As December marches nearer, every week we see more and more clips from The Force Awakens. From the trailers that we have seen so far, I feel as though I can definitively say that this is the reboot that Star Wars deserves.
I don’t know any actual data for this question, but if I were to post a poll here asking whether you prefer the original trilogy over the prequel trilogy, I think most everyone would say that they prefer the Star Wars movies from the 70s and 80s. Why? For reasons I wrote about (five in all) in my Star Wars Prequels vs. Originals (click for sources) article:
- The setting is the frontier
- The future is old
- The force is mysterious
- Star Wars isn’t cute
- The characters are the story
I can tell from the already-released trailers that J.J. Abrams is getting it right. There have been zero shots of Coruscant so far, which became my least favorite system by the end of Episode III, because way too much of the story was set there.
I think that’s mostly because Coruscant doesn’t look real to me, which is precisely the problem with the prequels. Computer graphics were utilized entirely too much. We were overloaded by non-practical effects. Granted, CG was a newer technology at the time, so movie production companies felt it needed to be used everywhere. We’ve learned since then, to use practical effects whenever possible and use computer graphics when absolutely necessary. When scenes are set in the wilderness, however, you don’t need computer graphics to build and elaborate cityscape—simply film on location.
Furthermore, the older something looks, the realer it looks. Technology should be advanced in outer space, sure, but after years of use and abuse, the BB8 and the Millennium Falcon should look used and abused—and they do!
I’m probably most excited about the title: The Force Awakens. The force is mysterious again. Why is the force awakening? Why has it been dormant for so long? Please, please do not answer these questions with “everyone has had a really low midi-chlorian count lately”. I have a new hope: that I never hear the word “midi-chlorian” uttered again.
I admit that when Disney bought Star Wars, I was afraid that they would try to make Star Wars “cute”, as George Lucas so misguidedly did with Jar Jar Binks. Instead, whether intentional or not, Star Wars has been infused with more “magic” since Disney bought the franchise, and that’s exactly how I would describe the force: magical, not scientific.
Finally, I am excited to see Han and Leia return. I am desperate to know more about Daisy Ridley’s and John Boyega’s characters. I am dying to see whether Luke actually turns to the dark side, as people are speculating!
First Official Full-Length Trailer
If you don’t include the two teaser trailers, below is the first official full-length trailer. Released October 19th.
First Force Awakens TV Spot
This video is shorter than the other trailers we’ve seen so far (but is still awesome). Released November 8th.
How excited are you for this franchise reboot? Commence freaking out in the comments!
