When Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012 and subsequently announced a series of new films, the hype was through the roof.
While apprehension was a natural response due to the, let’s say, tepid response and critical failure of the prequel trilogy, the first trailer to The Force Awakens seemingly washed that all away.
While the response to The Force Awakens was relatively positive-to-mixed amongst fans and critics alike, it did the one thing necessary that the prequels failed at: it set enough pieces, particularly from a character standpoint, in place for a new trilogy to flourish. Be it Kylo Ren, who is one of the best characters in Star Wars history, or the new triumvirate of Rey, Finn, and Poe that manage to match the chemistry and vivre of Han, Luke, and Leia without feeling like a halfhearted clone or generic knockoffs of those characters; this new trilogy has been kicked off in a way that has left fans excited to see where director Rian Johnson will take us in The Last Jedi.
So without much further ado, let’s get to why we’re here: the first trailer for The Last Jedi:
Holy cow that’s a great trailer. From Rey’s introduction reminding us of that incredible first THE FORCE AWAKENS teaser, to the first space battle of the new trilogy (Starkiller base doesn’t count.), to Luke’s looming presence and final words “It’s time for the Jedi to end.” This is trailer perfection: no real plot givaways, but loaded with iconic images and enough to wet the appetites of the legion of fans in the world.
Rian Johnson clearly GETS Star Wars.
In the panel beforehand, we were introduced to Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose, as well as hearing Rian Johnson, Daisey Ridley, John Boyega, and Mark Hamill tell us about the production of the film.
The throughline of the panel was an infectious enthusiasm towards the writing, direction, and the expected finished product that the trailer clearly reflects (as well as dodging questions about the film’s mysteries). We were also graced with this incredible first poster, which I will be beg, borrow and stealing my way into getting onto my wall ASAP:
Rian Johnson, whose past experience includes films like Looper (one of the best Sci-Fi films of the 21st century) and Brick as well as directing two of the best episodes of Breaking Bad, “Fly” and the series’ pinnacle “Ozymandias”. This filmography shows an artist who is willing to take risks and develop interesting mysteries whilst maintaining a personal style within a production’s defined parameters.
Johnson is one of the best young directors working in Hollywood, and I personally cannot wait to see how he manages to wow us by breaking the mold with The Last Jedi.
