For those of you either living on an island or (as stereotypes would have it) living in your parents' basement, this week marks the release of the much-ballyhooed "final" Star Wars trailer ever -- JJ Abrams' Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker. In an attempt to bolster football's still sagging television ratings, the MouseHouse aired it during Monday Night Football and then blasted it to all corners of the Earth and beyond on the web not long thereafter.
As I've often warned, never put too much stock in trailers. Typically, they're put together by folks with a greater interest in 'marketing' the impending release, and there's very little emphasis on story. Instead, glitz and flash and pomp and circumstances rule the day, hinting at big moments that the studios seek to promote while quietly holding back their trump cards for audiences to relish on the silver screen. Furthermore, trailers have been shown throughout their history of pushing a particular theme or event or plotlines that may or may not figure prominently into the final cut, and for those reasons I learned long ago not to give them more focus than a passing glance.
For example: sure, it's cool to see what may be one of the ships from Star Wars: Rebels ... but, in the end, that may amount to nothing more than a two-second throwaway to a program that deserved more, especially more than a two-second throwaway. Dave Filoni's work on television (Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels) is often cited as giving fans of the Original and Prequel Trilogies hope that Lucasfilm hasn't quite forgotten its roots; but I'll wait and see whether or not JJ and his Mouseketeers truly served those installments 'justice' or ponied up what little they could. (For what it's worth, I'm inclined to believe the latter and not the former.)
Despite my tendency to dismiss dissecting trailers, I'm willing to concede minimally that Rise honestly looks to dish out "more of the same" of what I've humorously termed 'the Incoherent Trilogy' as so very little of what's come from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi added up to anything substantial much less a true 'hero's quest.' While I've admitted time and again that neither film "felt" like they were constructed in the same vein as Lucas's earlier films, I've also said that I do tend to try and find things to like -- even in the worst cinematic experiences -- and both Awakens and Jedi provided me with enough escapism to appreciate the efforts of their respective storytellers, talent, and shapers.
So ... I know I'm a bit late to the party in hawking what promises to be 'the last film in the Star Wars saga,' I'm still giving it a nod today. Enjoy it for what it's worth ... and, as always, may the Force be with us, always ...
As I've often warned, never put too much stock in trailers. Typically, they're put together by folks with a greater interest in 'marketing' the impending release, and there's very little emphasis on story. Instead, glitz and flash and pomp and circumstances rule the day, hinting at big moments that the studios seek to promote while quietly holding back their trump cards for audiences to relish on the silver screen. Furthermore, trailers have been shown throughout their history of pushing a particular theme or event or plotlines that may or may not figure prominently into the final cut, and for those reasons I learned long ago not to give them more focus than a passing glance.
For example: sure, it's cool to see what may be one of the ships from Star Wars: Rebels ... but, in the end, that may amount to nothing more than a two-second throwaway to a program that deserved more, especially more than a two-second throwaway. Dave Filoni's work on television (Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels) is often cited as giving fans of the Original and Prequel Trilogies hope that Lucasfilm hasn't quite forgotten its roots; but I'll wait and see whether or not JJ and his Mouseketeers truly served those installments 'justice' or ponied up what little they could. (For what it's worth, I'm inclined to believe the latter and not the former.)
Despite my tendency to dismiss dissecting trailers, I'm willing to concede minimally that Rise honestly looks to dish out "more of the same" of what I've humorously termed 'the Incoherent Trilogy' as so very little of what's come from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi added up to anything substantial much less a true 'hero's quest.' While I've admitted time and again that neither film "felt" like they were constructed in the same vein as Lucas's earlier films, I've also said that I do tend to try and find things to like -- even in the worst cinematic experiences -- and both Awakens and Jedi provided me with enough escapism to appreciate the efforts of their respective storytellers, talent, and shapers.
So ... I know I'm a bit late to the party in hawking what promises to be 'the last film in the Star Wars saga,' I'm still giving it a nod today. Enjoy it for what it's worth ... and, as always, may the Force be with us, always ...
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