GREAT EXPECTATIONS
‘STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS’ TRAILER REVIEW BY ‘METRO’ CREW
Star Wars: The Force Awakens picks up 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, and now a new set of young heroes must fight against a rising evil. That’s pretty much all we knew as of press time — details on the film are being kept largely under wraps. We may be a little late on this trailer review, as all the hardcore fans likely already have seen the film twice. But does it matter what we say? It’s a new Star Wars movie, so you’re going to see it anyway. Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in wide release Dec. 18.
PAIGE: I like Star Wars, but I wouldn’t characterize myself as hardcore about it. I didn’t even manage to watch the original trilogy until I was in college. I can’t say Star Wars was an essential component of my youth the way, say, Lord of the Rings was. But somehow, watching this trailer makes me feel very warm and emotional. It really captures the look of the old films without compromising the cool effects from the newer films.
JAIMIE: Really, watching this trailer made me want to go home immediately and watch all six episodes. But since I am stuck at my desk, I think I’ll settle for listening to the score.
PAIGE: I kind of wish they hadn’t brought back Luke, Leia and Han, though. I would rather they remain legends, mythical figures alluded to rather than seen again as elderly shadows of who they once were. I also do not want to hear that Leia and Han did not work out romantically.
NICOLE: I agree. What is a childhood joy should stay that way. Seeing them now makes me smile at first, and then the reality sets in that my childhood is over.
CHRISTINA: I am surprised that you guys are not stoked that they are bringing back the original characters — I am looking forward to it. It will be cool to see what happened to them after all of those years and how they fit into this new society.
PAIGE: No! The worst thing is when people show me what happened to the awesome people 40 years later. You don’t want to find out that Han and Leia’s passionate romance devolved into bickering and divorce. That would kill me. It ruins all the magic! Some things are better left unknown.
JAMES: Han Solo is back as Harrison Ford, or vice versa, for better or worse. I have a similar nostalgia for the Indiana Jones trilogy, but Ford’s return as Jones was a bit slow and creaky. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with action hero reprisals. Sylvester Stallone came back and played Rocky with added depth in Creed, and I think it really caps off that franchise in a great way. Ford doesn’t seem to know how to get back to the core of his earlier characters, who were always caught in a blend of panic and disbelief. A wisecrack isn’t as effective if it’s delivered calmly and slowly. Hopefully I’m wrong about this.
PAIGE: Another thing that makes me apprehensive is how vague the trailer is about the story. On one hand, I certainly don’t want a complete movie synopsis a la Batman v. Superman, but too little plot is also ominous because you have no idea what to expect. The Force Awakens is vague. Worryingly vague.
JAIMIE: The storyline is SUPER vague. I don’t really understand what the plot is, though I can only assume that this is some dystopic future, and the old characters (ugh, Harrison Ford) are going to tell them how to save everyone?
CHRISTINA: But we don’t want to know EVERYTHING from a trailer; that ruins the fun. It seems we were all able to get a clear enough idea, that everything has since gone to sh*! and they will need help from Han Solo (I didn’t even see the other two in here?) to save the world.
JAMES: What I liked best about Star Wars was how weird and original and well-crafted every element was. You had never seen that world and its inhabitants before, and they all seemed fully realized as if they had been around forever. Now it’s bound by expectations. Every new direction it takes comes with the risk pissing off hardcore fans. Look at what happened to George Lucas. Even Ed Wood gets more love these days.
