Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, you know that George Lucas is bringing back The Phantom Menace to a theater near you, this time in 3D.  I know, I know; the idea of seeing Jar-Jar Binks thisclose isn’t particularly appealing.  But even though I struggle to get through the original trilogy (GEORGE LUCAS RAPED OUR CHILDHOOD…*sobs*) , even I have to say that the pod racing scenes are pretty awesome.  I’d like to see that zooma-zoom-zoom in 3D.  And now I have an even better reason.  That’s right, Free Swag.  There will be free Hasbro giveaways during opening weekend, February 10-12.  But for a lucky few, there will be more….

Straight from the horse’s mouth (that’d be Lucasfilm Ltd., y’all):

To mark the return of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace to theatres, now in immersive 3D, kids, collectors and Star Wars fans of all ages will receive an all-new Hasbro Star Wars Fighter Pod with the purchase of each RealD 3D ticket for Episode I, all weekend long, February 10-12 only at AMC theatres (limit one per ticket, while supplies last).

Additionally, 10 AMC theatres in the United States will host exclusive event screenings in RealD 3D to bring the fun of Star Wars in 3D to life for families and fans. Starting Saturday, Feb. 11 at 11 a.m. local time, select theatres will offer activities, giveaways, and interactive experiences. Fans can expect (while supplies last):

·         Exclusive Anakin Skywalker Podracer 3D glasses with ticket purchase, to truly get into the speed and spectacle of 3D Star Wars on the big screen.
·         A Hasbro Star Wars FIGHTER PODS collectible toy with RealD 3D ticket purchase
·         A LEGO® feature area
·         Darth Maul face-painting; a chance to reveal your inner Sith Lord at long last!
·         Special character appearances for photo opportunities
·         Demonstrations of the upcoming Xbox Kinect™ Star Wars™

 

The big-time throwdowns aren’t coming to the Baltimore-DC area, sadly.  But for those of you who live in one of these cities (or know people who do, and are really jonesing for a bit of geekery before Comic-Con gets it’s show on the road), here’s the list of those 10 lucky cities:

Atlanta: AMC Southlake 24

Boston: AMC Loews Liberty Tree Mall 20

Chicago: AMC South Barrington 30

Denver: AMC Highlands Ranch 24

Los Angeles: AMC Tustin 14 at The District; AMC Ontario Mills 30

New York: AMC Empire 25; AMC Garden State 16

Phoenix: AMC Mesa Grand 24

San Francisco: AMC Emeryville Bay Street 16

Soooo…road trip to NYC?  Anyone?  Bueller?  I’ve gotta say the idea of getting my Darth Maul facepaint on is really, really tempting. Okay, OKAY; I wanna play with the Legos!  There, I said it.  I’m a Lego junkie, and I ain’t ashamed.

But road trip or no?  Give me some room ’til I get my hands on a fighter pod and nobody gets hurt.