The irresistible force N
Valley movie fans eager for screening of last ‘Star Wars’ installment
icholas Simonin was the first person in line for “The Force Awakens” in 2015. Two years later, he was again the head of the pack for “The Last Jedi.” So it made perfect sense that the queue would form behind the 27-year-old North Providence resident in advance of Friday night’s screening of “The Rise of Skywalker.”
A devoted fan of the “Star Wars” franchise, Simonin had grabbed his spot in line to ensure he and his friends would have their choice of seats inside the theater at Cinemaworld on Friday. He wanted to make sure he had the perfect view of the big screen for the final installment of the nine-episode “Star Wars” saga, so he arrived early for the 7:45 p.m. screening. Seven hours early, to be specific.
“I wanted to get a good seat, but I’ve been so excited for this movie that I didn’t care what time I got here, as long as I just got here,” he said just prior to 1 p.m. Friday. “It’s great to be first in line for such a great franchise.”
This weekend’s release of “The Rise of Skywalker” represents the ninth installment in the saga of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, droids R2D2 and C-3PO, and new characters Rey, Finn, Poe, and the villainous Kylo Ren. The series dates back to the 1977 release of “A New Hope” and has spanned nine theatrical releases over 42 years.
The movie franchise has been an
enormous commercial and cultural success, grossing nearly $10 billion at the worldwide box office, winning several awards, and leading to entertainment ventures such as television series, video games, and theme park attractions.
Released on Thursday night, “The Rise of Skywalker” grossed $40 million in its first night in cinemas, according to Box Office Mojo, and was on pace to deliver a threeday debut of $220 million at the American box office, which would equal the opening weekend of 2017’s “The Last Jedi” and trail about $27 million behind the debut weekend for 2015’s “The Force Awakens.”
Simonin said it’s readily apparent why the “Star Wars” saga has such an ardent following and has proven to be a cinematic triumph over several decades.
“It’s a tale of resistance, rebellion, hope, for freedom in a galaxy controlled by tyranny,” he said. “It’s an underdog story and it’s a fantastic underdog story. It’s not for everyone, I know people who don’t really like ‘Star Wars,’ they think it’s all action and blowing up stuff. But if you look deeper, it’s more than that. It’s about people trying to fight for freedom within a world of tyranny. It’s people struggling to fight for freedom, and it’s a great story.”
“Go look at the old films,” he said of the technical wizardry behind the creation of the series. “If you look at how George Lucas did the old films, how he filmed them, how he made the effects, George Lucas was ahead of his time … He made a space opera epic using some of what are now known as the best effects that he could have, without any CGI.”
However, while he was counting down the minutes – and hours – until Friday night’s screening, Simonin was also somewhat tentative, and perhaps even a bit nervous, about how the series would conclude. This could be attributed to the sour taste left in his mouth from “The Last Jedi.”
“I did not care for Episode VIII, I feel like Episode VIII was way too far off what Episode VII was setting up for,” he said of ‘The Last Jedi.’ “So they took a complete left turn and it just made me scratch my head, asking ‘Why? Why did we do this?’ I felt like ‘The Last Jedi’ wasn’t a compete waste of a movie, but it’s the one ‘Star Wars’ movie I’ve only seen once and have not rewatched. It made no sense whatsoever.”
That said, he wasn’t going to allow that to temper his anticipation for “The Rise of Skywalker.”
“The trailers got me excited, what I’ve seen has gotten me excited, the return of old characters have gotten me excited, the promotions have gotten me excited, but I’m again holding my breath because what the last movie did was kind of, there’s a lot that either needs to be fixed or somewhat explained from the last movie,” he said.
Kevin Palumbo, a fellow North Providence resident, was equally excited to see the latest installment in the space odyssey. He recalled being a 13-year-old in 1977 and seeing “A New Hope” in theaters nine times.
“Back in 1975, 1976, 1977, there was no movie like that,” Palumbo said. “That was the start of the technology. It was the first real blockbuster with technology on the big screen … It’s a classic love story. It was the bad guys are taking the galaxy over and the guy falls in love with a princess, he wants to get out of dodge, and he takes a chance in life and he meets a princess.”
“I’ve always loved space movies, I’ve always loved looking into the future. The reason I’m here, I’m hoping it just will be good,” he said.
Granted, his optimism for the franchise was tempered, much like Simonin’s, due to what he felt was a lackluster showing from the most recent release.
“The last one sucked … It could’ve been so much more,” he said. “When (Rey) finally meets Luke, he’s sitting there on a rock and making stupid jokes about becoming a Jedi. Come on. It was too cheesy, it was too Disney.”
However, he wasn’t going to let the disappointment from the last movie affect his excitement for the final installment of a saga that started 42 years ago.
“I should be a critic, I see every movie under the sun,” he said with a laugh. “I’m very excited about ‘Star Wars.’ I just love it.”
Jonathan Bissonnette on Twitter @J_Bissonnette