The Alamo Drafthouse (Denver/Littleton) is my favorite movie theater ever. It has great food and drinks, amazing pre-film clip shows,  a draconian no-talking/cell phone policy, and they show an eclectic mix of films new and old (I recently saw my favorite horror movie of all time, the infamous 1977 Japanese film “Hausu” there). So naturally, that’s where I wanted to see The Force Awakens on opening night.

Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Due to some server mishaps on the night the tickets went on sale, I went to bed with Thursday night tickets at another theater. Thankfully, when I woke up the next morning, I was able to get tickets for the 18th, including two of the special Mondo pint glasses and the Star Wars-themed issue of their Birth. Movies. Death. magazine.

Before even reaching the theater, my wife and I knew this was going to be a special experience, as a Biker Scout hung out at the door. Inside, there were even more impeccable costumes- troopers, Darth Maul, and even Kylo Ren. It was high-quality stuff, but unfortunately we were running late, so I didn’t have a chance to take any good pictures or chat with the cosplayers.

Luckily, we made it in time to catch some of the pre-film clipshow. These are always great, but this Star Wars-themed one was maybe the best yet. It had everything from classic Kenner action figure commercials to modern YouTube videos from the likes of Danny Choo. Even the pre-show announcements, about how to order food and how to SHUT UP DURING THE MOVIE were Star Wars-themed.

Then the movie started. Turns out, it was even better the second time (we’ll all be giving our impressions in detail on the next episode of the Blockade Runner podcast… please look forward to it).

On our way out we picked up our pint glasses and magazine. Needless to say, they rule.

I can’t wait to dig into the magazine. It’s chock-full of interesting takes on the Star Wars phenomenon, from personal anecdotes to rad interviews.

Also, within the pages are some killer prints from legendary artists that I’ll never be able to afford… but at least now I can hold and admire physical versions!

While it was a bummer that I wasn’t able to have my first Force Awakens experience at Alamo, tonight was still absolutely incredible, leaving me with both great memories and some unique tangible keepsakes. I can’t wait to continue this new chapter of Star Wars history at the Alamo in the years to come.