Aaron Reynolds
Screenwriter
Recently I was talking to my fiancee's little cousins, who are four and six years old, and I was horrified to discover that Luka (the six year old), who considers himself a movie fan, had never seen the original Star Wars films.
I did some thinking about it, and then I realized that I first saw Star Wars at my sixth birthday party, so it was not too late to save Luka.
My own first viewing of Star Wars was on a CED videodisc that my parents had rented, along with a player. We had borrowed a colour TV from next door (we only had black & white), and we brought down the stereo system from upstairs to hook up for the sound.
Luka was luckier than me: last night we watched the widescreen THX LD of the not-special edition (
) in my mongrel of a home theatre.
Well, he was hooked from the start. He had seen Phantom Menace and hadn't been that impressed with it (he told me it wasn't as good as Pokemon), but A New Hope grabbed him and didn't let him go.
Highlights of Luka's reaction (some spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the original trilogy yet):
-the Luke / Annakin connection: Luka asks, "Is Luke Skywalker related to Annakin Skywalker?" I tell him that Luke is Annakin's son. Later, he recognizes Obi-Wan, and is horrified to find out that Darth Vader killed Annakin. He asks, "Darth Vader killed the little boy?" I tell him, "No, Darth Vader killed him when he grew up." He's going to kill me when he sees the sequels.
-the Death Star trench run: Luka was on the edge of his seat the whole time. He got incredibly nervous during Luke's run, especially after Wedge had peeled off and Biggs had been blown up. He actually got up out of his seat and shouted "Oh no LUKE!" when Vader locked on to Luke's X-Wing
So, despite the lateness of the hour, Luka very much wanted to watch the next episode (and I'll admit, I did too), but then his parents showed up to cart him home.
I did some thinking about it, and then I realized that I first saw Star Wars at my sixth birthday party, so it was not too late to save Luka.
My own first viewing of Star Wars was on a CED videodisc that my parents had rented, along with a player. We had borrowed a colour TV from next door (we only had black & white), and we brought down the stereo system from upstairs to hook up for the sound.
Luka was luckier than me: last night we watched the widescreen THX LD of the not-special edition (
) in my mongrel of a home theatre.Well, he was hooked from the start. He had seen Phantom Menace and hadn't been that impressed with it (he told me it wasn't as good as Pokemon), but A New Hope grabbed him and didn't let him go.
Highlights of Luka's reaction (some spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the original trilogy yet):
-the Luke / Annakin connection: Luka asks, "Is Luke Skywalker related to Annakin Skywalker?" I tell him that Luke is Annakin's son. Later, he recognizes Obi-Wan, and is horrified to find out that Darth Vader killed Annakin. He asks, "Darth Vader killed the little boy?" I tell him, "No, Darth Vader killed him when he grew up." He's going to kill me when he sees the sequels.
-the Death Star trench run: Luka was on the edge of his seat the whole time. He got incredibly nervous during Luke's run, especially after Wedge had peeled off and Biggs had been blown up. He actually got up out of his seat and shouted "Oh no LUKE!" when Vader locked on to Luke's X-Wing
So, despite the lateness of the hour, Luka very much wanted to watch the next episode (and I'll admit, I did too), but then his parents showed up to cart him home.
