An open letter to Fans

England is far more reserved than america in this sense, well at least where i live in Hull. I have seen every movie except ANH on release day and an OT marathon with a broken leg when ROTJ was released. In this time I've never ever witnessed chearing or anything like what you see in America and only once have i seen anyone dressed up. That was a small child dressed as darth vader at the first showing of ROTS.

Damn, i so wish i could have been in an American cinema for the launch of one of those movies.

 

Its a shame that it takes one ego-driven fool to ruin the fun for a hundred others.

 

I'm usually not one for telling other people what they should or shouldn't do. Just have fun, and make sure your fun doesn't ruin someone else's enjoyment of the movie. It really is that simple.

 

Man, it's just STAR WARS to me....

In the immortal words of Biggs - "Theyll-never-stop-us"

 

I always thought the fans that dress up go to the midnight shows? I usually go on Friday/Saturday night and honestly can't remember seeing anyone dressed up for the 3 Prequels.

I'll be honest, I am a huge fan of the movies but I never understood the need to dress up. I am also a huge sports fan, but I don't wear my teams jersey to the game either. Maybe I'm in the minority because alot of people do.

 

Election Day is tomorrow, 11/04.2015.

--- Double Post Merged, Nov 3, 2015, Original Post Date: Nov 3, 2015 ---

Man, it's never JUST star wars...that's why we are on here!

--- Double Post Merged, Nov 3, 2015 ---

I last saw ROTS at 12 and a half years old...took my Obi-Wan Kenobi lightsaber from TPM/AOTC WITH ME.

 

Kids are different as I'm talking about adults dressing up. I know I may catch flack for saying this here but alot of the crap Star Wars fans get is because casual movie-goers see adults dressing up to go to the movies and it perpetuates the stereotype that were just a bunch of nerds.

 

It's the same with Harry Potter fans...I wore the glasses, had the light up wand, etc...so it's all good...and i was in high school -_-

 

I have to admit that the subject of distractions during the premiere is a serious concern to me as well. I can even tie it back to an experience I went through for a premiere during the PT era. It must have been AoTC I guess, during both the Yoda fight scene and the scene with Threepio in the droid factory... there was a guy that I can only describe as a stereotypical "uber-geek" suffering through these dramatic episodes of convulsing laughter, almost like emotional seizures where he was literally dropping out of his chair for long (uncomfortable) stretches. Sadly, this description is no embellishment of how awkward this was for not just myself, but others that were present. Many others then seemed enabled/empowered to wildly act out over even the most unremarkable elements of the movie. Look, I get it... I know he was going through an emotional catharsis from still lingering SW deprivation, but come on. I'm hopeful that we can all dial it back and just take it in.

Even though I own a full set of TK armor, I plan to only wear a simple script TFA t-shirt to all 3 showings I have tickets for. No lightsabers, blasters, lekku, helmets, or any physical hysterics. Maybe it is just me, but I want to sit back and simply enjoy the show for once (or 3 times ).

 

great post......

 

First off, @Lobot , I just want to say that I am sorry if you have had a negative experience here. To me, the number one draw of fandom is to have a great place to go and share my harmless obsession. It should be fun, and if it's not I can't help but feel sad for you. Hope it gets better!

And you're right that rabid fans can make things difficult for casual viewers. So can anyone, like the person who doesn't turn off their cell phone. No matter what movie people attend, unless it's the Rocky Horror Picture Show, we should sit down, shut up, take off our hats or caps, and if we must leave for whatever reason, creep out quietly during a relatively unremarkable part of the film. That's just good manners.

My guess is, though, that people who have tickets to the first show or midnight show are not casual viewers, and I bet that's where most of us end up. If I were going to the first showing, I'd probably wear my costume, which I made primarily for Halloween. But since I'm not, I doubt that I will because it might embarrass my husband and youngest son. But personally, I could not care less if someone thinks costume-wearing adults are nerdy. We Star Wars fans have been waiting a long time for this. It's never been a better time to be a nerd.

But getting back to my theme of Star Wars making people happy. There are a lot of unhappy things going on in the world, and even in our home towns. For some people, perhaps even in their own home. (By virtue of my profession, I know that almost no one always has a trouble-free life, no matter how put-together they look on the outside). If someone feels happy wearing a costume or endlessly quoting Yoda while waiting in line, where's the harm in that? I've been subjected to crazed sports fans every weekend almost my entire life. They block traffic. They take up all the hotel rooms, parking and the restaurants. Sometimes they sit in my family room and yell at the TV. It's not my cup of tea, but again, it's harmless. And do you think for one minute they worry about looking obsessed or inconveniencing someone? I don't think so.

So if people want to wear a wedge of foam cheese on their head, great, just don't let it block my view. And by the same token, if people want to wear a costume, that's great, too. Just be sure to take off the Amidala headdress when you sit down. And for heaven's sake, don't partake of any Deathsticks before you enter the theater!

 

Yes, I think we are, too. You never said anything about costumes. I just threw that out there because some others had touched on it.

 

I'm glad you express them anyway. I feel like this rating system creates a soft environment where nobody adresses important controversial topics and is afraid to ventilate opinions that others might dislike. Too much agreeing and saying yes is boring.

I will see TFA on a gigantic imax screen with eardestroying sound so I'm not worried about all that distraction. But yeah if some nerfherder starts to swing a plastic lightsaber in front of my face I will most likely take action.

 

and " the room "

 

Interesting ....

 

Thanks for sharing.

I hear you. I guess that for some people dressing up and taking a light saber in with them is part of their communal celebration. As with any communal business we should expect all sorts - including a few zealots. No one wants to be distracted during a movie experience, but it'll likely happen. Humans tend to cough, sneeze, fart, take bathroom breaks, get a little tipsy, cry, clap and cheer. We gotta except these things if we choose to be in public spaces.

I respect your mature and genuine appeal to others for respect. I'm getting old I guess and am learning there are very few ways to change someones mind from doing what they want to. No easy Jedi tricks for the weak-minded in the real world.

In getting older I'm getting a little wiser too. That's partly why I'm going to a midday showing on the day of release for the first time since the special editions. I still kinda regret missing out on that special vibe that happens at a first showing but hey - I'll be in the middle of the theater, with only 10 people booked in (after all these weeks) with zero chance of light sabers in front of my vision.

You gotta go with the flow and internalize what you can. Expect a screaming baby next to you on a bus/plane and take ear-plugs, a book for delays, and an eye cover and you're back in control. And remind yourself that baby was once you. When I end up with that idiot in front of me I just think "what would Obi-Wan do?" He'd likely view it as a lesson in tolerance.

That's sucks - but you're stronger, and wiser. Keep your head, don't take it to heart and they'll look like idiots. Hope you have a great experience and may your field of vision remain unobscured!

Edit: This reads a little condescending - didn't mean it to. I mean to respect my elders