As a nation Monday night, our reward for sitting through two quarters of the New York Giants-Philadelphia Eagles Monday Night Football game was the promised new trailer (kept under lock and key before it debuted, from what we hear) for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
You’ve probably already seen it (multiple times) and bought your tickets for opening night on Thursday, Dec. 17. (Was The Force with you when you tried to get tickets online? We’ve got our pair!) But just in case you haven’t — maybe you were sleeping during halftime of MNF and knew you could see the trailer in the morning — or just want to see those magnificent two-and-a-half-minutes again, here’s the latest trailer for Episode 7 in the Star Wars saga:
What’s been great about the three trailers that have been released for The Force Awakens is that each of them has provided something new each time. We haven’t just been given the same footage cut a different way or much the same trailer with a couple of new clips sprinkled in and sold as something new. This third preview is the best yet. Not only is there a bunch of new footage, but best of all, we get more of an idea of the story. More specifically, we learn more about how these new characters fit into the narrative, what their purpose might be.
For instance, Daisy Ridley’s character — whose name we’re still not given, but is widely known (if you’ve been following this stuff) as Rey — appears to be filling much the same role as Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy. She’s living a hard life on a desert planet, but knows there are greater things going on around her, in the skies and space above her. Maybe she feels like she’s destined for something greater. And then she finds herself a part of the great story she’s always heard about.
By the way, that’s also a nice touch for this newest installment of the Star Wars mythology. The stories we’re familiar with, the events that leave wrecked starships on their landscape, are legends and myths to these new characters like Rey and John Boyega’s Finn. As Han Solo tells them, “It’s true. All of it.”
Speaking of Finn, he was apparently involved in an outer space dogfight and had his Tie Fighter shot down. Having nearly died, perhaps he experiences a lapse of faith in the Empire, or this just provides the final motivation for what he always wanted to do: Desert his post and join the Rebellion. Maybe he too feels he’s meant for something more than being a foot soldier in a war, that he’s meant to be one of the great warriors he’s heard about in the stories.
Kylo Ren — the presumed villain of the piece — appears to be a disciple or devotee to Darth Vader and wants to finish what the Dark Lord of the Sith started. Given his presence on what’s likely an Imperial starship and among a group of troopers, Ren isn’t just some rogue operative either. He sure looks like the new Vader. One shot in the trailer indicates he may have a connection to Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron. Another shows that he may keep Finn’s role in this new story relatively short.
Above all, this new trailer seems to show that this is going to be much better than what George Lucas provided in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. J.J. Abrams’ camera moves, rather than stays static in front of a green-screen, CGI landscape. The Tie Fighters and X-Wing Fighters have a weight and depth to them, as in the original trilogy. They don’t just look pretty on screen; they’re dirty and grimy and they get blown up real good.
And hey, look who we see at the end of the trailer: It’s another familiar face.
We can only speculate as to what’s behind that expression on Leia’s face. Is she sad that all of this is happening again, that the people she loves are being drawn into another battle? Has someone close to her and Han lost his or her life, reminding everyone involved (including the audience) that the stakes are high in this latest chapter to the story?
The premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is eight weeks away, which means this third trailer is likely the last glimpse we’ll see of new footage and story hints until the actual movie hits theaters. (Although more will surely be available online if you’re willing to dig. Me, I’m trying my best to avoid all that stuff and keep my experience as fresh as possible. Even these trailers may have given me more than I wanted. But like most everyone, I wanted the appetizer. I needed a taste.)
Of course, you already know this, but a reminder: Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in theaters Dec. 18. (Although you’re probably going to see it on Dec. 17, with all of these extra screenings available.