Star Wars and Spoiler Sobriety
Attempting to know nothing about the biggest film in the world.
“Seriously?”
My friend Tyler looked at me as if I’d proclaimed I’d be climbing the Himalayas or living on a crab boat for the rest of my life.
“You’re staying completely away from spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens?”
I nodded, confirming that was the plan. He leaned back in his chair and asked the question other friends had asked once they’d heard my decision.
“How, exactly?”
To be frank, I wish I knew.
Avoiding spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an unsettling life choice. It’s like making an effort to ignore the wind. How can you turn your back on such a monumental force and expect not to be affected by it? How can you attempt to look away when its presence is all around?
From T-shirts and Happy Meal toys to video games and bus-stop ads, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been plastered on every object and medium possible — as if the franchise is a power that still needs to prove itself. Notably, that Hollywood can make three massive clunkers of cinema (the prequels, I mean) and still draw audiences to The Force Awakens exemplifies the absolute magnetism of the series.
But again, when it comes to this latest installment, everything after that first cast photo (seen in the header) is mostly dead to me.
I’ll be ignoring the buzz, missing the hype, and stepping back from the chaos. I’ll be shielding my eyes from magazine covers at the grocery, disregarding trending Twitter hashtags, and muting spoiler-serving Facebook friends. The only expection to the rule is if I see a trailer before another film and then, for those two minutes, will I get a taste. There will be no rewatching on Youtube.
But…why???
This is always the follow-up question I get asked and one Tyler had on his mind as well. I’ll answer with a question of my own.
When’s the last time you went to a movie theater and knew nothing about the film?
With promotional material like lobby cards, posters, trailers, and fanzine ads, audiences have always had some knowledge about films. But today, we are so saturated by movie tidbits, cast gossip, and “breaking news” that we have layers of connections with the material long before we witness the opening credits. In fact, it’s possible we better understand a film’s diegesis and/or ethos before we see it than former generations did even after their initial viewing.
Is a film better because we know the villain’s name before we see him on the screen? Is it okay the biggest action sequences are the highlights for the trailer? Do we enjoy a film more after seeing slideshows of blurry behind-the-scenes pictures taken from afar?
I’m not sure whom I blame more here: a fan culture who can’t seem to get enough, or industry marketers who believe “more is more.” Should I sneer at a movie studio for showing a trailer at Comic Con or the guy with the iPhone, whose unfocused recording of it forces the studio to pull back the curtain online earlier than intended?
When I ask others about the last time they knew nothing about a film before going into a theater, they say it hasn’t happened since they were kids. And perhaps that’s the best reason for my wanting to avoid anything related to Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
I want to sit down and have no concept of what is about to befall me. I want to take it in with innocent eyes, let the experience wash over me. I want to have a nerd-like experience that nerd-culture doesn’t seem to believe in anymore. How exhilarating that could be. How exhilarating that will be.
Upon hearing me out, a grin formed over Tyler’s face. He had one final question…
Can I join you?
