He aims to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens 30 times

Composite of Chris Gomez’s ticket stubs. Photo: Chris Gomez

How many times have you seen the latest Star Wars movie? Once? Twice? Ten times? Amateur.

Meet Chris Gomez, who, as of Wednesday (13 Jan), has watched Star Wars: The Force Awakens 28 times in 28 days at cinemas across Singapore. By the time you read this, he may have even completed his goal of 30 screenings.

Gomez, who retired a few years ago to become an angel investor, has been posting images of his ticket stubs on Twitter (@chrisgomez), drawing attention for his dedication to J.J. Abram’s latest movie.

A fan since he watched Return of the Jedi (or as he called it then, Return of the Jade Eye) as a kid, Gomez wanted to do something special to commemorate the release of the first Star Wars movie in 11 years, and decided to watch the movie once a day for 30 days straight.

While he light-heartedly talked about “gifting” himself the opportunity to do so, Gomez said, in all seriousness, embarking on this 30-day challenge was a great way for him “to pay tribute to every individual who worked on all the Star Wars movies”.

Photo: Chris Gomez

The Star Wars franchise, he said, was the inspiration for him to leave engineering a “long time ago and get into film production”. He has also invested in a movie merchandise and comic book store (and in the process gets “access to all the Star Wars comics I want”), and sometimes participates in the Star Wars board games which run there every weekend.

“Star Wars played a big part in my early formative years. Star Wars inspired me to have audacious dreams and really dig deep to find the real me. The price I’ve paid for all my Star Wars: The Force Awakens tickets so far does not come close to the role Star Wars played in my life,” Gomez told Yahoo Singapore.

“Besides, how many times will the Star Wars franchise have a launch such as this, at this scale? And so far, it’s been an amazing ride for me. Each time it’s like I’m watching it for the first time.”

Despite his numerous trips to the cinemas, there have only been three occasions where Gomez watched The Force Awakens with friends. Though he does love working with people, watching alone was simply more convenient.

“By the time you’re done discussing [all the variables for viewing a movie with friends], Star Wars: Rogue One will be showing,” Gomez said.

And while his friends generally haven’t noticed, in the online world, where Gomez has been sharing his experience, he has received a lot of supportive messages from followers across the globe.

“Many especially want to see how far I go and want to communicate with me during this adventure,” Gomez said. “But Star Wars is very personal to me. It holds a special place and so this is a personal journey.”

Best place to catch Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Having seen the 135-min-long movie so many times has made Gomez a sort of expert on cinemas in Singapore, and he has some tips for those who still intend to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens before it ends its theatrical run.

While newcomers to the series should watch at The Grand Cathay for the big screen, for the best viewing experience, Gomez recommends the IMAX 3D version at Shaw Lido.

“Every time you see that Star Destroyer sticking out of the screen, you just want to touch it,” said Gomez, who also lauded Golden Village at VivoCity for having good seats and sound.

As for some corners of the internet, who have raised issues with the similarities between The Force Awakens and the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, Gomez feels they need to take a “chill pill”.

“Filmmakers are the ubergeeks in my books,” he said. “I always suggest giving them leeway to play around with ideas as long as what they try doesn’t take your attention away from the story, and I believe Mr [Lawrence] Kasdan [the scriptwriter] and Mr Abrams did an amazing job in this regard.”

Gomez was also full of praise for the editing work done for the movie, citing his own experience working in film production and the challenges in continuity presented by multiple scenes.

While he has noticed some errors, such as the new droid BB-8’s antenna sometimes changing from scene to scene, he still believes “post-production did their best to smoothen out many of the continuity kinks”.

“I can’t begin to imagine how challenging it must have been for the editors to work their magic here, and work their magic they did, because all of it did come out polished in the end,” he said.

And while he’s nearing his target for The Force Awakens, Gomez said he intends to do a similar viewing project with future Star Wars movies, such as Rogue One and the yet unnamed Episodes VIII and IX.

As for rewatching the previous films, Gomez, whose favourite is The Empire Strikes Back, adds he’s the sort who won’t commit to watching them if he “can’t spare the time watch the whole trilogy in one sitting”.

That’s some commitment, especially considering he’s watched the first and second trilogies “no less than 20 times over the past 20 years”.

Just keep all that in mind the next time a friend tries to tell you about his or her Star Wars “marathon”.