The Force is strong with film fans in the kingdom as frenzied Star Wars enthusiasts don their Jedi robes and grab their replica lightsabers in preparation for the release of Rogue One, which opens tonight.
At the forefront is Bahrain’s biggest Star Wars geek, TV and Bahrain Radio personality Paul Fraser. Last year, he attended the premiere of Episode VII: The Force Awakens at City Centre Bahrain garbed in his full replica Stormtrooper outfit … which ended with him surrounded by security who didn’t take too kindly to his laser blaster!
He said: “It was a scary moment for a while, I don’t think they’d ever seen anything quite like it before!
It certainly didn’t help when I was asked to remove my helmet and I had a balaclava on underneath!” This year, Paul will be attending a screening at Seef Mall, where a gathering is planned with many fans turning up in costumes and masks based on their favourite characters.
He will be back in his Stormtrooper outfit … this time with a new addition. He explained: “This year I joined the 1st Imperial Stormtrooper community on the internet. I was given the service number of TK4869 and then was assigned to the 1st Arabian Battalion (Bahrain Detachment). As such, I have made a subtle adjustment to my outfit!”
Star Wars fandom runs in the family, as Paul’s son Gregor, nine, is obsessed with the series too. His bedroom is a shrine to all things galactic, with his ceiling adorned with polystyrene planets that he made and painted himself and the walls and shelves stacked with models of the iconic vehicles like the Millennium Falcon and the X-Wing.
Most of his spare time is spent waging intergalactic war with his dad on the Star Wars: Battlefront video game on the PlayStation. Rogue One is the first in what is known as the Star Wars Anthology series, which is essentially a platform for spin-offs outside of the main episodic canon.
Set between Episode III and Episode IV, the Gareth Edwards-directed tale tells the story of Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), who is recruited by the Rebel Alliance to lead a team to steal the design schematics of the Empire’s new superweapon, the Death Star. Styled as more of a gritty war film rather than an expansive space opera, the film looks set to fill in continuity gaps that fans have been crying out for since the original was released in 1977.
Paul believes it has just as much potential at the box office as last year’s The Force Awakens, which fetched more than $2 billion. He said: “The big thing for me is going to be Darth Vader back on the big screen.
Speaking of big, the digital effects of the three prequels never really gave an imposing feeling when the Star Destroyers went across the screen. The use of real models in The Force Awakens changed that and I think Rogue One will be even more impressive. “I’ve read that John Williams won’t be doing the music, and instead it has been passed to Michael Giancchino. I just hope it will have that same iconic sound that can bring back the memories of the next generation of young cinemagoers like it always has for me.”
Cinema bosses are also frantically racing around to set plans in motion for their screenings, as demand is soaring as fan excitement boils over. CINECO general supervisor, Mahmood Jagbeer, has spent the past week putting together the schedule for the film, and believes it will see the highest screening attendances this year.
He explained: “People have been asking for months when it’s coming. In the last two weeks especially, we’ve had a lot of phone calls asking when the release date is, and for screening and timing information. “It’s clear that everyone has high hopes for the movie and it is set to earn the love of fans just like the previous ones.
We’re excited to release the movie tonight, and from tomorrow it will be shown on multiple screens in all of our cinemas to cope with the number of fans eager to see it.”
