Thursday, May 13, 1999
Star Wars fans can't wait for Wednesday
Glitz, heroics keep viewers coming back
BY SUE KIESEWETTER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Star Wars fan Tim Gabelman won't dress up when he goes to see Phantom Menace next week. And he hasn't memorized the lines — yet.
But the Loveland man has already purchased and read the George Lucas screenplay and Terry Brooks' novel based on the screenplay. In the past week, he's bought action figures and LEGO sets. He's downloaded the trailers about the movie from the Internet, watched the music videos and knows the characters.
He's taking off Wednesday, its opening, to see the movie with his friends.
“My mother says I'm reliving my childhood. I've been a fan all my life. I grew up on Star Wars,” said the 21-year-old Mr. Gabelman, who was born a year after the original Star Wars flick hit the big screen.
That doesn't explain 50-year-old Pat Snyder of Fairfield who is excited about taking her kids to see the movie.
Or 36-year-old Pat Newell who is flying to Orlando to take his nephew to his first Star Wars movie.
Star Wars fans seem to span the generations. And even though Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace opens in six days and will have a long run, many fans waited in line Wednesday to get tickets to the first showings because they just didn't want to wait any longer.
One of them was Alana Schirmer, 27, Finneytown, who was in line early at the Springdale Showcase theater hoping to get 12:01 a.m. tickets. She said she thinks the movie is multi-generational because of its message of hope.
“No matter how young or how old you are, that will always be attractive,” Ms. Schirmer said.
Star Wars fans enjoy different aspects of the movies, Ms. Schirmer said.
“Star Wars offers such a wide variety of different things. Your sci-fi special effects. The story line always offers a sense of hope, a sense of good will conquer evil, but its not always easy. You have to fight for what you believe in.”
The draw, Mr. Gabelman says, is as much the story line as the glitzy effects and music.
“It's the incorporation of all of the myths of history,” he says. "It's good vs. evil. It's the human struggle.”
It's just exciting, says avid science fiction fan Pat Snyder. She plans to take her 16-year-old son, Andy, to the movie. She took her older children, Chris and Kate to Return of the Jedi and The Empire Strikes Back when they were young.
“It's the excitement of the whole thing. It's something you can do to connect with your kid,” said Mrs. Snyder.“I remember taking (my son) Chris and how neat that was and how exciting. When Star Wars or Star Trek movies are on we're still glued to the TV.”
Andy, 16, says he was hooked by the time he was 8. Now, he plays Star Wars games on the family computer, reads the books, listens to the music, collects the action figures, puts up posters and listens to the movie soundtracks.
Like the Snyders, watching the Star Wars movies on TV became a family tradition for Stacie Peters, 21, of Norwood. She and her three younger sisters watched the movies with their father — even if it was on past their bedtimes.
As assistant manager of K B Toys at Kenwood Towne Center, Ms. Peters, 21, has easy access to all the toys as they are shipped. She's read the book, played video games and read Phantom Menace.
“I am psyched to go to the movie. I'm waiting to get the new posters and action figures until I get more money,” Ms. Peters said. “I hope we don't run out! The toys are very popular.”
Fan Matt Nielsen has vowed not to read the book or screenplay until after he sees the movie next week.
“I'm not going to touch the CD or book. I don't want it to be ruined. I don't want anyone to tell me about it,” said Mr. Nielsen, 28, of Sharonville. “I don't want to spoil the surprise.”
While Star Wars is not his whole life, Pat Breslin, admits he has been known to drive more than four hours to a Star Wars convention to see one of the actors and then return home the same day. He plans to do the same this weekend when he travels to a convention in Detroit, his third in the past two years.
“I'm going to have 9-10 hours of driving for fun, to see the characters that were part of my growing up,” said Mr. Breslin, who works at General Electric.
“It drew me in,” said Mr. Breslin, now 31 and married. “I was in awe. I'd never seen special effects like that. It was simple enough that at 9, I understood what was going on. When I was little my imagination went wild.”
Rick Newellalready has booked a flight to Orlando where he plans to celebrate his nephew's seventh birthday by taking him to see Phantom Menace. Mr. Newell, will bring his nephew a space ship. It will be the child's first viewing of a Star Wars movie in a theater.
“I'm as excited as he is,” the North Avondale man said. “I was 13 or 14 when the first one came out and I was too old to get the toys. I remember reading about it in Time magazine and thought "Wow, I want to see this.'”
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