It's no shock for my friends to know that I'm a purebred and incredibly obsessed Star Wars fanatic. Even before I knew who Joseph Campbell was, when I was just a kid, I think whatever Lucas was tapping into tapped pretty directly into me too. I'm not alone in that...far from it. It's the most successful pop culture franchise for a good reason.
The final Star Wars movie will open in just about ten days. I've been following the reviews pretty closely. (I enjoy Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic for review round-ups.) One surprising early message seems to resound: Revenge of the Sith has an eerie echo of contemporary politics. Don't want to spoil anyone...I'd just say look for it.
It seems there are lots of people that found the endless politics of the last two prequels quite dull...but it was actually rather smartly done. Because you take a senator, add political sympathy (a war on his home planet), then watch a war get created by the bad guys with the straight up intention of solidifying that leader's power: (Palpatine's executive powers come during war-time.) And in the end, you get a Republic surrendering its freedom in the name of safety. Security versus rights. It's the question that most fascists try to force on good people.
Sound familiar?
About Me
- Freeman
- Matthew Freeman is a Brooklyn based playwright with a BFA from Emerson College. His plays include THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR, REASONS FOR MOVING, THE GREAT ESCAPE, THE AMERICANS, THE WHITE SWALLOW, AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR, THE MOST WONDERFUL LOVE, WHEN IS A CLOCK, GLEE CLUB, THAT OLD SOFT SHOE and BRANDYWINE DISTILLERY FIRE. He served as Assistant Producer and Senior Writer for the live webcast from Times Square on New Year's Eve 2010-2012. As a freelance writer, he has contributed to Gamespy, Premiere, Complex Magazine, Maxim Online, and MTV Magazine. His plays have been published by Playscripts, Inc., New York Theatre Experience, and Samuel French.
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