This is a strange little film.
A Galaxy Far Far Away is a documentary about
the days leading up to the release of Star Wars: The Phantom
Menace. This isn't a film about the making of Phantom Menace;
rather it's about the fan reaction both before and after the
film.
The interesting thing about The Phantom Menace
is that it was, perhaps, a very unique event in the history
of cinema. No film was more hyped. No film was more anticipated.
No film has generated more speculation and emotion prior to
its release.
The year was 1999. It had been 22 years since
Star Wars unleashed a whirlwind upon the science fiction and
film communities. A couple years prior to 1999, the Star Wars
films were released as special editions, with newly restored
prints and added scenes and it was no secret that these releases
were a gearing up process for brand new Star Wars films.
The big questions on everyone's minds were:
Could Lucas recapture the magic? Would the new films, made so
many years later and with better technology, ruin the experience
of the original trilogy? In short, would they be any damn good?
What made the concerns all the more validated
in the minds of fans were the special editions of the original
trilogy. Many weren't happy with the choices Lucas made and
it tainted their hopes for The Phantom Menace.
Still, despite this, or perhaps because of
it, it seemed that everyone wanted to see these new films. People
who were only kids when the first films came out found a means
to relive their childhood. People who were adults the first
time around found all new excuses to act like a kid again.
People actually took vacations from work in
order to stand in line for the premier of this film. I'm not
talking about waiting a few hours here, but literally camping
out for a month or more. Entire mini-communities grew outside
of movie theaters all across the country. But it didn't stop
there. If people weren't camped out at the theater, they were
standing in line at the toy stores.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away attempts to document
the weeks and days leading up to the big release from the fans
point of view. Directed by Tariq Jalil, the film follows several
groups of fans as they camp out and face the ridicule of passers
by, attend conventions, fight furious battles over the latest
toys at Toys-R-Us, and offer their opinions of the film after
their long wait.
Scattered throughout the footage of camping
fans are some interview with celebrities and looks at otherwise
everyday people who have let Star Wars rule parts of their lives.
Interesting ironies play themselves out, as we meet one man
who finds those camped in front of theaters ridiculous even
as he proudly shows off his son, named Anakin, or as we see
the disappointed looks on the faces of fans who have camped
out for more than a month to see a film that clearly didn't
live up to expectations.
This is a documentary that will have you cringing
at how pathetic some of these fans seem to be, and nodding with
familiarity at the antics of others. Although this film seems
aimless at times, there is a clear narrative here and a definite
theme about expectations versus fulfillment.
