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| Scene from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker |
Welcome to the sporadic column Trailing Off in which I take a look at a trailer from the past week and analyze its potential. This will be done using an obnoxious amount of analyzing and personal thoughts on the cast and crew as well as expectations. I will attempt to highlight films ranging from new blockbusters to lesser known indies and give them their due. Partially to spread awareness, I do believe that there is an art to the sell and will do my best to highlight why these trailers matter or don't with approval (trove) or disapproval (trash). So please stop by, recommend some trailers, and I will see you next time.
Trailer in Discussion
Directed By: J.J. Abrams
Written By: J.J. Abrams & Chris Terrio (Written By), George Lucas (Based On Characters), Colin Trevorrow & Derek Connolly (Co-Written By)
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac
- Preamble -
With yesterday's announcement of just what to expect on Disney+, it's a good time to remind everyone that the studio is going nowhere. More than ever they seem like a powerful presence looming over every mainstream anticipated movie for the next few dozen years. In fact, it explains why the following day presented an even bigger event: the announcement of the next Star Wars movie. While the previous film, The Last Jedi, came under fire for being "different," it did prove that these films were capable of lasting beyond its limited original intention. With Disney backing them, they are an unstoppable presence in the modern era and that has been mostly good and bad.
The bad technically is the films that don't lead off with the phrase Star Wars. There have only been a few spin-offs recently (Rogue One and Solo), and both have received less acclaim than the films that continue the initial series. It's likely why there's a lot of wonder over something as mundane as the subtitle. To fans, it's the first place to start mining clues from what to expect (or in some cases, fans have already wondered why the font color is different from its typical yellow). In that way, today marks the start of an Easter egg hunt for a film that is likely to dominate the box office and conversation, for better or worse. While The Last Jedi proved to divide fans, it did manage to turn a profit and create a new vision that was confident.
There's a lot of questions to be had with this first trailer. The fact that audiences have to wait until the end of the trailer to find it out is a sign of how confident Disney is in this film. Still, it's the proposed end of a new trilogy that started with The Force Awakens and has featured some of the darker moments in the overall series. The question is whether this really will be the fulfilling end to a new trilogy, or if there's a set-up for a new road ahead. With the spin-offs being met with middling opinions, it's hard to see the series diverting too far from this path. Considering the billions it makes Disney as well, it makes one wonder if they just start another trilogy, or if this isn't even the capping chapter.
Still, it's got a wonderful cast backing them up with a lot of young and charismatic actors who have proven themselves over the past five years (including recently Oscar-nominated Adam Driver). J.J. Abrams is back to bring a vision that brought the franchise previously to one two billion-dollar-grossing movie. It's not something to laugh at. This franchise means a lot to everyone, which explains why the first trailer has already garnered hundreds of thousands of views and is likely to break millions before the hour is through. It's a cultural landmark the likes of which plan to overshadow this month's The Avengers: Endgame. Then again if anyone could outshine Disney, it's Disney.
The bad technically is the films that don't lead off with the phrase Star Wars. There have only been a few spin-offs recently (Rogue One and Solo), and both have received less acclaim than the films that continue the initial series. It's likely why there's a lot of wonder over something as mundane as the subtitle. To fans, it's the first place to start mining clues from what to expect (or in some cases, fans have already wondered why the font color is different from its typical yellow). In that way, today marks the start of an Easter egg hunt for a film that is likely to dominate the box office and conversation, for better or worse. While The Last Jedi proved to divide fans, it did manage to turn a profit and create a new vision that was confident.
There's a lot of questions to be had with this first trailer. The fact that audiences have to wait until the end of the trailer to find it out is a sign of how confident Disney is in this film. Still, it's the proposed end of a new trilogy that started with The Force Awakens and has featured some of the darker moments in the overall series. The question is whether this really will be the fulfilling end to a new trilogy, or if there's a set-up for a new road ahead. With the spin-offs being met with middling opinions, it's hard to see the series diverting too far from this path. Considering the billions it makes Disney as well, it makes one wonder if they just start another trilogy, or if this isn't even the capping chapter.
Still, it's got a wonderful cast backing them up with a lot of young and charismatic actors who have proven themselves over the past five years (including recently Oscar-nominated Adam Driver). J.J. Abrams is back to bring a vision that brought the franchise previously to one two billion-dollar-grossing movie. It's not something to laugh at. This franchise means a lot to everyone, which explains why the first trailer has already garnered hundreds of thousands of views and is likely to break millions before the hour is through. It's a cultural landmark the likes of which plan to overshadow this month's The Avengers: Endgame. Then again if anyone could outshine Disney, it's Disney.
- Dissection -
The one thing that should be noted is that Abrams has become a master of the teaser trailer. Where most would get by on merely displaying compelling imagery, he manages to create an audible landscape as well that tests the audience's keenness. He has made this trailer for maximum replay value, asking everyone to slow down the trailer to see fragments of frames to understand plot details that may or may not be important. In that way, this is once again a powerful piece of trailer. The fact that it opens up with Rey in the middle of the desert suggests that she's practicing to become a Jedi. But why is she facing off against a spaceship that's flying towards her? There's so much in that five seconds that raises questions as to whether this holds a deeper symbolism, or if it's just more ridiculous Matrix-style action.
It's hard to really get to the heart of the trailer without just commenting on how fun the imagery is. By this point, the cast has become comfortable with their roles. The John Williams score is soaring and the new landscapes have something breathtaking about them. The world post-The Last Jedi is a perfect mix of wonder and despair, and the choice to pit the various characters against conflicts that they may not be able to overcome prove that there's, even more, to get from the franchise. Most of all, the imagery is striking and works as standalone images. To see Kylo Ren tearing down his enemy makes one wonder what he has in store. Even the laughter that ends the trailer holds some clues as to who may or may not be here.
Most of all, it looks like it concludes the overarching themes of the trilogy where the older generation is teaching the younger generation to not make the same mistakes. Princess Leia is there. Luke Skywalker is there in the name, though one must wonder if he'll return through flashback. There's also Lando, who seems to be enthused to be flying the Millennium Falcon. The question now is if this will all culminate in a big lesson to Rey and her generation to not be so foolish, or if this is more of a last chance to see the aging actors play these great roles. As a whole, this trailer hits all of the notes of entertaining the viewer and giving a lot to be excited about without really saying what's going on. Also, how could this be called The Rise of Skywalker when he's died? I'm sure there are already people tearing that title apart. That's the fun of Star Wars. Even if there doesn't seem to be a lot out there, there's still enough to mull over for hours.
- One Sentence Sell -
Star Wars is back, and you already know how you feel about that.
- Trove or Trash -
TROVE
Whether or not the film turns out to be any good, it should be noted that Abrams' status as a great marketer continues. While there's plenty to derive from the Star Wars Celebration that this premiered at, the trailer culminates perfectly in a series of images and ideas that will give audiences plenty to look forward to. There's enough spectacle here to keep audiences satisfied. Similarly, the fact that this is how you discover the subtitle to the next film proves just how much weight this franchise has. The only question now is how good the film will be compared to those images.
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