It’s hardly a major revelation that “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is the most anticipated movie of the year for both fans of the science-fantasy franchise and investors in Disney stock. After the initial teaser was released earlier this year, several new trailers and TV advertisements have shown more clips and dialogue from the upcoming epic.
The first major trailer to be released gave us a much better view of various major characters, including protagonists Rey and Finn. We were also shown Leia for the first time, embracing another returning character, Han Solo. Although it’s still impossible to deduct the exact plot of the new movie, the new clips that are seen in these previews nevertheless drum up hype for the film.
For example, a snowy planet is seen as the theater of a large air battle between the antagonists’ TIE fighters and the protagonists’ X-wings. Most conspicuous, however, is a clearly artificial trench running down the landscape – when compared to the official release poster, could this snowy planet be a spiritual successor to the notorious Death Star? A mystical moment is seen when Rey and Finn meet with Han Solo, who assures them than everything they’ve heard about the Jedi and the rebellion is correct.
“It’s true. All of it,” Solo says.
There is a very ominous line, however, uttered by the new villain of the movie, Kylo Ren.
Gazing out of the bridge of some sort of spaceship, he growls, “Nothing will stand in our way.” Cutting to a shot of Darth Vader’s charred helmet, Ren gutturally says, “I will finish what you started.”
The mystery of what Ren’s connection is to Vader is unknown, but we can be almost sure that the character will not be Luke Skywalker, as Kylo Ren is being played by newcomer Adam Driver rather than “Star Wars” stalwart superstar Mark Hamill.
On top of this, we also see new clips from various international trailers – the most remarkable of which is the trailer for the Japanese market. Here, we see a clip of TIE fighters flying towards the camera, in the foreground of a sunset; a shot evocative of the war film “Apocalypse Now.” We also get some adorable shots of the new droid BB-8 and how the heroine Rey can apparently understand this cute droid.
In any case, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is expected to be released precisely a week before Christmas, on Dec. 18. If you don’t think this will be the biggest film since 2012’s “The Avengers,” then I will quote the most iconic villain of all time: “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”
Max Engel is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at max.engel@uconn.edu.
