Today was the best day ever. By now everyone probably knows that Lucasfilm released the second teaser trailer for Star Wars The Force Awakens earlier today. If you haven't watched it yet, its included above. But lets back up a bit. The trailer was released at the conclusion of the Star Wars The Force Awakens Panel at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim. Thousands of people gathered in Anaheim to listen to Kathleen Kennedy and J.J. Abrams discuss the upcoming film. The event was also broadcast online and in some special locations hundreds of Star Wars fans gathered to watch a satellite feed of the proceedings in movie theaters across the globe. I was lucky enough to be able to attend the screening in London, England.
The panel began at 10 AM Pacific Time, or 6 PM in London, so while everyone in America saw the trailer by early afternoon, those at the London screening event had already been celebrating for hours. I arrived at the Empire Theater in Leicester Square around noon to get in line. My friend from school came with and we were prepared to have a great day!
Not only did we get there early, but we were 17th and 18th in line and surrounded by many fun and interesting people. Oh, and I arrived looking like this!
Yes. That is me dressed up as Darth Maul!
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| Photo Credit to @happy_random on Twitter |
We had to wait in line for 5 hours, but that time passed so quickly. We had interesting discussions with others in line and shared our love of Star Wars. About an hour before the doors opened the press and photographers from Disney showed up and took pictures and talked with the fans. Due to my costume, I was in high demand by the photographers. It was a ton of fun. I took pictures with other fans dressed as Jedi, Rebel pilots, Sith warriors, R2D2, C3PO, and one musician from the Cantina Band. Hopefully I will have more pictures soon.
Around 5PM we entered the theater to get ready for the screening. I have never seen a screen this big. Apparently it is the largest screen in England. It was HUGE.
This picture doesn't do it justice. I was zoomed all the way out and I still couldn't see the edges. It was massive. Before the show started there was a trivia contest moderated by Warwick Davis. He played Wicket the Ewok and Professor Flitwick in Harry Potter. Some may even recognize him from the original Leprechaun film. After the trivia contest, they had a costume contest. I was called down by Warwick Davis and got to meet him! It was so cool. I lost the contest though. The winner was a 5 year old boy dressed as Darth Vader. He was awesome. When asked his name he replied, "Darth Vader." Then Warwick asked him what his name was before he was Vader and the kid said, "Anakin Skywalker." He did all of it in a deep growly voice. It was really funny and he won, rightfully so!
Then the panel started. We didn't really learn anything new from the actors, except that Finn is actually as Stormtrooper, which means that he may switch sides. Its all very speculative at this time. J.J. made sure nothing was revealed. But the highlight of the panel was the reveal of the new droid BB-8. HOW THE HECK DOES THAT THING WORK! I was stunned. I heard that they made the droid a practical effect, but I didn't think it would work like that. I have no idea what makes that thing work. It is so cool! I wish I could have one! I was so impressed by that droid and am still blown away by it. Wow. We also go some cool still images, but again, nothing revealing. And I don't believe for one second that the planet they are on is or isn't Tatooine until I see the movie. J.J. is famous for bending the truth and hiding things until the release. I also don't believe some of the character names. But that is another discussion. The panel didn't really reveal anything which was ok, because the real reason we were there was to see a new trailer.
And that trailer was AMAZING! Seeing it on a massive screen before I saw it on my computer was so great. We watched it twice in the theater and I have watched it another 7 times since I got home. So, here it goes for my breakdown!
Opening scene: Desert shot with the crashed Star Destroyer. What a way to open this trailer. I was awestruck when I saw this shot. It was incredibly cool and instantly said "This is Star Wars". If you noticed, there is also a crashed X-Wing in the foreground. I think it is possible that the Star Destroyer may have crashed onto the planet surface during a battle with the Rebel Alliance, or The New Republic. And the speeder shooting across the scene looked like the speeder Rey gets on in the first teaser. It was a great establishing shot and really sets up both the movie and Rey's character. If the panel is to be believed, she is a junker living in a ship graveyard and a crashed Star Destroyer is a great location.
The voice over. It is Luke reciting a previous line from Return of the Jedi.
"The Force is strong in my family. My father has it." This voice over really sets the tone for the trailer. It gives it a sense of mystery and mysticism. What I thought was cool was the slight modulated echo of Luke's words. And the light Darth Vader breathing heard below the line. And the image of Vader's melted mask is very creepy. If you look carefully it looks like it is on some sort of pedestal and as the shot fades in there is an outline which in my opinion looks like the outline of a cloak. Could this be Kylo Ren, the main established bad guy for the movie? Is he collecting Sith relics, like Vader's mask? All these questions will be answered in the movie in December.
"I have it." This one was creepy. A hooded man sitting next to a fire with a droid that looks like R2D2. And then the man touches the robot with a robotic right hand. With all this information, it is safe to assume that the man is Luke Skywalker. The voice over says "I", the droid probably is R2, and Luke's right hand is robotic because Vader cut it off in the Cloud City. I really want to know what is going on in this scene. But once again, J.J. masterfully gives us a taste, making us want more, but doesn't give in. I love that about him. I'm pretty sure we will know nothing about this movie when it comes out in December. If all the trailers are like this I will be very happy. I want to know as little as possible when I go into the theater on December 18th. And what the heck happened to the fake skin on Luke's hand? That has to be an interesting story.
"My sister has it." This scene may be one of my favorites. If you look closely at the righthand side of the screen as the shot fades in, the being handing over the lightsaber is an alien. You get a quick glimpse of the face. It looks like a mix between a lizard and a Mon Calamarii (Think Admiral Ackbar). Its a very cool look that you could miss if you are not looking. As for the woman receiving the saber, I assume that is Leia at some point in her life. I don't think it could be anyone else because the previous two scenes were definitely Skywalkers and the dialogue says "sister". So Leia. And I say at some point in her life because it has been rumored that Carrie Fisher's daugher was brought in to play a young Leia in a flashback. But the lightsaber itself is what I find most interesting. If you look carefully, it is the same lightsaber given to Luke by Obi-wan Kenobi in the original film. Anakin Skywalker's weapon. The one Luke used in Cloud City and the one he lost when his had was cut off. Guess what guys... its back! The lightsaber sound at the end of the first teaser was confirmed to be the sound of the original lightsaber as well, so I think it is safe to say that this blade plays an important role in the film. I'm not sure how and I don't feel comfortable speculating. But it does seem important. It has now been featured twice.
"You have that power too." Who is he talking to!? That question is not answered and I can't wait to find out. There was no shot associated with this line, so I am now going to go shot for shot and give my reactions.
Poe Dameron flying an X-Wing over a lake. This looks like another shot from the scene featured in the first teaser. Another lake shot. And the X-Wing looks cool. I love the little yell he gives. It reminds me of the pilots from the original trilogy and their confidence and charisma. It also reminds me of the Han Solo "Yahoo" yell. Could this be a hint at parentage? Who knows. It was cool anyways!
Kylo Ren slashing something with his lightsaber. Cool quick shot. Could miss it if you blink. It doesn't show much except that Kylo Ren wields his saber using two hands.
Rey, Finn, and BB-8 running away from an explosion. What is going on? Looks like chaos, and I love a bit of chaos. Looks like a fun action scene.
Kylo Ren's "face" and The Force. Kylo Ren looks like he is using the Force here. On who? On what? Very interesting. But his face is what this shot is all about. He wears a mask, so we don't get to "see" him, but the mask should be important. For anyone familiar, it looks similar to the mask that a character from the Old Republic extended universe wears, Revan's mask. I think this mask looks strikingly similar to the mask Revan wore. What if it is Revan's mask, that Kylo Ren has Vader's helmet, and his lightsaber is actually also a relic of the past. Maybe Kylo Ren is a Sith who has an affinity for collecting and using ancient Sith artifacts. Kind of like an evil Indiana Jones.
The army of Stormtroopers. This shot was cool. It reminded me of the shot of all the clone troops in Attack of the Clones. The only difference is that this time they looked like they were actually there and not CGI. Actually, they are there! I love that this movie used real people, costumes, props, and sets.
Rey's look of dread. Something bad is going to happen. I wonder what she is looking at. The shot tells you nothing but sets up a feeling of foreboding.
TIE Fighters! The TIE shooting up other TIEs was awesome. I have no idea what the context for this scene is but its looks awesome. The shot does give a great view of the revamped TIE though. The wings look white like the stormtrooper and the cockpit looks like it is black instead of grey. They look really cool. Plus I really love the stormtrooper getting flipped through the air by the explosion. These effects look practical and the stunts look like they were actually performed. The look of this film alone has me really excited!
Finn taking off his helmet. I think this is the moment when he decides to switch sides. I think he no longer wants to be a trooper and runs away just after this.
The new look Star Destroyer and Shuttle. SOOO COOOL!! I love how this film is mixing the old, recognizable images and sounds but giving them new life and treating them as if time passes. Of course things would upgrade in 30 years. I really love that about this movie.
The Chrome Trooper. What a badass. Wow. That shot is so cool. I think this is Gwendoline Christie's character. Whoever this is is a force to be reckoned with. Only a badass could wear such armor.
BB-8 peaking around a corner. Who knows why this is happening, but its so cute! I love BB-8 but I already said that. It also shows that it will have a personality like R2 does. I can't wait to see what that personality is. The interesting part of this shot is that it is peaking around a corner of the Millennium Falcon! I would recognize the wall pads and the stairs to the gun turrets anywhere!
Rey reaching out to Finn. This is a strong moment. This shot truly establishes that Finn and Rey are significantly connected in this movie and they will be tied together for most of it. I love the dirty nature of the costumes and sets. Everything looks worn and lived in. Just perfect.
The Falcon being chased by TIE Fighters. This was the money shot of the sequence. This is Star Wars! This shot was just classic. The Falcon running from Imperial fighters by flying into the engines of what looks like the crashed Star Destroyer from the first scene. A tight space where they can cause the fighters to crash. This reminds me of the Trench Run from A New Hope, the Asteroid Belt chase from Empire Strikes Back, and the Death Star Tunnel Attack Run from Return of The Jedi. In fact it reminds me most of the Tunnel Run from Jedi. This shot was just so cool. Just Wow. I also love the cutback to the TIE fighter pilot. That reminds me so much of the original trilogy. That was missing from the prequels because the enemy ships were droids themselves. Seeing the enemy pilots always gives a "face" to the enemy which I like.
"Chewie. We're home." They didn't need this shot. They already had me hooked, but I am so glad they included it! It was honestly my favorite scene and being in a crowd when it happened was great. Everyone lost their minds! And so did I! It made me all sappy. It was a feel good scene that was the perfect ending. But it also presents an interesting problem. Why does Han say it? Why would he say "We're home." while him and Chewie are both carrying their weapons. Did they loose the Falcon? Did they have to fight to get it back? They almost look relieved, like they had been separated from the ship for a while. Plus it was a great to seen Han and Chewie on screen again! I can't wait for this movie!
That's my breakdown. Sorry for being so long winded, but this trailer was really really dense. But it was amazing. I give this trailer a 5/5. It was really cool and I am so glad I got to celebrate Star Wars with other fans today and see the trailer on the UK's biggest screen. Totally worth the 5 hours in line and the 3 hours it took to get into costume. What a day. What a trailer. I cannot wait for the next movie. I'm going to go watch the trailer again now! Bye!
PS: I did an interview with the BBC after the screening tonight. You can check out the article about it at the link below!
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