Hollywood feels the Force with electrifying 'Rogue One' premiere
LOS ANGELES -- The world premiere of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story may not have matched the scale of The Force Awakens (which cordoned off a quarter mile of Hollywood Boulevard and packed three movie theaters with euphoric fans last December), but it certainly wasn't lacking in spectacle.
Forgoing the Chinese, Dolby and El Capitan where The Force Awakens debuted, Rogue One headed further down the street on Dec. 10, dominating several blocks around Hollywood's historic Pantages Theatre, where a full scale X-Wing fighter was parked out front -- ready for our rebels to make a clean getaway if the Empire showed up.
Taking its cue from last year's Force Awakens premiere, the red carpet was tented to stave off a brisk December breeze, and once inside, attendees were ushered past displays featuring the film's costumes and portraits of the stars.
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Further illustrating that Rogue One was designed to stand alone from the so-called "saga" films that follow the Skywalker family, the premiere was absent any cast members from previous installments in the franchise, save for Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) -- perhaps to prevent zealous journalists on the carpet from shifting the focus to next year's Episode VIII before the rebels had their day.
The event certainly wasn't lacking in star power, however. Rogue One's stars -- including Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikkelsen, Riz Ahmed and Donnie Yen -- were joined by genre luminaries such as Joss Whedon, Bryan Fuller and Kevin Smith, along with fellow A-list fans including Michael Douglas, Aisha Tyler, Wil Wheaton, Geena Davis, Bill Nye and Christian Bale.
While the urge to stop for selfies was strong, guests were reminded to stay on target and head for the thermal exhaust port theatre entrance, lest they incur the wrath of the Stormtroopers that were on hand to keep things running smoothly.
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Unsurprisingly, security was tighter than a Death Star trash compactor, with bomb-sniffing dogs on hand and metal detectors set up on every sidewalk surrounding the theatre, even for pedestrians who were just trying to go about their business.
Upon reaching the Pantages, attendees were allowed to keep their phones, as long as they were sealed in nifty Yondr pouches that were locked while on the premises to prevent piracy -- a nice workaround to last year's arduous process of checking phones in at the door and having to line up to retrieve them after the screening.
While the Force Awakens premiere paid homage to the franchise's legacy with an on-stage introduction that showcased the various producers, cast members and droids involved before the film began, Rogue One got right to business, dimming the lights and rolling the movie with no preamble from director Gareth Edwards or his collaborators.
Thankfully, despite the presence of the X-Wing outside, no emergency getaways were needed -- the mood in the theater was nothing short of rapturous, and numerous scenes were punctuated with exuberant cheers and applause, which were earned by smaller character moments and spectacular action scenes in equal measure. By the time the credits rolled, the crowd was on its feet for a standing ovation.
Official reviews were embargoed until Dec. 13 (you can read our spoiler-free take here, and a longer, more detailed review here), but that didn't stop guests from sharing their first impressions on social media following the screening -- most of which were overwhelmingly positive:
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After the premiere, giddy guests headed up the street (still sheltered by the gargantuan tent) to Hollywood nightclub Avalon, where they could snag photo ops with Stormtroopers and Darth Vader -- if they dared -- or test out a 360 virtual reality experience that put them in the cockpit of their own X-wing during a blistering battle with the Imperial fleet.
Attendees who wanted to dabble in the Dark Side could sip on a forceful tequila cocktail dubbed The Imperial, while Alliance members could show their allegiance with a vodka-cranberry libation called The Rebel. To feed the sarlacc in their stomachs, snacks included chicken breast, lamb shanks or mac and cheese, followed by Death Star cake pops.
By midnight, things were winding down, leaving sore-footed guests to try and remember where they parked their tauntauns as they began the long trek home from a galaxy far, far away. Thankfully, we'll only have to wait until Thursday for a return visit.
Topics Star Wars
