Day #131 - Roger Roger

How many people can safely say that their all-time favourite movie was the first that they ever saw at a cinema? most couldn't even remember their first.

Well I do, it was 1977 I was 5 years old and the movie was Star Wars.

The movie had a profound affect on me and the original trilogy became the only movies that mattered, well, until Back to the future came along.

My most prized possessions when I was young were my Star Wars toys and I remember the best of all was Mum found us (Mark and I shared a room in our little 2 bedroom house at Wenty) Star Wars wallpaper so you could imagine how when trying to fall asleep I would look up at my wallpaper and dream of being Luke Skywalker, little did I know that I'd end up like Chewbacca.

Mark and I would try to make Star Wars ships out of our Lego and he was pretty creative and would make some awesome looking ships.

Gino had an AT-AT which I was awesome (I hope he still has it) and we'd often fantasize about the trilogy and would spend a lot of lunchtimes playing with our action figures, Mick Powe was a Star Wars nut too and I remember he went and saw Jedi in the first days and recited the entire movie to us the next day (he did give away the Leia disguised bit but that didn't matter).

Jedi was released in 1983 so for a mad Star Wars fan when I'd heard there was going to be another trilogy I was super excited. 16 years later the Phantom Menace opened, Lester and I went and saw it opening day at Chatswood, my hair stood on end the entire time.

I loved the movie although it's not the same as the original trilogy for me it was just as special. Plenty of people bagged this movie and a lot of it was fair too, I mean, does anybody like Jar Jar binks? nor see the need for him?

For me though, the major triumph was the Battle Droids, they stole the show.

I still remember the line "hmmm, that does not compute, you're under arrest".

Very rarely does CG outshine actors but in this movie it did, actually, thinking about it now, the droids are the best actors through all 6!