You’ve sat through the longest first half I’ve witnessed in a long time (sheesh) and seen the final TFA trailer. You may have already bought tickets.
So, what did you think? I loved the shot of Han and Leia (which alleviated some fears I had about how they would be handled) and it confirms some of the spoilers I’ve seen, i.e. Kylo Ren being some kind of Vader-worshipping fanboy. But I really hope this isn’t like making “Godfather 4” where the protagonists aren’t Corleones but unrelated Mexican cartel guys trying to find Michael Corleone while he’s in retirement in Florida so he could drop some organized crime wisdom on them. If you know what I mean.
Tags: Saga
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October 19, 2015 at 7:38 pm |
Those were some good looking practical effects, especially the Falcon and that TIE fighter in space…
Sarcasm aside, it was a decent trailer. Nowhere near the best Star Wars trailers. But… decent. I still feel like waiting for what PT fans and Lucas say about it before checking out.
I am glad the Kylo Ren won’t apparently be wearing the helmet 100% of the time. Helmet’s cool and all, but it would be nice to see his face.
October 19, 2015 at 9:57 pm |
The thing is, you’re going to hear a myriad of responses from the PT crowd, there won’t be one consensus at all and if Lucas makes any public statement after seeing the movie it’s going to be “It was great!”, I guarantee it. No matter his personal feelings, there’s nothing in it for Lucas to publicly bash the new movie. You’re just going to have to make up your own mind on whether or not to see TFA.
October 19, 2015 at 10:03 pm
I understand some may like it, and some may not. But what I want to know is if the movie, in any way, was disrespectful to George’s saga. That is something I’m definitely gonna hear right here first. And should it (hopefully) not do any such thing, then I’ll check it out myself and form my own opinion on the movie.
October 19, 2015 at 10:48 pm
Yeah, really the only deal breaker for me is if they recon the saga to “fix” the things hateboys didn’t like. It’s one thing to ignore the PT, but another to rewrite it. If, for example, they do away with midichlorians, and make it so the Force is something anyone can train to use (as I’m predicting will happen), then I’m out.
October 20, 2015 at 8:03 am
roxam91 and Hunk a Junk, I’d say I think similar to you. I’m just wondering whether “everyone can use the Force” (which arguably was NOT the case in the OT) is a result of “the Force is in balance thanks to the Chosen One.” So, it IMHO depends on the execution whether such a story element is respectful to the previous movies or not.
November 4, 2015 at 3:48 pm
Oh yeah I have no doubt that Lucas will conduct himself in a very professional manner as he always does in regards to his opinions on the new trailer. I also don’t see him trashing it in any way even if he truly feels that way.
The media will take his words and twist them and distort them if he says something that isn’t 100% praise of it. If Lucas says that it wasn’t that good, you know as well as I do that the media and online circus will just say “Lucas is mad because JJ did SW better than he did”
That fact alone kills me because Lucas probably knows what he says will be twisted by media sources. So I would imagine he will just give it his stamp of approval. Because he is well aware of the hate that has been spread over the years in his name. But for me no matter what SW will always belong to Lucas. SW is Lucas’ legacy and that can never be taken away from him.
October 19, 2015 at 10:14 pm |
I am imagining that TFA will be very respectful to the OT and there simply might not be much evidence of the PT, for various and sundry reasons, both in-universe and production-wise. Since TFA takes places more than 60 years past the Episode I, those events are really a distant memory for the characters in this era. Now, since PT-era events and places are included in the current comic book series, such as Leia visiting Naboo, and these stories are canon, then we might even get some name-dropping about Padme and her home world. I think it’d be neat to maybe hear a bit about Coruscant but not see it, perhaps it’s fallen into shambles since Palpatine’s death and another film in the ST era will visit it later. It may not be so with Abrams’ installment in the ST, but I suspect PT-era references will work their way into subsequent movies.
October 19, 2015 at 7:42 pm |
I am so excited for this movie. I think it’s gonna be great. I was *definitely* hyped to see so many awesome ladies in one trailer! Time to go get my tickets!
October 19, 2015 at 10:14 pm |
The female lead is the best thing so far, I agree.
October 20, 2015 at 9:37 am |
Enjoy the ride, piquantpixie. 🙂 I am more hesitant, but I hope I will enjoy the movie, too. And you’re right about the ladies.
October 19, 2015 at 7:43 pm |
IDK Kylo’s mask looked weird to me like the plastic ones we sell at my store.
October 19, 2015 at 7:46 pm |
Maybe that’s where he bought it.
October 19, 2015 at 8:43 pm |
Kylo Ren and the First Order really remind me of the Squadron Supreme from the Marvel comics universe.
The Squadron Supreme were a thinly disguised rip-off of DC comics’ Justice League, a team of DC’s greatest heroes (Superman, Batman, etc.)
Kylo Ren was like the kid who wanted the sexiest, most bad ass costume so the cool kids would talk to him. But he was a total douche and got to the Halloween store on Oct 30th. The Wonder Woman costume he wanted was all sold out so he had to settle for being the Squadron Supreme’s Power Princess instead. The cool kids said, “who the fuck is Power Princess?”. Crushed, Kylo Ren went home and cried himself to sleep, vowing to bring a violent, bloody demise to the cool kids, as Power Princess.
October 19, 2015 at 7:44 pm |
The trailer was great, but it’s hard to know what we are being offered with this movie.
I guess this is a case of wait and see…
October 19, 2015 at 7:51 pm |
This was the most boring trailer I’ve ever seen, to be honest. Everything in it we’ve seen before in some shape or form, both from the other trailers (they’re really only letting us see glimpses of half a dozen scenes so far) and the previous films (more dogfighting… yay). The closest we get to something new is that funky looking robot in the banner hallway, and even that looks like a mix of the robots from Castle in the Sky and Portal. Compare this to the smorgasbord of new stuff you got to see in the PT trailers, and honestly, there is literally nothing that makes me want to see this. If it’s just gonna be a nostalgia fest, why spend 15 dollars?
October 20, 2015 at 12:32 pm |
The retro Luddism is one of the things that bothers me most about much of the SW fandom. The OT was near the forefront of introducing speculative fiction’s imagination to general audiences. The PT continued with that, embellishing the society and politics of the living, breathing setting of the Galaxy Far Far Away before it’s ravaged by war.
Some SW fans seem to think that the PT’s introduction of interesting new aspects to the setting was sacrilege, but it remains an important part of speculative fiction. Pretty much every good sci-fi or fantasy story does it.
No doubt, I’m looking forward to the continuing adventures of the OT3 and a new generation of heroes, but a continuing worry of mine is that TFA will be narrow in vision, and exceptionally so for a science-fantasy movie. I’d like to know for sure what the minds behind the story were thinking. Were they intending to lay out the plausible post-ROTJ future of the GFFA (as the PT did for the pre-ANH past), or were they just intending to mimic superficial aspects of the OT?
October 19, 2015 at 7:52 pm |
Han hugging Leia!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s the only thing that really interests me about the trailer.
October 19, 2015 at 8:19 pm |
My favorite part.
October 20, 2015 at 6:20 am |
That was my fav part as well. 🙂 I actually squeed. lol
I was disappointed to not see Luke-though I think I get why.
Otherwise, I didn’t think the trailer was all that exciting. It was more- ok this will be *interesting*. To see where it goes.
I’m not sure how I feel about Kylo. There can only be one Vader. I feel like they are trying to ride train again. But, I’m keeping an open mind. I do want to see it.
November 4, 2015 at 4:00 pm |
Yes the Han and Leia scene was very nice. As for everything else it was OK. But I have a strange feeling that there won’t be much substance in this new film. It is heavy on aesthetic and visuals, but for me the “imagination” portion of the SW universe left when Lucas left. Now I am not saying that there will be no creativity or innovation to these films, but I do have a feeling that it suffer from not having someone like Lucas involved.
He was a chance taker and a risk taker. I don’t think Abrams has those qualities in him. Nor do any of the directors involved as well. Not that that makes them bad at what they do, they just lack a very certain quality that Lucas possessed a lot of. And these directors are on a very short leash. Because not only do they have to answer to LFL, but I am sure that Disney may have some say as to what goes on. Maybe not a lot, but I am sure Disney execs are sending Kathy Kennedy e-mails saying, “try this” or “try that” “we are building a portion of amusement park and what a great way to introduce some of the attractions by showing them on screen in the films!”
I don’t know, but I wouldn’t throw it past them if that is happening.
October 19, 2015 at 7:53 pm |
Look at all this CG! CG everywhere. Joking aside I actually thought this trailer was meh. Like really that was it. Still didn’t give me jack shit. If it wasn’t Abrams that wouldn’t bother me as much but with him when a trailer doesn’t give you anything he either has nothing at all (Super 8) or something incredibly stupid (Into Darkness). Compared to the other trailers I hated the first (seriously I did a video where I took out the black spots and the actual trailer was like 30 seconds long and when I first watched it the first couple of shots I thought I found a random fan trailer) but I found myself actually liking the second one. Not perfect but it did raise an eyebrow from me. This one fell in between If this was suppose to make me rush out and grab tickets well it failed. Not like Jurassic World where I was sold immediately after the first trailer. The second trailer for Force Awakens did a lot better honestly. I did like the part though where Han says that all the stories were true. It probably won’t do this but I would love it if he actually goes into the stories of the Republic, the Clone Wars, the Jedi. Hearing Harrison Ford say the prequels happened I know would drive a lot of fan boys up a wall. But over all though yeah this trailer really didn’t sell it for me. I still plan on going to go see this but that’s because it’s Star Wars but I do not plan going on opening weekend. Because I don’t want to deal with the crowd and because I want to be able to watch this movie as objectively as humanly possible. Possibly during the second week. If this trailer did it’s job I would have rushing to the theater for opening weekend. But after watching it my honest response was “meh”.
October 19, 2015 at 7:57 pm |
I agree with you on the trailers, I definitely think the second trailer was the best, with the first one being the worst. I didn’t exactly hate this trailer, but many other Star Wars trailers had me more excited (including TFA’s own trailer #2).
October 19, 2015 at 7:59 pm
The first Attack of the Clones trailer is still one of my favorites. Movie aside (it’s my personal least favorite but hey they can’t all be winners) that trailer still sends chills down my spine just watching it.
October 19, 2015 at 9:59 pm |
According to TFA, the prequel-era really happened, just not at all like what was portrayed in the prequels.
Like the TV show The Prisoner, they are going to be explained away as the insane ramblings of our heroes wild imaginations.
Ol “Ben” (his dealer name) and Yoda liked to hit the Spice pipe pretty hard back in the day. These two had many swashbuckling, far out, cosmic adventures together. Adventures which only existed in the center of their own minds!
Obi-Wan, the sleazy douche he is, eventually started a veterans charity scam on Tatooine, based on his false war record. Leia must have heard about his exploits, and the rest is history.
Or was it?
October 19, 2015 at 8:07 pm |
It was nice to see Han and Leia embrace…very nice…HOWEVER the whole, “The legends are true…” stuff really feels like they are setting up another A New Hope where the Jedi are extinct and now Rey is like Luke…discovering her Jedi heritage…THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU CALL A RIP OFF! I practically know the whole story from the spoilers and this trailer confirms it even more…this film is going to literally be A New Hope 2 with a female lead…nothing really new…YAWN. I won’t be paying to see this…
October 19, 2015 at 8:18 pm |
That bugged me as well. Are we really to believe that after Endor, the galaxy just reset to more or less the same status quo with the same old factions operating under new names? That Luke just disappeared and the Jedi have slipped once again into myth and legend?
Of course I don’t know if that’s actually true, since the movie isn’t out yet and I’m staying spoiler free. However, the trailers fo give the impression that this is basically a rehash. A soft reboot of the Original Trilogy, basically a way to maintain continuity while doing it all over again.
October 20, 2015 at 4:34 pm
So TFA will be the Halloween H2O, of Star Wars then.
November 4, 2015 at 4:17 pm
This is exactly the reason I have concerns with this film. One reason is: JJ Abrams. The other reason is: Possible rehash. With Abrams involved the rehash option seems very likely.
This is the first time in my life a new SW film is on the horizon and I don’t have that great feeling of joy as I had all the times before. It has definitely been a rough year or so dealing with all the fanboy whining about how “JJ saved SW” and all that crap. This movie will be big on razzle dazzle, nostalgia, OT call backs etc. What it will lack is HEART! Yes that’s right folks, I said it. This movie will lack heart. How do I know? Because Lucas is the heart and soul of SW. The people running the show now, do not have the heart and soul that Lucas posses.
The days of SW taking chances are surely at an end. The new owners obviously caved into the whiny fan boys and that was their biggest mistake. And they made their biggest mistake right out the gate! They don’t realize this yet, but the fan boys are now running the show. When fan boys don’t get their way, they will turn on them just as fast as they tuned on Lucas himself.
So for me I will not be surprised to see the SW brand become some average run of the mill corporate product. I could always be wrong. I don’t feel like I will be though. This film is the product of years of fan boy whining. The proof is on the screen. The head fan boy himself, JJ at the helm too. Those flags in the scene of the trailer might have well just been all red flags because that is all I have been seeing with this since it all started.
October 19, 2015 at 8:09 pm |
Did we see the first as I like to call them JJ tribbles with Boba’s Mando symbol on those flags.
October 19, 2015 at 8:23 pm |
RFR and Jedi News also caught one of the pod racer flags from TPM. Bless that sneaky set designer ;).
October 19, 2015 at 8:14 pm |
This was the most revealing trailer so far, and I still don’t think it revealed all thst much. What do we actually know about the characters and story? Almost nothing except that Kylo Ren is a Vader fanboy and that Finn is a Stormtrooper.
Also, the CGI. I actually didn’t think about it while watching the trailer, because extensive CGI is just so *normal* in this day and age. But yeah, this totally blows away all of that “practical effects” nonsense they were pushing before.
Funny thing is, and the media has been pointing this out, this final trailer was meant for the casual mainstream audience. That’s why Disney debuted it during a football game. And as we can all see, they got much more honest about the CGI use once it came to advertising for the masses.
Could it be that CGI Sells to the common moviegoer? Maybe Jurassic World and the Avengers were on to something after all!
November 4, 2015 at 4:24 pm |
I already stated a while back how the OT purists will praise this as “CGI done right” when it will be shown to be loaded with CGI. There will be people that are a lot more forgiving with the flaws in these films for a simple fact that Lucas isn’t involved. So no matter how bad/good this film may be, the fan boys painted themselves into a corner because they will not admit that the thing they been praising since its inception is bad.
Because I am sure you yourself have read comments to the tune of “well it can’t be worse than the PT” or “that trailer was better than the entire PT combined” So we know that there are many clowns out there that already have this ST better than the PT even though there isn’t even a ST that actually exists. But try reasoning with the fan boys? We all know how that goes.
October 19, 2015 at 8:32 pm |
Anyone buy tickets yet? If Fandango is giving you problems try going to the theater’s site.
I’m going 10 a.m. 12/18 to a local “luxury” theater where I can sit in a La-Z-Boy and have food/drinks brought to my seat. #fancyfangirl
October 19, 2015 at 8:35 pm |
I gave up and ran out to get my tickets for the marathon at the box office. It will be a looong day!
October 19, 2015 at 8:48 pm |
Niiiiiice! Wish I had one of those where I am….
October 19, 2015 at 8:33 pm |
SKY WARS! Watching that trailer I must paraphrase Dr. Malcom sitting in the jeep in Jurassic Park: “You are going to have outer space in your Star Wars film, right?”
So, there was some cool stuff. And I really want to be objective here. I guess I’m mostly… underwhelmed. And I’m honestly sorry to say that. I want to be jazzed. As some others mentioned, the AOTC trailer blew me away. This… didn’t. Cool stuff, sure. Han’s dialogue… cool. I like the costumes. The sets did not impress me like I thought they would. LENS FLARE on the Star destroyer bridge! Kylo’s voice… meh. I think John B is looking terrific.
My biggest thought, though, was what was all that noise about “practical effects”?!?! CG robots, CG sky battles, CG matte paintings, CG, CG, CG, CG, CG. Anyone who bought into that practical effects BS must be feeling the burn right now. Talk about bait and switch!
I want the film to be good. I do. But this trailer…
October 19, 2015 at 8:55 pm |
It was an okay trailer, but far too post modern for my Star Wars tastes. The first half of the trailer could have been from any nondescript sci-fi film, or the next installment of Mad Max.
The trailer did confirm the film will have every JJism from his films…
1) Shaky cam: check
2) Lens flares: check
3) Torture scene: check
4) Early death in film which compels action from the hero: check
5) Flashback: Not confirmed, but I highly suspect it
October 19, 2015 at 9:03 pm |
A mystery that isn’t very mysterious and pretty damn obvious if you have a brain but Abrams acts like it’s a big twist: waiting for that to read it’s ugly head.
October 19, 2015 at 10:21 pm |
There were a few shots that just looked bad. I don’t know if it’s the lighting or the sets, but some stuff just looked very mediocre, aesthetically. Chewie looks super fake.
October 19, 2015 at 10:22 pm
Practical bro!
October 19, 2015 at 10:42 pm
The Prequels look better. Seriously, TFA looks like a daytime soap. The Hobbit films had that same issue.
October 20, 2015 at 12:17 am
It amazes me how polar opposite people can be in their beliefs and see things so radically differently.
October 19, 2015 at 9:01 pm |
Great. It’s clearly not George Lucas’ Star Wars (which I’ll always love), but I’m amazed.
October 19, 2015 at 10:35 pm |
I can’t believe this was a “final trailer” for anything. The “final trailer” for Bio-Dome was far more informative about it’s plot than this was.
And why the hell were all the characters frowning and sneering all the time? This is supposed to be a fun popcorn movie, not a Soundgarden music video. This was a black hole of angst, from which no fun can escape.
I’m beginning to think Jar Jar isn’t even going to be in it at all! Han mentioned the Jedi and the dark side, but nothing about Jar Jar! Oh hell to the naw!
On a more positive note, Rey was looking all peachy keen again. 😛
October 20, 2015 at 8:52 am |
That was one thing that struck me about this trailer. It was very somber.
October 20, 2015 at 2:31 am |
I saw the trailer three times. At first I was a bit disappointed. The music used is too Hans Zimmer-y for Star Wars, and it contained too many elements that are pure nostalgia without any real vision. “We visit amazing new locations”. Yeah, such as “not-Tatooine”, “not-Hoth” and “not-Yavin”. But I liked it better when I saw it the third time. While neither the story nor the visuals look very original, it looks very well made. I think this is going to be a “safe” film, as in “all the stuff everyone likes about Star Wars and nothing we can’t predict will work with the audience” which is probably strategically a wise move on Disney’s part. But I don’t think it will be anywhere near as good as Revenge of the Sith (my fav SW film :)).
October 20, 2015 at 11:23 am |
I think TFA as a “safe movie” is one of the best neutral judgements you can get. I will by no means deny that I am not happy with it – SW also lives from its boundaries being pushed forward – but if TFA lays the foundation for EP VIII & IX to do just that, I’d be quite satisfied when looking back.
October 20, 2015 at 12:10 pm |
I am starting to think that TFA is indeed just supposed to be a “safe movie” so that enough people are invested in the new characters, allowing the filmmakers to do new stuff with VIII and IX. I remember how the first season of ‘Rebels’ seemed to be blatantly nothing but OT nostalgia. But now, that show has turned out to be very respectful of the saga, and has some neat new stuff for the rest of S2.
October 20, 2015 at 3:12 am |
It was alright but The Revenge of The Sith trailer was the one that blew my mind.
October 20, 2015 at 4:40 am |
Agreed.
October 20, 2015 at 8:48 am |
Ditto – with ya
October 20, 2015 at 4:27 am |
I give it a C. It was ok but I wasn’t impressed. It still didn’t give any evidence to what this movie is even about. The only impression I got (coupled with the spoilers I read) that this movie is going to be ANH 2.0. That aside, If I were a mainstream moviegoer, I wouldn’t be inclined to see this film in theaters. It just didn’t “grab” me, like other flick trailers.
But I did enjoy the Leia/Han scene. And the VoiceOver which I’m assuming was Leia was nice too. But I am weary of Han’s “the stories are true” scene. So after everything that was accomplished in ROTJ, we’re back to square one?
November 4, 2015 at 4:41 pm |
Yes I also have a feeling that the whole Han exposition in the trailer will be just one big OT nostalgia hand job that goes over all the great stuff that happened in the OT.
And since they felt the need to show Vader’s helmet in multiple trailers, I hope there is a very good reason for it being there. More reason than some Vader fan boy trying to use it as some kind of relic. Because I have no idea going by what they show in the saga of Vader being looked at as some kind idol? We never seen Vader be the type that would speak and rally the imperial forces? Never seen Vader as a supporter of the imperial forces? In fact the imperials feared him! See in ROTJ when Luke is dragging Vader’s body in the hangar? All those imperials running by and did anyone say “hey I will give you a hand dragging Vader’s body” Nope. They just ran right past him like he wasn’t even there.
That is one of my biggest concerns with having Vader or the legacy of Vader in this. Will they expand upon Anakin’s/Vader legacy or is it just some lame fan service to add a “wow” factor? I am really inclined to go with the latter, but I will hold out and see what they have planned first before making a judgment.
October 20, 2015 at 6:24 am |
I am hoping that by the time we get to “Episode 9” (two more filmmakers from now), Kylo’s “I’ll finish what you started” will be at least as “ironic” as “He could save others from death… but not himself.” My concern there is how easy it seems to suspect Abrams and current company aren’t thinking any deeper than “Man, Vader was cool to start with…”
As a few other people have already said, I have the uneasy impression The Force Awakens may wind up implying Return of the Jedi accomplished basically nothing in the long run. All of a sudden, “ignoring the ‘Republic trilogy'” doesn’t seem the worst possible fate… There does at least still seem the possibility of the Force having a “will of its own” instead of just being a convenient tool anyone can call on if they just try hard enough.
Anyway, I watched Back to the Future Part 2 this weekend, and then I watched The Phantom Menace to start off my annual viewing of the saga, and this trailer looks a lot more like the newer movie than the older…
October 20, 2015 at 7:18 am |
I’ve rewatched the trailer several times, and I noticed it improves with repeated viewings, or at least it does for me.
Also, I find it interesting that John Boyega switched to an American accent when playing Finn while Daisy Ridley kept her English accent.
October 20, 2015 at 7:35 am |
So I’ve watched the trailer an have finally been able to collect my observations and thoughts:
George Lucas’ Star Wars Saga is dead. As I said months ago, I feared TFA was going to be a soft reboot of the Saga moving the film part of the Saga toward something Disney feels is more palatable to modern audiences and modern “sensibilities.”
To quote Ben Burtt, sound designer and editor on the Saga:
“Star Wars movies don’t reflect contemporary stylistic techniques. They are more like movies of the 1930’s & 40’s.”
That quote right there is the entire reason for Star Wars’s success… because it was different than anything else in the marketplace at the time, it was counter culture, and reflected a more innocent, child-like sense of wonder and awe. The films were made for both children and the young at heart.
What I see in the TFA trailer is not unlike most of today’s Hollywood action fare… dark, brooding, almost melancholic, and sad. Last night in a private Twitter conversation with Lazy I said I felt that between the imagery and music that I was sitting in a funeral Mass and listening to a funeral dirge. And it was a funeral of sorts… the funeral of George Lucas’ Saga.
This is post-modern Star Wars…
I find it odd that Abrams stated over and over again that he was trying to capture the “feel” of the Original Trilogy, especially A New Hope. If this trailer is any indication of the movie to come then I simply say Abrams failed miserably at that task, or his childhood was seriously dark and sad.
Star Wars… ESPECIALLY A New Hope, is classic 1930’s Buster Crabbe, “Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe” complete with hokey dialogue, somewhat cheap looking aliens. It’s filled with rapid fire, goofball dialogue, and classic over-the-top melodramatic crackers like: “Governor Tarkin, I should have recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board.”
Where’s THAT Star Wars? For the hateboys who were so fond of THAT Star Wars, then where the hell is it in this trailer??? because I certainly saw no evidence of that anywhere on the screen. Instead what I saw, at least through the first half of the trailer, was a fairly nondescript, post-apocalyptic sci-fi action thriller that happened to be borrowing design elements and characters from Star Wars.
Frankly, I’m glad George’s name is nowhere to be found on the poster or trailer because it bears little resemblance (from what we’ve been able to see so far) to the six-part Saga he created.
Really in truth this film should be called:
“J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
October 20, 2015 at 8:19 am |
It’s exactly what went wrong with Abrams’s last tribute Super 8. He tried recreating the Spielberg classics but he clearly didn’t understand what made them so special. He just grabbed a bunch of Spielberg references and threw them in one movie not realizing that some of those references conflicted with the film’s story. There are times where it looks like he might have a clue of what he’s doing then he screws it up. Super 8 is by no means a terrible film but for what it could have been it drops the ball hard. Then there was what happens when he tried to pay tribute to Wrath of Khan and it would be best we don’t discuss that.
October 20, 2015 at 8:52 am |
In mourning, but I agree. Thanks for referencing that Ben Burtt quote as it succinctly reminds us of what George tried to and did accomplish. He always, always said it was suppose to feel like the old serials.
October 20, 2015 at 9:03 am |
Lol more like, “JJ Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Dies A Painful, 3-Part Death”
October 20, 2015 at 9:38 am |
I see what you mean about the TFA trailer being very dark. ROTS didn’t feel this dark and look what happened to various characters in that movie.
October 20, 2015 at 7:58 am |
I may post my overall impressions later on. There are four things that intrigue me:
– Kylo wants to complete what Darth Vader tried to do. I am curious what Kylo thinks what Vader tried to accomplish. Bring peace to the galaxy, as Vader suggests to Luke in ESB (and to Padme in RotS)? Anyway, it could be interesting to see how Kylo reacts when he realizes what Anakin really accomplished (with the help of his son of course).
– If you consider the events of RotJ and the PT, should Kylo not rather worship Darth Sidious/the Emperor?
– Is Han wearing a vest with Imperial code cylinders?
– What does Han tell Finn and Rey? Personally, I hope that his uttering of “the Jedi” refers to the events in the PT.
I’d say that I will probably enjoy the movie – but I also think that madmediaman has a point.
October 20, 2015 at 8:40 am |
I stand by what I’ve said – if this were Lucas and we were seeing the exact same things, I’d be intrigued by what appears to be an explicit culmination of Lucas’ treatise on cycles (i.e. the “Ring Theory”)
While that’s still a real possibility, the fact that it’s not Lucas and that his name shows up nowhere makes me afraid that it will just be a rehash of New Hope and elements of Empire. We HAVE those movies, I don’t want poor imitation.
Also, Jedi was a happy ending – I don’t WANT to see that erased without a very good reason.
I want to be excited, and I want to be open and give it a chance. But This still doesn’t look like Star Wars to me – this looks like EU.
October 20, 2015 at 9:04 am |
Just as a general note…I do NOT allow comments that are meant to bait other commenters. Also, I’m going to be very suspicious of folks who never contribute anything except to scold other commenters.
October 20, 2015 at 10:07 am |
My main interest in the movie are the three new leads – John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaacs (of whom I’ve been aware of for the past five years), and a decent narrative.
[“It’s exactly what went wrong with Abrams’s last tribute Super 8. He tried recreating the Spielberg classics but he clearly didn’t understand what made them so special. He just grabbed a bunch of Spielberg references and threw them in one movie not realizing that some of those references conflicted with the film’s story.”]
I’m afraid I’ll have to disagree with you on this. I don’t regard “SUPER 8” particularly original. It reminded me of an episode from “STAR TREK VOYAGER” called “Prey” . . . to the point that I found myself wondering if Abrams was committing plagiarism. But I thought the movie was pretty damn good. In fact, it was one of my favorite movies from 2011.
October 20, 2015 at 10:33 am |
That’s fine. I did find myself enjoying Super 8 but there were parts of the film to me that held it back from reaching it’s full potential. And what held it back are habits Abrams is very guilty of doing. It is by no means his worse but it’s in my opinion not his best.
October 20, 2015 at 10:36 am |
Im not impressed, though i will still go see it cause i dont want to judge it before I see it. So much of what has already been confirmed disapoints me though.
October 20, 2015 at 10:37 am |
Actually, I think it is his best so far. “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3” was pretty good. But I was not impressed by his “STAR TREK” movies. Not by a long shot. I think his best work were his co-creations of certain TV shows.
October 20, 2015 at 11:05 am |
Another thing– hearing the Force theme done with a military drum beat really disturbs me. One because it makes it sound terribly derivative (Battlestar Galactica, anyone) and because it’s kind of antithetical to the whole idea of the Force itself. This is one of the things that really disturbs me with a continuation of the Rebel/Empire thing, the endless recycling of war fetishization.
October 20, 2015 at 11:15 am |
You may have a point, Bob. We should also not forget that “wars do not make you great” and that Luke declared to renounce violence when he had to decide whether to kill his father.
I hope that this development will be reflected by Luke’s role in TFA. (And honestly, I’d like to see that Kylo is confronted by Anakin’s Force ghost in EP VIII – not sure though whether Force ghosts can appear to people that have never met the person when she was still alive.)
October 20, 2015 at 11:28 am
There’s the rumor that Kylo or others are trying to clone Anakin, or something like that which would make sense of the rumors of Hayden training for the movies. I’d like to think if that’s true, they could have a rude awakening in store for them.
October 20, 2015 at 11:48 am
Cloning Anakin to resurrect him? Not sure whether this is an idea that fits into the SW universe. We have seen cloning, but the Clones were individuals with a different personality than Jango’s. Some Sith magic may help, but still not sure whether this is in line with the mythology of SW.
October 20, 2015 at 12:29 pm
Clone/reincarnation I guess? Resurrection via cloning? That was the old idea with Palpatine in the EU, granted. I’m just trying to make sense of the stories that Hayden was getting training for a possible Ep 8 role– you wouldn’t really need to go to the gym to play a ghost.
October 20, 2015 at 11:58 am |
The militarised “Binary Sunset” originates in ROTS, so I feel somewhat compelled to defend it.
In that film, it’s a subtle allusion to the militarisation of the Jedi Order, which is now an integral part of the dying Galactic Republic’s vast new war machine. It plays when Anakin and Obi-Wan fly into the Battle of Coruscant, amidst all the ornate yet menacing Republic and Confederate spacecraft. Sounding like a 20th Century military march (think of ‘Battle of Britain’), it means a lot in that context.
The version in the TFA trailer seems a lot less subtle, more overtly bombastic. No idea if it represents anything beyond “epicness.” If it appears in the movie, that will depend on context.
October 20, 2015 at 12:26 pm
Great observation! I have again learned something. 🙂 I agree with your last two sentences.
October 20, 2015 at 12:28 pm
Good point. In ROTS however it feels more like a drum accompanying the Force theme, while it plays out at normal pace. Here, it sounds like the Force theme has been retimed. The march is dominant. Or maybe I’m wrong.
October 20, 2015 at 12:49 pm
I don’t know if this is what you refer to re: timing, but the TFA version seems very drawn out in comparison to the original.
Since you mentioned BSG, it reminds me a bit of Bear McCreary’s reworking of the original 1970s theme to serve as the Anthem of the Twelve Colonies in the 2000s series. That made sense, since the 2000s series was set in a separate, more grim and militaristic universe from the 1970s series.
TFA… isn’t set in a separate universe from the previous six films. Not that I object to variations on the theme, but it depends on context. TFA shouldn’t be some grimdark retooling.
October 20, 2015 at 11:44 am |
Funny thing: I have read the same article about the trailer on 4 (!) different German news site. (Just wondering which news agency has written it.)
The article says that the fans are excited about the trailer, but wondering where Luke is. Luckily, no PT bashing, but I refuse to read the comments…
October 20, 2015 at 12:39 pm |
“News sites, ” not “news site.” Sorry.
October 20, 2015 at 1:24 pm |
I actually like the trailer a lot, I think if it is telling us what the major themes are going to be, than it will get at the essence of what Star Wars is and what Lucas intended it to be. I like that the events of the original trilogy seem to be looked at in the current universe as mythological (much like the events of the Clone Wars are in the OT). Lucas was very concerned with the power of MYTH, and what he set up in the OT – that I feel they are continuing is myths are important going back to the oral tradition. We hand down stories that define us as individuals and a society (Qui Jon telling Anakan about the mechanics of the Force; Obi Wan telling Luke about the Jedi & the Force in general; Yoda training younglings & then Luke) thru “storytelling.” And here we have the OT’s biggest non-believer acting as the keeper of the STORY. It’s a nice arc for Han – of course I’m not sure the “Han Shot First” hate boys will like THIS HAN SOLO. He’s not going to be the morally ambiguous cynic that they knew and loved. He looks to be the Apostle Paul of Star Wars…the weary convert, who has seen the miracles now is charged with recruiting the new generation of STORY-KEEPERS – he even went blind. And in that way Luke is probably/hopefully more like Aslan in Narnia…the savior that wants to inspire those that believe the story to save the galaxy through that very belief.
I will say the exclusion of GL from the credits on the one-sheet is disheartening, BUT…I’m the eternal optimist – George is not the self contained, blinders wearing ego maniac that the Hateboys paint him as – GL knows he’s a bit of a polarizing figure. As Luke says when they are approaching Endor, “I’m endangering the mission. I shouldn’t have come.” George probably knows his visible presence would hurt as much as help, and that is at best. I really think a lot more of his story, character, and theme ideas are getting used than they are necessarily letting on. Disney is going to be ruthlessly shrewd in the way they protect and market this $4 billion investment of theirs. They are going to minimize risk, to the point of “weaponizing” the marketing. They who “boycott” hashtag is already being associated with White Supremacist and “Male Rights” groups – so those that don’t like it will be associated as racists/misogynists.
I personally am jazzed about Rey’s character, especially if she’s a Skywalker. We’ve never seen a female character have to deal with the family legacy. Leia was too busy leading the Rebellion to have time for that. So, I think it’s interesting from a Storytelling standpoint. That’s one reason I loved Asoka, so much in the Clone Wars…she brought such a new prospective as a bad-a** Jedi that happened to be female. The important thing is to just let the themes be there organically – don’t be preachy at the expense of storytelling. Ripley in Alien and Aliens is an awesome heroine because the story and themes are organic…not contrived or forced.
And my guy Boyega may well be the shining hope to bring everyone together (both OT and entire Saga fans), His enthusiasm is contagious – and has gone out of his way to say Daisy, Oscar, and himself are picking up the mantle that not just the original Big 3 – but that Ewan, Hayden, and Natalie carried as well.
October 20, 2015 at 1:56 pm |
Your first paragraph is quite an interesting take on things, a skeptic turned believer who passes on the “story.” But why didn’t these people know it, including those who really should be part of the Skywalker lineage?
“They are going to minimize risk, to the point of “weaponizing” the marketing. They who “boycott” hashtag is already being associated with White Supremacist and “Male Rights” groups – so those that don’t like it will be associated as racists/misogynists.”
That would be horrible, a truly ugly thing to do. I’m already suspicious the idiotic hashtag thing got turned into a marketing schtick when it really should’ve been ignored.
October 20, 2015 at 3:02 pm
That’s already happening, in a way. Chuck Wendig called those who did not like “Aftermath” homophobes and compared the to the Empire. The same thing may happen if there’s a TPM-style backlash to TFA. “If you don’t like the film, or the characters of Rey or Finn in particular, you are a misogynist or a racist.” I hope not, but it’s a terrifying possibility.
October 20, 2015 at 3:59 pm
Yes and I thought that was disgraceful. It was then and there I swore off reading SW novels.
October 20, 2015 at 5:02 pm
If the “story” (and the belief in The Force) was suppressed to protect the galaxy from ever falling into a Clone Wars situation again…government and religion in bed together – leading to the death of democracy and liberty. But without an accurate history the galaxy would be doomed to repeat itself – that is also something GL was very concerned with. If we are living in a galaxy that has told our heroes that we don’t need them, their story, and The Force. Maybe that’s why Kylo Ren is the way he is…he hasn’t heard the truth about Vader/Anakan.
I’m also just trying to stay aways from preemptive negativity…I do not want to fall into being guilty of what the Hateboys did – especially RotS (which is absolutely a great film and got GREAT reviews but they were able to change the narrative).
October 20, 2015 at 7:40 pm
Hmm, very interesting.
October 20, 2015 at 2:10 pm |
That is a very interesting analysis. One of the things from the trailer that truly caught my attention was how Han Solo wasn’t being very Han Solo-like. I’m really glad the cynic from the OT seems to be long gone.
October 20, 2015 at 2:40 pm |
This is the sort of idea “I want to believe.” Back in the 1990s, I seem to have formed the impression the kind of fan who wound up disgruntled viewed “the Star Wars universe” as a place where everything had a name and a manufacturer and everyone had a biography, but would just blink in incomprehension at the thought of “symbolic significance” or “cinematic allusions,” and that just might have been influencing my reactions to the “look! Stormtroopers!” trailers and graphics… I suppose that when it comes to George Lucas, I’d been influenced by “the Mortis arc” and “the final Yoda arc” of Clone Wars to think his “sequel trilogy” ideas were an offbeat spiritual journey, a deliberate “I care even less now what you might think” poke in the eye, and when his plan to build a studio close enough to commute to fell through he shrugged and handed over the ideas expecting they’d be thrown out in a scramble… any other halfway plausible scenario, including these “mythic overtones,” would seem an improvement.
October 20, 2015 at 5:42 pm |
Wess, this is the best appreciation of the trailer I’ve seen so far, and the most hopeful assessment of the upcoming film. I’ll admit, most of my misgivings almost have nothing to do with what we’ve seen so far– I simply have severe issues with the fact that Disney has thrown away Lucas’ intended storyline and substituted their own. Others, like Bryan Young, keep insisting his outline is still in play, and I desperately want to believe that, but I just don’t see any reason to. My other qualms are all mostly aesthetic– Abram’sover his camera way too much for my taste, and there’s such a prevailing stranglehold of OT elements, not merely at the expense of Prequel stuff, but at the expense of the film finding it’s very own original sensibility. That’s what I’m most afraid of here, that we’ll get a mere parade of x wings and tie fighters, with little in the way of anything new.
But despite that, your comparison of Ford to Paul and your thoughts on storytelling as a way to pass down traditions and information do a great job of helping me appreciate the potential here, especially where it concerns the highlighting of new faces and groups in the center stage of the cast for a new generation to latch on to. I might be afraid that the myth they’re being given is one that is utterly compromised for any number if reasons, but I don’t want to stand in the way if their enjoyment of it. If the 6 films under George were the Iliad and the Odyssey, it’s best to see this new film as the Aeneid– a work by a different author, for a different time, under a very different mandate (Roman empire, Disney empire). In the end it might not be as good or original, but if we get the GFFA equivalent of Dido in Carthage, or wind up inspiring another generation’s trip through the Inferno, Purgatory and heavenly spheres, then who am I to get in the way?
But seriously, JJ. Get a fucking tripod already.
October 20, 2015 at 6:30 pm
Thanks Bob! I’ve been criticized on message boards when defending Lucas and the Prequels for just “wanting them to good.” I’ll gladly be accused of WANTING STAR WARS TO BE GOOD.
October 20, 2015 at 7:00 pm
My biggest desire right now is that it’s actually taken from a Lucas story, that it isn’t simply Abrams and Kasdan writing a wholly new narrative with Arndt credited only as a WGA stipulation. To me, Star Wars is Lucas. Him not directing is bad enough, but no hand in the production or writing? I lose basically all interest. All I can really hope then is a positive outcome for all fans, not just the OOT basher types.
November 4, 2015 at 5:07 pm
Perfectly said! I agree whole heartedly. I feel the same way. No matter how this film turns out I will always have the previous SW films to enjoy. And under no circumstances will I resort to the kind of bashing or hate that the PT fans and movies endured for so many years. I will never stand in anyone’s way of them enjoying something.
I have just seen way too many red flags with this new direction SW has taken without Lucas at the helm. Lucas is the heart and soul of SW. And always will be no matter who officially owns the IP. This will be a rough ride going into this new trilogy. Good or bad. I am hoping it will be good. But the marketing and other reasons have left me unsure about all of what is on the way.
October 20, 2015 at 1:34 pm |
Is it just me, or is Kylo Ren shaping up to be a misguided attempt to recreate Vader? I wasn’t concerned until I heard his voice in the trailer…
October 20, 2015 at 1:36 pm |
At least he doesn’t keep his mask on all the time (as seen when dueling with Finn).
October 21, 2015 at 6:38 am |
He’s tall and with a deep voice, and a raging Vader fanboy (I already identify with this guy deeply).
October 20, 2015 at 3:07 pm |
There are some references to the PT and TCW (at last !). It’s not much, but that’s cool. https://thecantina.starwarsnewsnet.com/index.php?threads/flags-identified-in-trailer-3.6215/
October 20, 2015 at 3:28 pm |
A Ziro the Hutt easter reference in TFA… never thought I’d be saying those words…
October 20, 2015 at 3:28 pm
*reference* (no easter)
October 20, 2015 at 6:55 pm |
I hope we see a Dug.
October 22, 2015 at 2:59 am |
JJ jokingly told that he wanted to put Jar Jar’s bones in the desert, and now we get a lot TCW and PT symbols instead… Take that, haters and Darth Media.
(I do not think that JJ really wanted to show a dead Jar Jar, but he was catering a bit too much to Darth media with that “joke.” I’d say it was unnecessary.)
October 21, 2015 at 6:34 am |
Am I the only one who seriously likes it?
All crapping on the prequels by the new guys in charge aside, I’m really liking what we’re seeing with TFA so far.
In some ways I’m skeptical that this is just going to become A New Hope 2.0, but at the same time, the first two trilogies had recurring themes on purpose.
I REALLY REALLY like that we’re not shown too much. I actually stopped watching trailers a while ago (with the HTTYD2 trailer, it just made me furious), because they show. too. much! A trailer today is basically a 2 minute version of the film, with the whole story, all the best jokes, and so on.
Only the Star Wars trailers have I dared to watch, precisely because they show so little.
And I’m really not liking people’s negativity here. I get where you’re coming from, but I feel this is becoming the “sequel haters”. We shouldn’t “show the haters” by becoming haters ourselves.
I for one, won’t judge the movie until I’ve ACTUALLY seen it. And it doesn’t take much to please me. Unlike the hateboys (or Fat Angry Nerds) we all know and (don’t) love, we don’t have ridiculously high standards and will hate whatever is not 100% what we imagined.
I know that the only thing that will make me not like TFA, is if they absolutely “raped” (to use a hateboy favorite term) the prequels or Lucas in some way. Time will tell.
BUT I’M SERIOUSLY EXCITED.
I became a SW fan just two months before RotS, I was barely fourteen, this is the first time I’ve been able to follow a new Star Wars movie from the beginning!
October 21, 2015 at 7:41 am |
Frida, if I have somehow ruined your excitement, I am sorry.
You may have noticed that I am a SW fan (I dare to call me that) who is not – let’s say – satisfied with most of the developments we have seen since the Lucasfilm purchase. I’ll just say that the marketing of TFA was not my cup of tea. The result was that I am not that excited at the moment for TFA.
There are however two things that I try to do:
– I do not want to ruin anyone’s good time. If you are excited for TFA, go for it. I am pretty sure that I have not always done this, but I try to express my opinions in such a way that other fans disagreeing with me can just say “okay, it’s not his cup of tea, that’s fine.”
– I will also wait for the final movie to judge it. At the moment, I will still say (probably more often than I should) that I am sceptical when it comes to TFA, and why this is the case (but in the way I have described above).
Still, I also expect that I will enjoy the movie, but maybe only be able to fully appreciate it after some time (who knows, maybe only when EP VIII and IX are out).
One more thing: should I really not like TFA (for whatever reason), I will not run around claiming that Abrams ruined my childhood (how could he), and I will not be that pathetic to produce a 100+ minute video that “explains” why TFA sucks. And I will not ruin anyone’s good time who disagrees with me.
October 23, 2015 at 4:28 am
Exactly, right on.
I want to be more excited, but the marketing (I.e., what is supposed to be bringing people into the seats) is telling me that I am not welcome and I do not matter. That doesn’t make one excited to see a movie.
Fortunately, I know better than to judge a movie on its marketing. But I’ll still be more nervous than excited as the release date nears.
November 4, 2015 at 5:18 pm |
Yes I also feel the same as the other posters here have already explained in great detail. I too find that for the first time in my life I have not been super excited for a new SW film. The marketing and attitudes from some of the people involved in the film has been a nuisance to my enjoyment for this film. I will still give it all the chances in the world though. Though I do have more concerns than cares.
I just hope that there is more going on than what is being rumored or shown. It seems that TPTB did cave in to fan boy demands more so than I even like to admit. Will it translate heavy into the films? Or is it just the marketing is trying to make one believe? We will find out though. But as others have said, I will in no way shape or form destroy others joy that they have with the films if I myself don’t happen to enjoy them myself.
November 12, 2015 at 12:04 pm |
As a long time lover of Star Wars movies, I am (and have been since Ep. 7 was announced) skeptical that this movie is “for me.” Given when it was made and released (over a decade now after Sith), I’m not even quite sure who the hell it IS supposed to be for. However, I will go in with an open mind as I always do and judge the movie on its own merits. I admit to losing trust in Abrams after his Star Trek sequel and have NO clue whether he is a good fit for Star Wars (given his reboot of Trek was to “make it more like Star Wars”; take that for what you will) but I will wait and see. I have come to believe that this sequel trilogy would not have been possible over a decade ago and it could be providence that it was to be done now, over 30 (real) years from the end of Jedi.
My greatest challenge in all of this though has been how to involve my own young children; initially over a year ago I had no plans to start them with anything less than a “one Star Wars movie per year” rule. You can watch it as much as you want, but you have to wait until the following year to see the next one. Well, the impending release of a NEW Star Wars movie kinda kicked that one to the curb, and so far this year they are already up to date on Episodes IV thru VI. They’re too young for I thru III yet: those are MY movies and much more complicated than the old ones, you need to PROVE you’re capable of absorbing those. Now however, I have the internal debate of “do we go see a NEW Star Wars on the big screen” without the whole story…they are interested in Darth Vader’s back story, but as I mentioned they’re still too young to appreciate it in my mind (and I never intend to show anyone who has never seen Star Wars to start with Episode I; it has nothing to do with what the Internet thinks of that movie, it’s just that the real world case of IV coming first and to me that’s where the story “starts” despite the episodic numbering). As of now, I will more than likely pre-screen The Force Awakens to see if it makes any sense to see it right after the events of Jedi. Amusingly, I plan to watch Episodes I-III again just before seeing the new one; curious how that plays out. Personally, if they keep the mythological aspect of Star Wars (as many astute observations here have so eloquently postulated), I think this new story could turn out well. If it’s all about pandering to the embittered fans of Old, then of course I weep for the future.
As an aside given this is my first comment, I wish I had found this site eight years ago! I followed the prequel movies with great vim and verve; it’s been a struggle over the years to even convince myself they didn’t “suck” just because that seems to be all you ever hear on the Internet (my long-standing cardinal rule over the last decade of talking about Star Wars on the Internet is YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT STAR WARS ON THE INTERNET) but I’ve since gotten over that. Still, great to find a community of like-minded individuals and I’ve enjoyed catching up on a lot of the content here over the last few weeks. Cheers!