Friday, December 20, 2019

An Open Thank You to George Lucas

I'll have a more detailed movie review at a later time, but I need to say this first:

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a rousing, joyful, exuberant, and emotional film that not only successfully brings to a close the story of one family, over nine movies, and 42 years, but does so in a manner that is both nostalgic and fresh.

The payoffs are great, some hearken back four decades while others reach back only minutes. Could I find quibbles? Sure, but as a lifelong Star Wars fan, one whose mind was blown open in 1977 by George Lucas's film, this movie did everything I wanted it to and left me sitting in my seat, watching the credits scroll, awash in the music of John Williams, tears in my eyes, knowing my journey with this story is over.

And I am so grateful for it.

Star Wars helped shape me as a youth, a movie watcher, a music listener, a storyteller, and as a creative, imaginative person. I am so glad to have grown up with and experienced it all from the very beginning. It has truly been the adventure of a lifetime.

To all the thousands of people who have made these movies, and to the countless creatives who were inspired by Star Wars, y'all have enriched our lives beyond measure.

But the deepest thanks goes to one man, from whose mind this magnificent story sprang.

Thank you, George Lucas.

Thank you for dreaming, for coming up with this universe, driving to get it created, and sharing it with the world. It has provided the connective tissue for millions of people to imagine, to come together, to create, and to share ourselves.

Your Force will be with us. Always.


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