MJM writes:

My story isn't really horrific as some of the others that have been reported, but it was very aggravating to me.

First off, I was going to the midnight show at AMC South Barrington cineplex in South Barrington, Illinois with my friends, and unfortunately, I got stuck in a different theatre than them (they were in #15, I was in #24).

Secondly, the theatre staff opened #15 at 7:30pm! My friends had to get a manager to get a decent seat because they weren't going to sit in the front row, and the theatre doesn't give refunds.

On my end of things, the film began 15 minutes LATE in theatre #24. Midnight came around and they kept switching the video advertisements on and off. There were boos, chants, and protest clapping that came and went for the entire 15 minutes, until at about 10 after the hour when a theatre employee came in to tell us "the film will start in five minutes." Well, not entirely true since we still had to sit through some commercials as well as six trailers.

This annoyed me greatly because after this show, I was going to a 3:25am show at a theatre about 35 minutes away. So, I knew I'd either cut it close, or be flat out late. Anyway, when the end titles hit, I went. Unfortunately, the entire parking lot was gridlocked, and when 3:25am hit, I was just leaving the parking lot.

Then, there was a horrible downpour all the way to the other theatre (which took me 40 minutes to get to). So, I didn't arrive at the Cinemark at Seven Bridges theatre in Woodridge, Illinois until just before the theatre scene between Palpatine & Anakin. My friends were lucky enough to have just entered when the trailers began.

On the bright side, it was my first Star Wars midnight screening, and it was amusing at times with all the costumed fans. There were some lightsaber fights at the front of my auditorium, and even one guy dressed in the full Vader garb joined in. I was glad to get a bottle of Diet Coke and a small popcorn for $2.00 instead of $8.00 at most theatres. I plan to see the movie digitally in the coming weeks, and overall, it was a great movie! Definitely the best of the prequels.