Tonight at Home Plate, friendships faced destruction when the dinner conversation turned to a rather controversial subject: the release of the new Star Wars movies. You would think that this would be light-hearted matter to be tossed around in idle talk. "Star Wars" movies -- especially those which are yet to be released -- should, in terms of potential heated debate, rank among conversations such as "What was your favorite Saturday morning cartoon?" and "Do you prefer Ames or Kmart?" But when you gather my friends at a Home Plate table, "The Phantom Menace" becomes a source of life and death debate.
Though my participation in the argument was mostly in the form of laughter, rather than try to conceal my biases throughout this column, let me tell you where I stand. I love "Star Wars." This is possibly the first thing strangers conclude about me when they see my bedroom -- the photomosaic poster of Yoda, the toys atop my computer, the books, the videos, you get the picture. I even have a talking Darth Vader pen that my freshman roommate gave me. One of these days, I'm going to bring that pen to class and punctuate the professor's lecture with blaster effects. However, despite my devotion to the trilogy, at best, I am uncertain about the upcoming prequels. I am excited for the extension on a childhood story yet concerned about the use of computers.
My ambivalence aside, the people involved in the debate had very distinct and very different opinions about the upcoming release. We had been discussing movies in general, and everyone was taking the last bites of his or her respective desserts, when Buffy idly said, "You know, people are already lining up for the opening of 'The Phantom Menace.'" She had already told me this several times, so I was not too concerned and kept scraping away at my fabulous Home Plate frozen yogurt. Millicent, however, could not let this statement pass and practically shrieked, "What? What freaks are lining up already? Don't they have anything better to do?" Buffy quickly admitted that there's only about ten people already lined up, but Millicent was already ranting about how the new "Star Wars" movies are going to be lousy and "The Phantom Menace," after all of the hype, is probably going to bomb.
Now, Buffy is not one to passively tolerate any criticism of the trilogy. If it's any indication of her devotion to the saga, she is planning on flying home to Los Angeles in order to see the opening at the Mann Chinese theater. She is campaigning for me to also go home for this "Woodstock of our generation," but I think Boston is an exotic enough location for this movie. And that is of course assuming that an exotic location is necessary.
Regardless, the fact that Buffy is planning this odyssey home intrigues me. Apparently, the Mann Chinese is employing a point system to determine who gets to see the Wednesday opening. People get points for the distance they travel and then, points are given for time spent waiting in the line. Seeing as I get irritated when there are more than three people ahead of me for the grill at the Hop, I don't think I could tolerate waiting in line at the Mann Chinese for five days just so I could be there for the first show. Talk about the mother of all visits to Disneyland.
Yet the fact remains -- people are doing this. I hope that this is a phenomenon limited to (weird) urban centers, such as New York City and Los Angeles. I cannot imagine the people of Hanover sleeping in tents in front of the Nugget. Although I did notice people lining up for Pro Wrestling, I think fat men in colorful spandex is more of an attraction than the release of the movie. When all is said and done, everyone who wants to gets to see the movie. Wrestling, on the other hand, is a one-night extravaganza.
Buffy, though, wants to wait in one of these lines, claiming it is the cultural event of our times. And if you surf the web, you'll find that there are several websites excited for the new releases. But what if "The Phantom Menace" is the flop of the decade? What if it's just mediocre? Fortunately we go to school in New Hampshire, because we might be looking at a Los Angeles full of angry, Jedi-wannabes.
As we departed for Topside, Millicent promised Buffy that she would go see "The Phantom Menace" and she would not be pessimistic about the experience. Friendships were saved but I am left wondering about those ten people already waiting in line. If they have so much free time on their hands, I have a few midterms that they could start studying for.
