I’ve loved Star Wars since I was a kid. Like many, I watched the original trilogy loads when I was young and always wanted to be a Jedi when I grew up.
But then the downfall started.
It was slow at first. The Lucas-ified re-releases came out, kicking off the “Han Shot First” debacle among it’s many other issues. Then we got the prequels – and I’ve yet to meet anyone who can honestly say they like the prequels.
Then we got The Force Awakens, and many thought it was a sign that we would get good Star Wars films again. But that was followed by two films that seem to have firmly split the fandom – Rogue One and The Last Jedi.
And now, with the tenth feature film in this franchise coming out, the lukewarmly anticipated Solo, I can honestly say that I’m not sure I like Star Wars anymore.
Personally, I didn’t care for Rogue One (I’m firmly in the “There’s No Such Thing As A Good Star Wars Prequel” camp) and liked about half of The Last Jedi (the half that had, you know, Jedi). That means that of the nine Star Wars films released to date, I like exactly half.
And I think most fans are in the same boat.
How is it that we have this franchise, with a fanbase so dedicated that there are conventions and international holidays around it, where no one actually likes 40-60% of the films? How is it breaking box office records?
Here’s some other franchises where no one actually likes most of the films:
Men In Black – first one good, two bad sequels
The Matrix – first one good, two sequels so bad they almost ruin the first one
Star Trek – It’s well known that fans consider the even ones good and the odd ones bad (I know, who brings Star Trek to a Star Wars fight?)
I digress.
Look, maybe you’re the rare person who actually likes the prequels, or likes all the latest films, and that pushes you over the edge into liking most of the series. But if you’re not and you’re like me, maybe we just have to face the harsh truth that actually, we don’t like Star Wars.
But then, much like the characters in the films themselves, we are all linked by our shared hope. Hope that maybe this next one will be good. Hope that some day we can recapture the magic. Hope that we’ll actually like it.
To be perfectly honest though, I got a bad feeling about this franchise.
So you can all go watch Solo this weekend. Me? I’m going to watch my prized DVDs of the original versions of the original trilogy. Because those are the films I’m really a fan of.
Do you like Star Wars? Have you thought about it lately? I mean, really thought about it? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter.