We’re going to have a STAR WARS movie every year until the day we become one with the Force. Last year, the excitement seemed to begin to subside; it’s hard to retain that kind of momentum for anything, even a film series that has been ingrained in pop culture for forty years. Today at Star Wars Celebration, the trailer for THE LAST JEDI, the eighth chapter in the “Skywalker films” was shown to a room of fans, presented by director Rian Johnson and Kathleen Kennedy along with Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Mark Hamill amongst others.
My initial reaction: slight disappointment.
This does not temper my excitement for the film at all, especially considering the trailers for the original trilogy barely do the films justice (that said, the trailers for the prequels appear to be for much better films) and don’t showcase much in the editing department. So much of what I love about STAR WARS isn’t just the special effects and the creatures but the soap opera elements; the romance, the friendships and conflicts between the characters. This trailer doesn’t give fans much of that. There is plenty of interesting imagery to ponder (Kylo Ren’s smashed helmet, breathtaking shots of Luke Skywalker’s hideaway, a cave that appears to hold secrets of the Force) as someone who loved THE FORCE AWAKENS; I wanted to see Rey interact with Luke and maybe Finn reunite with Poe. I really hope John Boyega isn’t laid up in a bacta tank for too much of the film.
The trailer does however give us an actual space battle (something missing from THE FORCE AWAKENS), a very cool shot of what appears to be Resistance speeders breaking the land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats, and Poe Dameron looking very purposeful. Thankfully, it looks like Captain Phasma survived the trash compactor and Luke Skywalker’s final line “it’s time for the Jedi to end” certainly gives fans something to ponder, but it is arguably the most interesting thing in the preview. I suppose it is a “teaser” and it does hint at some interesting plot points, but a little satisfaction goes a long way.
Perhaps a STAR WARS film a year is simply too much to take in? Maybe I’m too much of a cynic? Have the prequels made me overly cautious about things? Let us know what you think, readers?
-MIKE VANDERBILT
@MIKEVANDERBILT
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Tags: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, star wars, The Last Jedi
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