The Calm Before The Storm

In less than eight hours, I will be feasting my senses on the experience known as Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. There have been ups and downs on the roller coaster of my life known as the last month, but it is all coming to a culmination tonight in beautiful DLP goodness.

I am prepared for the fact that I am going to be the walking dead tomorrow, but I am OK with the fact that it will all be worth it. The critics (for the most part... Rolling Stone has just become more shock value to me than anything anymore) have been gushing over it, and I am told that the first whole reel (about 25 minutes) is the opening battle scene (drool), I don't think it's possible for me to do anything but love this film. "Famous last words," I know. But I am willing to put this out there.

I'm not saying that I have the bar set real high, nor have I set it very low. I am one of the guys that actually liked The Phantom Menace (I simply see it as the first chapter in a book, Jake Lloyd's acting aside), and I really enjoyed Attack of the Clones.

And then, there's this.

Three years ago, when Attack of the Clones came out, my friend Chad and I had a conversation that has really been ringing to me lately. We came to the conclusion that, when this day came, we would be excited for it and sad for it at the same time. On one hand, this is the final piece to the puzzle of the story of the rise and fall and rise again of Anakin Skywalker. On the other hand, this is it. A phenomenon that occupied almost our entire lives is coming to a close (Episodes VII, VIII, and IX aside... I'm not counting on this happening, but it would be cool), from watching the movies over and over ad nauseum, dragging parents, friends, and kids to conventions, relaxing to the musical score, suffering through the Holiday Speical, having action figures before anybody else at school, buying almost every version of the films ever put out, seeing the movies over and over again when they were re-released, rumors of the prequels, casting, "Celebration" conventions, and forming bonds with people that we might not have bonds with otherwise (including each other, to an extent), Lucas' vision of a story from a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away will linger for generations to come.

My name is Rob, and I'm a geek. A damn proud one.

BB