The fandom awakens

A long time ago in a galaxy not-so-far away — actually in a movie theatre in Rockville Centre…

On the night of Dec. 17, Jedi, droids and Sith Lords alike came to AMC Fantasy 5 to see “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the long-awaited seventh movie in the space adventure sci-fi franchise.

“I’m super excited to see the new Star Wars,” said Sean Wynne of Oceanside. “I’ve been waiting a long time. Since the ‘Return of the Jedi,’ since I was a kid.” He has been following the news of the “The Force Awakens” since it was first announced.

“It’s definitely going to go down in the books as one of the biggest movies of all time,” he added. Advance sales for the film broke box office records and crashed movie ticket websites.

Raul Fernandez, who lives in Manhattan and works in Valley Stream, said he became a Star Wars through the Expanded Universe novels. “My cousin, the big Star Wars fan, told me about it and… it blew my mind,” he said. “It was hard when Disney bought [the Star Wars franchise] and said they were canceling it.”

Nevertheless, Fernandez said he had faith “The Force Awakens” would be a good movie, a belief shared by many fans who were confident in Director J.J. Abrams.

Vinnie Saldutti of Lawrence, who came with his girlfriend Gabby Sarro, said he had been a fan since he was three years old. Saldutti, 20, said he was looking forward to the new villain Kylo Ren, and seeing how the original cast of the films fit into the movie.

For a lot of people, Star Wars is a lifelong passion. Many adults said they became fans as children - and some brought their children to the premiere.

“I’ve been [a fan] all my life,” said America Muggli of Valley Stream, who owns the original versions of the films on VHS.

She also made sure her 15-year-old son, Alex, who accompanied her to the premiere, also became a fan. “I tried to bring my costume but he said no,” she said.

Muggli said that when she saw the original Star Wars in theatres, people cheered and some got back on line to watch it again. She did not let her son see the much-maligned prequel movies in theatres though.

“I’m curious to see how this one works,” said Andy Tigre of Rockville Centre, who said he said he was more of a casual fan. “I’m just hoping for a good movie – like the originals. As long as they’re better than the prequels, then I’m pretty good. Because the prequels were pretty bad.”