A Reel Opinion: THE LAST JEDI Trailer

There is a lot to talk and write about in the movie world right now; Oscar Season is warming up, October has horror fans in full marathons and debate over their favorites, big releases from the two major superhero camps are on the horizon, and there are more than one scandal in Hollywood caused by one big jerk or another behaving badly. All juicy stuff, but all of it gets sent to the back pages when STAR WARS unleashes something new.

Last night, Disney and Lucasfilm presented the first, full-length trailer for the 8^th episode in the saga, titled THE LAST JEDI. The trailer (HERE) and new poster (above) is the first look at new material for the highly anticipated film since the short teaser back in April. The trailer is packed with astounding visuals, intriguing dialogue, and big-wow moments from the old and new characters. Here are the highlights:

There is a lot of ambiguity going on with the dialogue we’re given. The opening monologue by the evil Supreme Leader Snoke (voiced and motion-captured by Andy Serkis), which speaks of a person being infused with great power, is presumed to be aimed at his current apprentice, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), but a quick cut to our hero Rey (Daisy Ridley), lets us know that the line was meant for her. This is then driven home by exiled Jedi Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who expresses fear over the power that Rey has. A stunning revelation in Luke showing fear, for we all know that fear leads to the dreaded Dark Side. With Snoke showing some favoritism towards Rey, we have to be reminded of the old evil Sith trick of replacing each other with new, more powerful apprentices; the “rule of two”, in STAR WARS canon.

Another stunner was seeing Kylo Ren seemingly ready to murder his mother, General Leia (the late Carrie Fisher), which would presumably complete his turn towards the Dark Side…a trip which took a major step forward when he murdered his father, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), back in the 7^th episode, THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015). Patricide and matricide in a STAR WARS movie is new territory for the franchise, and reminiscent of a classic Greek tragedy.

Visually, the film is a treat. Rian Johnson seems to have shot one hell of a film, as every shot is downright gorgeous. These two shots are this Blogger’s new favorites in the whole history of STAR WARS:

There is also something to be said about the style of filming, with a lot of extreme close-ups of the characters. This could be a throwback to THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980), which is considered by many to be the best in the series. That film, directed by the late Irvin Kershner, was put together with a lot of similar close-ups, which Kershner always considered to be the most interesting thing to ever be put in a movie frame, for close-ups express the characters. EMPIRE was a character-driven film, and the style seen so far in THE LAST JEDI suggests the same.

Some other great glimpses…

Finn (John Boyega) in combat with Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie)

Rey in agony, being tortured by Snoke.

And the ending, and oh my what an ending, has Rey seeking help to find her place. Her old enemy Kylo Ren extends his empty hand…nearly a mirror image of Rey at the end of THE FORCE AWAKENS when she seeks Luke.

And John Williams’ score is fantastic.

Overall, this new look at THE LAST JEDI is perfectly executed. It offers a lot of new footage and material without giving away too much, and offers enough questions to keep STAR WARS fans busy for a long, long time.

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THE LAST JEDI arrives December 15^th.