How 'Star Wars' Made a Movie Maven Out of Me

When I think of all the movies I have ever seen I cannot help but look at one particular movie as not only one of the greatest I have ever seen, but also the movie that fostered a lifelong love and excitement for cinema. It was the summer of 1977, and I was nine years old. Like many kids my age, I was bugging my mom to take me to see "Star Wars", as the buzz around the movie was immense. Anybody who has anybody had seen it.

After my mom previewed the movie with a cousin of hers, she decided it would be fine for me and my brother and took us to The Terrace theater in Livonia, Michigan (it is now a parking lot for a car dealership in case you had any aspirations to go there). On that hot summer day I settled in for what would be one of the most memorable movie experiences of my life.

"Star Wars" was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The special effects drool-worthy, and the story was a timeless battle of good against evil. Darth Vader was larger than life, and the stormtroopers had the coolest outfits of any bad guy minions up to that time. Like most kids my age, I wondered what they looked like under those masks.

I loved the droids and hoped they were real robots instead of people with elaborate costumes. Even finding out the latter was the case did nothing to diminish my love for the movie, and all the technology (droids included) was better than any cartoon or fairy tale around.

After seeing the movie, I had to collect the trading cards, get the action figures (which were very hard to find), and get the Death Star playset so I could relive the movie over and over. I read every magazine that had an article about "Star Wars", and the movie was the default conversation topic with friends for the rest of the year.

Like many of my generation, going to see "Star Wars" was a seminal cultural event and led to a love of science fiction and movies in general. It also spawned a series that has thrilled moviegoers up to this day.

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