Suburban fans feel 'The Force Awakens'
Chris Zimmerman said it best.
“I'm super excited!” the 26-year-old South Elgin man shouted in the lobby of AMC Streets of Woodfield theaters in Schaumburg.
The first showing of “Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens” was less than an hour away in one of eight auditoriums offering the movie.
Zimmerman and a few other stalwart fans had gathered in the lobby before the 7 p.m. start time.
“I have forced myself to breathe calmly multiple times already,” said Joe Prather, 40, of Elk Grove Village. “I've been waiting for this since Episode III. I'm going to see this one twice. Once at 7 p.m., then at 10:30 p.m. in 3-D IMAX.”
Prather came with backup: Joel Gilbert, 35, of Stickney (he lived in Mount Prospect 20 years, too) and James Weldon, 35, of Des Plaines.
“The three of us have been obsessed with 'Star Wars' since we met each other,” Weldon said. “That's all we talk about. We will spend hours on the phone talking about 'Star Wars.'”
So, what's the magic of the Force that brought this trio out on a Thursday night?
“It takes me back to being a little kid,” Weldon said. “I don't remember much of it on my aunt's TV set. I was too young. But I remember knowing the lines and being able to quote what was going to be said next.”
Gilbert offered a different motivation.
“It's my inability to grow up, as my wife would say,” Gilbert said.
Briana Maier, 22, of Elgin came to the theater with Zimmerman for a celebration.
“My brother got me tickets for my birthday,” she said. “I was quite young when the first ones (movies) started coming out. My favorite character would be Pademan. I named my dog after her.”
“My favorite character is Jar-Jar Binks,” Zimmerman admitted. “I thought he was hilarious, a really funny character.”
Zimmerman said the toughest thing about waiting to see “Force Awakens” has been media coverage.
“I've been trying to stay away from all of it,” he said. “I don't want to spoil anything. I've watched the trailers. That's as far as I'm willing to dig into it. It's hard to be surprised by anything.”
To augment the experience, Gilbert brought his green lightsaber to the screening.
“I'm doing it right this time,” he said.
But green? Why not a red one?
“I had a choice when I went to Wal-Mart picking this up,” he replied. “I'm tired of all the blue lightsabers. I kind of like the green. That's the color that Luke Skywalker gets in 'Return of the Jedi.'”
The Streets of Woodfield lobby looked positively deserted in comparison to the first showing of “Return of the Jedi” at the old (now gone) 1,000-plus-seat Woodfield Theater No. 1 where hundreds and hundreds of “Star Wars” fans crowded around the building and actually sprinted through the lobby on a quest for the best seats.
Theater employees say the reserved seating makes the difference — nobody needs to wait in line anymore. That's also the way it was at AMC Lake in the Hills — no lines, but excited fans.
“I'm looking forward to seeing the old characters come back,” said Denise Nalysnyk of Carpentersville.
“I have been waiting in prolonged anticipation for a decent 'Star Wars' movie since 'Return of the Jedi,'” said Tony Grandinetti of Rolling Meadows. “The prologues didn't do it for me, so I'm hopeful this will be a refreshing change of pace.”
“The Force Awakens” is predicted to hit the $1 billion mark on its first release.
• Daily Herald staff writer Lee Filas contributed to this report.