This is strange times to be celebrating Star Wars Day, isn’t it? Wishing each other “May the 4th be with you” has a decidedly different tone this year given everything that is going on with the coronavirus. The familiar phrase is no longer just a silly pun on an iconic movie line, but rather something more personal and true: I genuinely hope some higher power will be on your side, so you will get through this lockdown period relatively okay.
The melancholy doesn’t stop the festivities though, and it shouldn’t really because we could use something - anything - joyous to distract us from our current situation. Kudos to the teachers I heard about wearing Star Wars costumes during Zoom class sessions, and shoutout to my group of friends who did not forget to wish each other a happy Star Wars Day. The complete nine films of the main saga was also made available today streaming on Disney+, perfect for a marathon watch session, though with today being a proper weekday, I sadly have work.
Because I would totally binge-watch consecutively the entire Skywalker story, except for the very last one - Episode 9. I won’t rehash precisely how hugely disappointing The Rise of Skywalker is; May the 4th is a day of positivity. I’ll simply say that after watching the movie in theatres back in December of last year, I have no desire whatsoever to see it again, on any platform. Perhaps my mind will change many, many years from now - maybe when I have kids of my own and I’m preordained to introduce them to the Star Wars canon. - but for now, the frustrations I have with Episode 9 are still very strong.
This talk about movies, however, is making me miss going to the theatres. While I greatly love the home movie watching experience I’ve built for myself (read: I’ve got a large television), for the truly “event” movies - like Avengers Endgame from last year - the cinematic experience with a group of fans is unique and inspirational. (Of course, you would only be able to see such films in theatres, unless you are willing to wait the typical four months for it to come out on digital media.) The arrival of May means the traditional Summer movie season is upon us, though for obviously reasons, most of the slate have been pushed back.
We look forward to the day when normal returns. May the 4th be with you. Always.
A quick check of the drawer.