The Ewoks of my Youth

In preparation for the release of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, I've been revisiting the first five movies on DVD, not only to refresh my memory but also to see if the wisdom of my years brings any new perspective to them. After watching four of the five in the last week, I think I can safely say that they have not. To be honest, I'm not sure there's a whole lot more there with the Star Wars series. It's an interesting and fantastic world with some fairly easy moral lessons but I can't find any depth. Fortunately for me, I saw the first three under the influence of youth and therefore they will always be special to me. I make no apology for any of the movies that I loved as a child, bad as though they may be: Star Wars, The Karate Kid, Rocky IV, Teen Wolf, Goonies, and even up to Home Alone and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I don't think it's possible to divorce your experience of some entertainment as a child from that which you would have as an adult. I turn on Star Wars and in some sense, I'm seven years old again, complete with C-3PO action figure carrying case and model Imperial speeder bike.

Lately the "favorite Star Wars" question has been floating around again and when asked I responded with The Empire Strikes Back. That seemed to be the popular answer but I hadn't seen them recently enough to really make an informed decision. After the latest re-watching, I think I actually have to go with Return of the Jedi. The dialogue and acting produces the fewest cringes, good triumphs over evil, and father and son are reunited--what more can you ask for? I also like the contrast of the heavily wooded Endor against the starkness of the space scenes. And finally, I love the Ewoks. There I said it. They may have been a concession to the kids but I was a kid, and besides, the Ewoks were no punks. They had spears and arrows, lived in cool forts in the woods, and they knew how to party.

Long live the Ewoks, Mr. Miyagi, and all the movies of youth.