Trying To Recapture The Magic

When I was a kid, movies were magical. Davy Crockett really did grin down a bear, Spock died, and Gremlins were real. After all, how could an actor be playing C-3PO when he was clearly in pieces being carried on Chewbacca’s back?

As I got older and learned more about movies, I became interested in the science behind the magic. I began watching as many behind-the-scenes clips as I could. I didn’t care about celebrity news on Entertainment Tonight, show me the CGI of the T-1000 terminator!

When DVDs began to surface, I loved the ones loaded with extras. I’d watch as many bonus featurettes as I could. I learned about how green screen made Superman fly, blue suits turned Kevin Bacon invisible, and the Enterprise was a four foot model.

Now in my thirties, I’m regressing. I don’t watch the bonus material or listen to the commentary tracks. I feel a little saddened when I spot a green screen production photo. I’m trying to lose myself in the magic again, into the story, and characters. I’m trying not to see Tom Cruise and see Ethan Hunt.

Sometimes I come across a character so brilliant, I don’t want to see the actor in anything else. Case in point: Sherlock. Many people told me how good Sherlock was but I never got around to watching it. After all, I’ve seen Basil Rathbone and Robert Downey Jr. play him. But I really wanted to see Star Trek Into Darkness. After hearing that Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch was cast as Khan, I decided to give his BBC show a try. And I LOVED it! He is absolutely brilliant as Sherlock. In fact, I really don’t want to see any other work by Cumberbatch. I want to remember him as Sherlock. I want to link those two together inseparably. The same thing has happened to me with Doctor Who. I began watching it because I knew Christopher Eccleston from Gone In Sixty Seconds and G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra. But after he left the show, David Tennant’s portrayal of the tenth Doctor is my favorite. I want to remember him as the Doctor, not playing the Doctor.

So, now I try not to watch the science behind the magic. It’s hard, I often look up trivia on IMDB for movies I’ve just watched. But I’m trying to regain the magic, if even a little bit.

Thanks for reading.