As if Hollywood wasn’t content with merely boasting some of the world’s most rich, powerful and beautiful people, Tinseltown can now also brag that they were the first people to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Life’s really not fair sometimes.
The world premiere of J.J. Abrams’ epic sci-fi adventure took place in the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles last night, and proved itself to be, quite literally, the biggest cinematic event of the year. The premiere required four blocks of Los Angeles to be closed to traffic – in comparison, the Oscars only call for one block to be closed off.
Given the amount of diehard fans in attendance, it’s no surprise that the night was overflowing with brilliance and entertainment long before the film started rolling. The red carpet for the most hugely anticipated film of the year/decade was a blast, as celebrity fans seriously got into the spirit of the event. Joseph Gordon-Levitt arrived dressed as Yoda while Rainn Wilson dressed up as a #ChubbyJedi. Peter ‘Chewbacca’ Mayhew rocked a lightsabre cane, while our Hot Press Annual interviewee Gwendoline Christie, who plays the first ever female Stormtrooper Captain Plasma, came appropriately accompanied by a band of protective Stormtroopers.
The seventh instalment in the series reunites Ford with original cast members Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, and they were joinged on the red carpet by new cast members Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson and Gwendoline Christie.
Screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan was also in attendance and dropped a few hints about the film, saying that he hopes fans will be pleased with film’s playful sense of humour. Having written both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Kasdan knows the Star Warsworld intimately, and seemed confident that the new instalment will charm both diehard fans and neophytes. “I'm really happy with it, and I think it's full of surprises, and really goofy," he said in a livestreamed interview from the red carpet. "When we started out, J.J. [Abrams] and I said, 'Let's see if we can make it delightful.' And I said to him, 'We've got to like it when we're with it.' And I think we did that."
Abrams and Lawrence recorded their brainstorming sessions and idea-filled hikes, but Lawrence admitted that they weren’t as discreet as one might expect.
"We were reckless," Kasdan said. "We were in restaurants and cafes and we were yelling things like, 'Han should do this!' We were not careful."
Perhaps one of the most meaningful moments from the red carpet came when J.J. Abrams and Star Wars creator George Lucas embraced on the red carpet, a lovely moment where the iconic director figuratively passed the torch (or lightsaber) to the new helmer. Lucas, who had already seen the movie and has reportedly given it his seal of approval, said “It's a film about families and what one generation leaves behind another generation has to deal with."
Lucas added "I started off wanting to do a film for young people who were going through adolescence, with mythological themes and spiritual themes. That is what resonated with people."
Harrison Ford, who reprises his role as Han Solo in the film, said that making a Star Wars film now was a very different experience from making one in the 1970s.
"In the 70s nobody knew what to anticipate, nobody had seen anything like it, now we have to live up to what the first films delivered," he said. But he said he did not feel too much pressure, quipping, "It's not my fault, we can blame it on JJ. I just work here.”
Carrie Fischer was also in good spirits as she contemplated her return to the role of Princess Leia, joking "I asked young Carrie Fisher what it was like to be younger but she ignored me. She was out partying to make sure I could look like shit later."
The first reactions to the film have been overwhelmingly positive, with critics and fans praising the classic-feeling action, story, new characters, and humour. No doubt this will come as welcome news for fans, who have already made the film a box office record breaker, as the film has already sold more than half a million tickets in England for its opening week at one cinema chain alone.
We do have one up on the U.S. though, as we get to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens from December 17, whereas American audiences will have to wait until December 18. After all the news and great reviews from the premiere, we cannot wait.