The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Photos and text from The Associated Press
Tributes, standing ovation at ‘Rise of Skywalker’ premiere
LOS ANGELES >> Audiences rose to their feet giving the latest “Star Wars” film a standing ovation after the credits rolled at the ending of the franchise’s third trilogy.
Cheers often erupted with enthusiasm throughout while viewing “The Rise of Skywalker” on Monday night. After the screening, the film was met with a slew of positive reviews after director J.J. Abrams told the audience before the film played that he was “mostly terrified” to show the movie, which ran for nearly 2½ hours.
Seated in the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood were Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, and director Steven Spielberg, who Abrams specifically thanked.
Comedian-actor Seth Greensaid he enjoyed watching how the latest film closed the final chapter of the Skywalker saga.
Fans turned the premiere into a living tribute to various eras of the space epic franchise, with some dressing up like Hamill’s Luke and Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia from the 1977 original film with others opting for the look of the characters’ mother, Queen Amidala, and many donning the armor of Stormtroopers, bounty hunters and Darth Vader.
Attendees were treated to a blue carpet spectacle that included appearances by the droids C-3PO and R2-D2, and Chewbacca stepping out of a black sport utility vehicle and posing for photographers with long arms stretched in the air.
Guests included Harrison Ford and actors made famous by the newest trilogy: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Kelly Marie Tran.