps it grounded in some sense, much as Sir Alec Guinness did for Ep. IV. Episode II was admittedly a huge disappointment. It should have been so much better. As my husband likes to say, as a film, I prefer Episode I, but Episode II is much better in terms of the information you receive and how it begins to tie in with IV-VI. Too bad the acting was so bad! But the echos of what Episode III can be are there, and I think it will definitely be worth seeing.

It's not going to be a happy film. How can it be? We all know what has to happen. There's something to be said for a film that everyone wants to see despite knowing most of the plot. I feel that so many questions will be answered (though not all, from what I hear), and the story itself will be compelling, if heart-wrenching, to watch. Do I think it will be the best film ever, or even of the six? No, but I do expect it to be the best of the prequel three. All of the pieces will come together, and we will finally *see* the moment we have all wondered about: how did such a sweet and promising child turn so wrong?

I am also intrigued to see how a few other things play out, particularly the Republic becoming the Empire and the beginning of the Rebel Alliance. Plus the tangible links to IV-VI will surely be established, such as Obi-Wan placing Luke into his uncle's care and the wiping of R2's and C-3PO's memory. Visual and auditory links will also be there. I will never forget seeing the painted ceiling of the kitchen set of Owen and Beru in Episode II. It was like being punched in the stomach; such a powerful image, such a subtle yet unmistakable connection. And I will never forget the hair on my neck literally stand up as Anakin went off to find his mother, and the brilliant John Williams deftly switched from "Luke's Theme" to "Duel of the Fates." I have no doubt that Episode III will be filled with many more of these kinds of moments, be they beautiful or haunting.

"The circle is now complete." I, for one, can't wait!

Currently feeling: darth