There’s been one story that has dominated the entertainment headlines this week, and that of course is the release of the very first footage from JJ Abrams’ continuation of the Star Wars saga.
The very first teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens was released worldwide via iTunes and YouTube last friday and fans of everything happening in that galaxy far far away had lots to say. Both critically and culturally the trailer was received very well. Most commenters focused on the beauty of shots like the three X-Wings gliding across a lake in the photo below and the nostalgia-wrapped final shot of the Millennium Falcon barrel rolling and taking on two TIE fighters. One redditor, commenting on the trailer over on r/movies said, “That Millennium Falcon barrel roll was exactly the kind of thing I expect from a star wars film. That’s where it felt like a Star Wars film.”
Though the teaser treated us with plenty of the iconic vehicles it was criticised only slightly for not providing any footage of veteran actors such as Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) or Anthony Daniels (C-3PO). Peter Mayhew, who will be returning as Chewbacca in The Force Awakens however, dropped by Reddit’s r/movies and r/starwars during the trailer launch to say:
Mayhew wasn’t the only person involved with the project that spoke about it online; Rain Johnson, who will be taking over from Abrams by directing Episodes VIII and X expressed his own excitement over Twitter:
Newcomer to the cast, John Boyega who can be seen as a Stormtrooper in the inaugural shot of the new teaser took to Instagram to thank fans for their support. His message read:
“Thank you for all the love and support! The fan mail and fan art has added to my joy! Isn’t it crazy that Star Wars is actually happening? I’m in the movie but as a star wars fan I am very excited! A year is a long time but it will be worth the wait.To whom it may concern…Get used to it. :)”
Boyega’s sign off, “To whom it may concern..Get used to it. :)” is thought to be a response to the racial criticism surrounding his character in Star Wars Episode VII. Mostly circulated on YouTube, this criticism condemns the idea of a black Stormtrooper. According to Star Wars lore, these iconic foot soldiers of the galactic empire were originally clones of the bounty hunter, Jango Fett but the Emperor eventually allowed non-clones to join his evil legion. As such there is no reason why there shouldn’t be a black Stormtrooper and thus trolling has been considered narrow-minded and racist.
The teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens also gave us our first glimpse at other newcomers to the cast including Daisy Ridley, who is rumoured to be Han and Leia’s daughter and Oscar Issac who looks to be playing a gritty Rebel Alliance pilot who the trailer show us is manning one of the X-wing fighters.
One cast member that has caused quite a stir on the web is the narrator, the identity of whom has been hotly speculated but not confirmed. British film and television magazine, The Radio Times has been almost constantly been promoting via their twitter feed that Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch is the owner of the enigmatic voice, but though the actor is has been rumoured for the project (and many others including most recently Marvel’s Doctor Strange), he has not been confirmed. Other social media outlets have been debating the identity of the mysterious voice who seems very knowledgeable in the ways of The Force. The frontrunners in the speculation are Swedish actor Max von Sydow and Planet of the Apes’Andy Serkis. Though both actors have confirmed their involvement with The Force Awakens, neither Disney nor Lucasfilm have made a statement admitting that either of them are the elusive owner of the ominous voice. The Star Wars official twitter did reveal however that:
One of the biggest talking points of the trailer that was contested over the internet with a broad spectrum of differing opinions is the design of the new lightsaber that is seen in the new footage.
The shadowy figure that some believe to be actor, Adam Driver, wields a lightsaber with cross-guards. Though existing in some Star Wars media, such a weapon has never been seen before on the silver screen. Indeed some speculate that the device is not a technically a lightsaber at all, more of an attempted one, built slightly unsuccessfully, or indeed an ancient lightsaber, more crude than the sleek ones we’re used to. Such a theory has validity as according to the films, at the end of Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker is hinted to be the only being left who has the knowledge of how to build a lightsaber. Fans and web-users had very mixed opinions over the weapon, some praising it for its new take, others horrified. According to a BuzzFeed Poll 17% of voters were furious with the new design, somewhat prematurely blaming JJ Abrams for the demise of their beloved franchise, 53% of readers were more understanding, taking a ‘lets wait and see’ approach and 30% considering the weapon the next stage of lightsaber evolution. Some altogether made fun of the new lightsaber. 4Chan took this cynical approach toward the weapon: here and in the gif below:
Of course sites like IGN and ScreenRant posted desconstructive analyses of the trailer but it was nice to see other, more mainstream news outlets such as BusinessInsider and the website of The Guardian post articles on the trailer, such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Eight things we learned. These online analyses revealed subtle details such as the Millennium Falcon’s new dish and adjustments to the Stormtrooper armour, but they also provided some legitimacy to the leaked Episode VII concept art, which have already shown us the soccer-ball droid and Daisy Ridley’s speeder.
Understandably the internet has been abuzz over the days following the trailers release and it’s fantastic to see it generally so well received compared to the poor fan reception of George Lucas’s prequel trilogy. With Christmas only one month away perhaps JJ Abrams will gift us with another morsel of Episode VII footage, perhaps including a bearded luke? Either way the release of The Force Awakens teaser has only left the internet excited and wanting more!
Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits cinemas worldwide on December 18th 2015.
ScreenJotter 
Discussion
No comments yet.