The latest Star Wars movie opened Thursday, and hundreds of fans lined up at Kukui Grove Cinema hours ahead of time.
“I’m deeply excited,” said Jonathan Caspillo, 26.
For Caspillo, one of the few fans in full costume, the moment was also bittersweet. “The Rise of Skywalker” is the final installment of a narrative that began four decades and nine films ago with “Episode IV — A New Hope,” in 1977.
“This is like the end of a chapter,” he said.
Caspillo was introduced to Star Wars as a kid when he saw “The Phanom Menace” in the theater at age 6. Afterward, he got the original trilogy on VHS, and has been hooked ever since.
He watched the next five Star Wars movies as they came out, but his all-time favorite is “Return of the Jedi,” because he said it had such a great ending — “It had everything! Vader’s redemption… Ewoks.” — which is exactly what he hoped to get with “The Rise of Skywalker.”
“I’m hoping it’ll be a good ending, with like a new Jedi order,” he said. “This movie could end so many ways, but that’s what makes it so interesting and fun.”
Either way, Caspillo looked like he enjoyed just being around other Star Wars geeks.
“I’m having loads of fun,” he said. “It’s great to see all the fans come out. That’s what makes this franchise so great.”
Over an hour before the 7 p.m. show, hundreds of fans were already gathered at Kukui Grove Cinema. The line wrapped halfway around the theater and spilled into the parking lot. Caspillo got there at 4 p.m., but he wasn’t even close to the first.
That spot was held by three uncles — Kimo Kahoano, Billy Rodrigues and Poki Battad — who came together after work at around 2 p.m.
“We’re undercover nerds,” Kahoano said. “We got normal jobs.”
Battad said he has been going to watch Star Wars movies since the very beginning, when he saw the original in a theater on Oahu as a little kid.
“I went with my parents, and the line was just as long as this,” he said.
The uncles were just as excited as Caspillo about how the series will conclude.
“I hope it ends with a Ren being the new Skywalker,” Battad said.
“And a baby Yoda,” Kahoano added.
Just behind them in line were two siblings, Elias, 12, and Kiele Casillas, 15, who walked to the theater right after school and were eventually joined by their parents. A family discussion about favorite characters quickly turned into a heated argument.
“Yoda. R2D2,” Elias said. “Anybody as long as it’s not Luke Skywalker.”
“Where’s the disowning papers?” his father, Dante, laughed. “You’re gonna sleep outside tonight.”
Dante Casillas saw the original Star Wars at age 4 — “And I remember all of it” — and went on to father three hardcore fans. He also had some guesses about how “The Rise of Skywalker” will wrap up the saga.
“Lando is gonna take Chewbacca away in the Millenium Falcon,” he said. “And I have a prediction that Sheev Palpatine might turn out to be a good guy.”
“Or Ren might turn out to be the bad guy!” Elias said.
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Caleb Loehrer, staff writer, can be reached at 245-0441 or cloehrer@thegardenisland.com.
