When I saw Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, I remember crying after the movie because Han Solo had been frozen in carbonite. I was too young to understand that there could be another movie that could resolve this. I loved going to see movies, and as the 80s rolled into "my decade" of the 90s, the number of movies that left a lasting impression on me continued to stack up.
Since the turn of the new millennium, the movie industry changed as well. We now have more than just Lucas and Spielberg to make the kind of movies we want our kids to see. We have creators with just as much imagination and vision with an unlimited amount of resources to make their movies into spectacular visual events. Specifically, we have the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Just two days ago, as I was cleaning out a catch-all bin, I found my ticket stubs from August 2011 for Captain America: The First Avenger, in 3D. I remember taking my son, then just 8 years old, and he was mesmerized. Captain America (and Chris Evans himself) is someone my son has always admired. This past Christmas, I purchased an official still-shot from the movie that was a limited production piece. This is something he will treasure forever. If you know anything about the MCU, you know that Captain America might be the most morally righteous and courageous character of all time. If there is any fictional character to be inspired by, Captain America is an excellent choice.
I can't recall all the MCU movies I have seen in the theatre. I can say that I took pride in being able to take all of my children, my son who is almost 16, and my twin daughters who are almost 11, to see Captain Marvel in March. I felt it was important for my girls to see a strong female character in a movie that shows how superheroes can be tough as nails, without being a male!
Last night, I finally got to see Avengers: Endgame (NO SPOILERS HERE). I have become emotionally tied to these characters because I love the movies and have seen them countless times. I can easily say that I watch at least one movie from the MCU a week, if not more. I enjoy the action, the comic relief, and the escape from reality. Week days are for watching the news and dealing with adult issues. Weekends are for relaxing and escaping from the harsh reality we live in (from school shootings to a White House that breaks norms on a regular basis). Either way, I love the MCU and the characters. So, it should be no surprise that I had very few moments where my eyes were dry during Endgame.
I cry very easily. From happy tears to tears of empathy and sympathy - tears simply flows easily for me. I wasn't always like this. I think being a mother turned me into a much more emotional person because I relate to events and people on a different level. I can watch a sporting event and be so happy for whomever is winning, but if I see the athlete's mom in the crowd crying with pride, I cry too. That's just who I am.
So yes, Endgame was, or is, the only movie where I have cried from beginning to end. I even cried talking about it to my son after I came home. Okay I admit it, I cried in the car on the way home, too. Granted I don't watch rom-coms, or sad movies where you know from the start the protagonist is going to die from some cancer or catastrophic event. I like sci-fi, action, adventure, and psychological thriller or horror movies. I still doubt there are many movies out there that could get me crying from the first scene to the last scene (and beyond).
There are a lot of things I write about that are more serious. However, I would not be able to make it through this day without writing about the end of the Avengers as we know it. I am so excited about future movies in the MCU and the Star Wars Universe. For all the different kinds of anthologies out there, Marvel and Star Wars are my absolute favorite (although Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit closely follow). The magic of the worlds they bring to us is more than just a story on a screen. It's people we identify with, hope to be like, or wish we could live in a world like what we see. Much like the pop culture I grew up into, today's pop culture helps define generations, friendships, and escape into a marvelous universe like no other.
I feel any time you enter a dream world it's like you're working out things, it's all inside your mind and you're working it out, be it Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, or the kids in Narnia, they go through this weird journey that's not real, and they're going through this journey psychologically. It's that journey of discovery, of getting oneself together, that fantasy and fairy tales are so good at. And while some people still look upon them as completely unrealistic, for me they're more real than most things that are perceived as real. - Tim Burton
No comments:
Post a Comment