Everyone's going to want to see Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker but some fans will need
to exercise a little extra caution.
Disney is working with the Epilepsy Foundation to get the word out that viewers with photosensitive
epilepsy may be adversely affected by some sequences in the movie.
Those with photosensitive epilepsy a group which comprises about 3 percent of epilepsy
patients overall can suffer seizures when exposed to strobe-like flashing lights for
significant periods of time.
As a result, The House of Mouse has reportedly sent a letter to every venue exhibiting The
Rise of Skywalker, all over the world, warning of the potential of some portions of the film
to cause serious problems for viewers with the condition.
At the same time, the Epilepsy Foundation's official Twitter account tweeted a message
praising Disney for its proactive stance, and sharing a link to a page on its website
containing advice for photosensitive epilepsy sufferers who, like the rest of us, are anxiously
awaiting the flick's release.
This is important info, which we'll share for the benefit of anyone who suffers from
photosensitive epilepsy, or who knows somebody who does.
The Foundation's helpful message comes with advice for viewers who may suffer from photosensitive
epilepsy, but still want to safely see the movie, medical concerns or not.
The message reads, in part:
"If you or someone you know are sensitive to lights, please consider the following as
you make plans to watch the movie:
-Ask a friend to watch the movie first.
-Take your friend with you when you go see the film to alert you to which scenes contain
the flashing lights so you block your eyes during those scenes.
-Teach your friend the three simple steps of seizure first aid Stay, Safe, Side so that
they can assist if you have a seizure."
About those three steps: in the event that someone you're with has an epileptic seizure,
you'll want to Stay with the person and start timing the seizure; make sure that they're
Safe, steering them clear of potentially dangerous objects or environments; and turn them on
their Side to help make them as comfortable as possible.
You can visit the Epilepsy Foundation's First Aid for Seizures page on its website for more
information.
One of the last major pictures to pose significant risks to those suffering from photosensitive
epilepsy was Incredibles 2, the highly-anticipated sequel to Pixar's 2004 superhero spectacular.
That film ended up carrying a similar warning to The Rise of Skywalker's at some theaters.
For its overseas and home releases, Disney went so far as to re-edit the film so that
it would comply with the Harding Box test, which is used to effectively measure the risk
posed to photosensitive epilepsy sufferers due to flashing lights.
2011's Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 is another major mainstream film which prompted a warning
from the Epilepsy Foundation after nine moviegoers were reported to have been hospitalized during
screenings.
The Tumblr page Movie Health Community, which keeps track of films which might pose problems
for those with epilepsy or acute motion sickness, has also compiled a list of recent films which
may prompt epileptic seizures.
Among them are: Ocean's 8, Solo: A Star Wars Story, A Wrinkle in Time, Deadpool 2, Ready
Player One, Avengers: Infinity War, Tomb Raider, and the Netflix movie The Cloverfield Paradox.
While it's only a small percentage of the population that are adversely affected by
exposure to flashing lights, it's safe to say that pretty much everybody is going to
be taking in The Rise of Skywalker at some point, so it's only appropriate that the potential
risk to that subset of viewers should be broadcast loud and clear.
"We're all in this, til the end."
All too often, giant corporations are oblivious to the issues that their products might cause
to underrepresented segments of their customer bases, so when they get things right, we're
of the opinion that they should be commended.
In this case, Disney absolutely got it right so thank you, Mickey, for doing your part
to prevent any unnecessary suffering on the part of viewers who can't wait to see how
the decades-spanning Skywalker Saga ends.
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