A few weeks ago, I was able to see the newest Star Wars movie, which is entitled Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In addition to being the eighth live-action release of the series, it’s also the first standalone of the group, meaning it is not an episode of the beloved George Lucas-helmed feature films.
Rogue One continues the success of the Star Wars franchise, starting in 1977 with the original release of Episode IV-A New Hope, which was just called Star Wars back then. The sleeper-hit success of that film has ensured nearly every subsequent production has been highly anticipated since. Following the conclusion of the original trilogy in 1983 and the prequel trilogy beginning in 1999, the series was brought back for another round of movies in 2015. It is now safe to say Star Wars is a multi-generational phenomenon.
I have the personal experience of being between two of these generations. On one hand, I’m old enough to remember when Episode Three seemed like the final major Star Wars release. I’m also young enough to be able to look at the newest additions such as The Force Awakens without having too much of a nostalgic bent. Though each new wave of movies has its own particular style and flair, I think they all still capture the essential spirit of Star Wars.
What is that spirit, and why do movies cause such a big impact in our everyday lives? This is a question society has pondered since the beginning of cinema. A great film can influence our words, thoughts and even our actions. This can be clearly seen through the large number of movie references and jokes sprinkled throughout our discourse, and many of the parallels we can draw to our own lives.
A great number of movies provide a quick dose of action or comedy to entertain and help us get away from it all, at least for a few short hours. But the greatest movies are, in my opinion, the ones that make us think. Just like a painting or book, an excellent film will have us pondering its inherent questions long after we leave the theater. It’s these kinds of movies that really show how powerful a medium motion pictures can be.
If you’ve ever seen a behind-the-scenes documentary about movie-making, you can see it’s a very involved process. Thousands of actors, writers, crew and other roles work constantly to make everything just right. That one scene you watch on the screen may have taken dozens of takes to work. This is essential to conveying the message. A great movie does everything for a reason. The cast’s lines and expressions, the scene lighting, the background and the music bring everything together. Like a picture being worth a thousand words, a movie scene can contain many ideas; we just need to figure out what they are.
Some may not consider Star Wars to be this kind of movie. I believe, however, there is a great moral to it. From the very beginning, Star Wars has been a fight between good and evil. It’s a battle where the lines are clearly drawn. We can easily tell who is on either side based on their uniform or their demeanor. Our heroes are fighting against impossible odds but still manage to persevere and fight for good. They could have easily given up. Luke Skywalker could have made the choice not to join the Rebellion. Han Solo could have taken off and left the Rebels to fight for themselves. But they each chose to do the right thing.
Perhaps this is evocative of the more complicated decisions of everyday life. Our choices are not as black and white as in the movies. One decision can change a life forever, but it can seem extremely overwhelming. This may be another great benefit of movies. They show us that despite the challenges, despite all the roadblocks that may lay ahead, we must always have the strength to break through. This might be strength we didn’t even know we had.
The greatest movies challenge us to think about our actions, to believe in ourselves and to make a difference in the world around us. Entertainment doesn’t always have to remain so. If we can translate the positive messages of our favorite films into real-world action, a huge amount of good can be done.
Connor Kockler is a Sauk Rapids-Rice High School student. He enjoys writing, politics and news, among other interests.
